2022 Bull E-Bike Pilot Program Study

In 2022, the City of Durham conducted an e-bike pilot program study to learn more about how electric bikes (e-bikes) could improve the transportation experience in the "Bull City" (a.k.a., Durham, North Carolina).

The study used pedal-assist e-bikes, which feature an electric motor and battery to help power the bike. The motor amplifies the power behind each pedal stroke, augmenting the energy you put into the bike.

Data Collection Agency

The City of Durham's Transportation Department conducted the study.

Survey Methodology

Program participants used electric-assist e-bikes for at least 4 weeks between August and November 2022 in exchange for sharing information about their experiences, including tracking their travel via a smartphone app. In addition to the e-bike, participants received maintenance support along with a helmet, bike lock, and other accessories. Data collection was enabled by the NREL OpenPATH platform.

Survey Records and Data

Survey records include a total of 76 participants.

The dataset contains 3 months of partially automated travel diaries, combining sensed and surveyed travel behavior data—patterns of multimodal, end-to-end, individual human mobility—as well as demographic and socioeconomic information from participants.

The number of total trips was 6,488, the number of e-bike trips was 2,183, and the number of e-bike miles traveled was 5,450.

Transportation data and associated documentation are available as zipped files. Download Winzip.

For the study's latitude and longitude data, learn how to access the spatial data.

How To Cite the Data

If you use the data in a publication, please contact us and include a citation in your publication consistent with the following format:

"Transportation Secure Data Center." [(year)]. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Accessed [date]: www.nrel.gov/tsdc.

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