The number of electronic bicycles, better known as e-bikes, in Europe is growing fast.

The EU’s official statistics agency says the bloc reached the 1 million e-bike mark two years ago, but sales have dramatically increased since then. CCTV America’s Jack Barton was recently in Germany where about 450,000 e-bikes are expected to be sold this year alone.

Lutz Baddack works with horses. But when it comes to work errands around Berlin, Lutz and his staff use the company’s new e-bike that takes a few hours to charge and has a range of 140 kilometers, or about 90 miles.

“We found it was a possibility for us to be quick with no parking spot problem or other issues. And we also recognized that on top of all this we don’t just do something for the environment, but we also save gasoline,” Baddack said.

Unlike many other parts of the world, the E.U. does not require registration or licensing for e-bikes. Nearly half a million are expected to be sold in Germany this year, in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the equivalent of around $800 up to $5,000. In the U.S., where e-bikes account for less than one percent of total bicycle sales, an e-bike can cost as much as $8,000.

They’re not as green as regular bicycles, but they are much popular.

“This is an alternative to be at, or get to, work without having to start the workday completely sweaty. That’s why I can imagine that this is used by people who usually use a car,” Transport expert Stefan Gelbhaar said.

Sales figures are expected to keep rising.

“In five years we will have the market segment of 20 percent, maybe more,” Marcus Kendler, owner of E-Motion, an e-bike store in Berlin, said.

In the hillier parts of southern Germany that figure has already been exceeded.

“In the Bavarian area every second bike that gets sold today is an e-bike,” Marcus Kendler said.

Germany remains the biggest market for e-bikes in Europe, but other countries are catching up fast in the Netherlands one in every five-bike sales has gone electric.

Brands are multiplying, prices are falling and it appears in Europe, the e-bike is here to stay and not just a cyclical trend.