Research carried out by the University of Otago and Dunedin City Council shows the number of electric cars in Dunedin increased from 25 to 500 in the past four years. Dunedin Electric Bikes co-owner Nathan Parker said sales of electric bikes and scooters had doubled every year, since he opened the store four years ago. It took him six months to sell one electric bike when he first opened. He said the increased demand for electric scooters - particularly electric trikes - came mainly from people with disabilities, special needs or visual impairments, who were not permitted to drive cars. "If you look at the trends overseas, electric bike sales are now outstripping normal bike sales."

Source: Otago Daily Times April 11, 2019 16:30 UTC