With gas prices surging and fuel costs hitting record levels, we ran the numbers on what your commute actually costs, and the results might change how you get to work.
If you’ve filled up your car recently, you already know something has shifted. Petrol prices across the EU & UK have climbed to an average of €1.71 per litre, with diesel at €1.84. 1 This isn’t a seasonal blip. It’s the direct consequence of the most serious disruption to global energy markets since 2022.
The conflict in the Middle East has effectively shut down commercial tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that previously handled around 20% of the world’s daily oil supply. 2 European gas storage levels have dropped to just 29% on average – well below seasonal norms and among the lowest since the height of the Russia-Ukraine energy shock. 3 The cost of gas-fired power across Europe has risen by more than 50%.
For anyone commuting by car, the impact is immediate and personal. But it also creates an opportunity to ask a question most of us don’t stop to calculate: what does my daily commute actually cost, down to the kilometre?
Here’s what makes the question even more pointed: roughly half of all car trips in European cities are shorter than 6km. 4 In London, that figure is closer to two-thirds under 5km. Short car journeys also contribute disproportionately to emissions, because cold engines run at their dirtiest.
We did the maths. And the answer might change how you think about getting to work.
The €0.03 commute
A Cowboy e-bike runs on a 360Wh removable lithium-ion battery. A full charge takes 3.5 hours and delivers up to 70km of range. At the current EU average household electricity price of around €0.28 per kWh, that full charge costs approximately €0.10. 5
That works out to €0.001 per kilometre. A typical 10km urban commute? About one cent. There and back? Under three cents.
Now consider what the same journey costs by car. A petrol car averaging 7 litres per 100km costs around €0.12 per kilometre at current EU prices. Even an electric car, at approximately €0.048 per kilometre, costs nearly 50 times more than a Cowboy e-bike per kilometre. Over the course of a year, a daily 10km car commute adds up to €600 or more in fuel alone. That’s a free Cowboy Cruiser is less than 6 years purely by savings in gas.
A Cowboy e-bike? The same commute, same distance, same 250 working days: under €30 for the entire year.
It’s not just about fuel
The per-kilometre comparison is stark enough on its own. But it doesn’t capture the full picture. Car ownership comes with insurance, road tax, servicing, MOTs, parking, and congestion charges which are all costs that don’t apply to an e-bike. In most European cities, urban parking alone can add €1,000 or more per year to the cost of driving.
Then there’s the environmental dimension. The average petrol car emits approximately 170 grams of CO₂ per kilometre. 6 An e-bike’s total lifecycle emissions, including manufacturing, battery production, and charging, sit at roughly 13–14 grams per kilometre. That’s a 92% reduction. For a 10km daily commuter switching from car to e-bike, that’s nearly 400kg of CO₂ saved per year.
A word on batteries, because not all are created equal
As e-bike adoption has grown, so have concerns about battery safety. But the data consistently points to the same root cause: cheap, uncertified batteries from unregulated manufacturers.
This is an area where we hold ourselves to the highest standard. Most Cowboy batteries are made in Denmark. We test 100% of our batteries during assembly and at the end of the production line. Each unit is equipped with a state-of-the-art battery management system (BMS) that protects against short circuits, overheating, and deep discharge.
Our C4 models (Classic, Cruiser, and Cruiser ST, the bikes most of our commuters ride every day) have never had a single recorded battery incident.
Resilience, not just savings
The current energy crisis is a reminder that Europe’s transport costs are tethered to global commodity markets that are volatile, geopolitically fragile, and largely outside any individual’s control. Whether it’s the Strait of Hormuz, OPEC+ production decisions, or pipeline politics, the price you pay at the pump is determined by forces thousands of miles away.
An e-bike flips that equation. A Cowboy battery charges from any standard plug. No specialist infrastructure. No dependency on fuel supply chains. No exposure to global price shocks. Just a socket, 3.5 hours, and up to 70km of range.
With AdaptivePower™ technology that adjusts motor output in real time based on slope, wind, and rider weight, every charge is optimised for maximum efficiency. A Gates carbon belt drive means no oil, no chain maintenance, and no ruined work clothes. It’s a commute designed for independence.
The bottom line
A Cowboy e-bike charges fully in 3.5 hours from any standard plug, for around €0.10. That single charge delivers up to 70km of range, enough for most urban commuters to ride all week on a handful of charges.
It produces virtually zero emissions per kilometre. It requires no fuel infrastructure, no dependency on global supply
chains, and no exposure to volatile commodity markets.
In a moment when energy costs are unpredictable and
rising, a Cowboy e-bike puts you in control of how you move and what it costs.
- European Commission Oil Bulletin, fuel-prices.eu, data as of 16 March 2026. EU avg petrol €1.71/L, diesel €1.84/L.
- Atlantic Council, "How the Iran war could trigger a European energy crisis," 17 March 2026. atlanticcouncil.org
- E3G, "Europe is bracing for high and volatile energy prices," 12 March 2026. e3g.org
- EU Joint Research Centre / multiple national travel surveys. Roughly 50% of urban car trips are shorter than 6km. London data (TfL LTDS 2011/12) shows ~67% of car trips under 5km. Short car trips also contribute disproportionately to emissions due to cold engine starts.
- Eurostat, Household Electricity Price Statistics. Average EU household price approx. €0.28/kWh (2025 data).
- EPA estimates: average passenger car emits approx. 170g CO₂/km. E-bike lifecycle emissions approx. 13–14g CO₂/km.