e-cars vs e-bikes - petrol saving

[Joe Blake]

https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-280-million-electric-bikes-and-mopeds-are-cutting-demand-for-oil-far-more-than-electric-cars-213870

The world’s 280 million electric bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars

[Lee Rust]

Electric assisted bikes have the best possible power to weight ratio... and they're fun to ride in good weather. The holy grail would be a practical and comfortable enclosed velo-mobile. There have been many attempts so far, but they don't seem to have caught on.

We've definitely been spoiled by more than a century of comfortably zooming about in large, heavy automobiles powered by irreplaceable fossil fuels.

[Rob Beckers]

If I look at the country I grew up, The Netherlands, electric bikes have become incredibly popular. People use them for everything, including the daily commute to/from work. Cars were and are expensive over there, gas prices are twice what it costs here in Canada, and 4x the price of gasoline in the USA.

There is an unexpected downside though (several really, but one that stands out): Dutch people used to ride bikes of the non-electric kind in equal measure long before the current bikes came along, and unknowingly and effortlessly got lots of daily exercise though riding those. That is gone now, and Dutchies like so many other populations are rapidly getting fatter and fatter. The associated increase in disease and healthcare costs are ramping up with it.

If I look back at my own Dutch days, going to school meant a 20 minute non-electric bike ride to, and another 20 minutes from school 5 days a week. On top of that came all the rides to friends, to the city (a 30 minute ride each way) to buy electronics components (as I was furiously building electronics gadgets at the time). And there are big hills where I grew up...

Several hours a week were easily spent riding my bicycle. Now the most common kind is "paddle assist" where a little bit of paddling gets one an effortless ride up the hill.

Another side effect; expensive electric bikes are being stolen at a rate that's unreal!

-RoB-

[Joe Blake]

https://newatlas.com/urban-transport/envo-veemo-velomobile/

https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/d9548ad/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2688+0+0/resize/1920x1280!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7d%2F31%2F471f7afc46 6e95fed6889174c2e0%2Fimg-5053.jpeg

Plenty of options as far as e-powered velomobiles go.

https://newatlas.com/search/?q=velomobile&p=1

I live in the Hills to the east of Perth so I get my exercise with or without electrical assistance. Plus of course I have my indoor recumbent bicycle on a training stand with a generator so I can power my video/ TV watch recordings of Le Tour de France when it's too hot (or cold and wet) outside.

[Jay Walter]

I'm not a fan of electric bikes. The carbon footprint for battery production is little better than petroleum.

That aside, I had a Prius for 6 years. I once got 91 mpg while going into town. :) Alas it was 45 mpg coming back. Point is, the hybrids have a better eco benefit than do electric vehicles. Toyota is developing a hydrogen ICE hybrid that could prove to be the best of both.

How it relates; an electric bicycle is a parallel to the hybrid car in as much as it relies on two power sources. If the hybrid car version is so way better than the cars of the past and the EVs then I expect a hybrid bicycle could perform at an equally efficient level.

The end result would be people going further with electric assist, and fewer cars on the road for it. Batteries for Ebikes are far less offensive than those for cars.

Point of fact, I sold my Prius for two reasons; exclusively front wheel drive meant the weight fought uphill travel in the snow (less traction) and the battery weight didn't help that any, but the real killer was the $15,000 cost of a new battery that was inevitable had I kept the car.

Battery costs will never come down. Should I decide on an assisted bicycle my preference would be a trike with a small diesel engine— diesel being a more efficient ICE. I suppose a propane engine would be an option as well.


Have you ever wondered where the power came from for Fred Flintstone's car? I mean, push off and go, wouldn't that be great.


*ICE internal Combustion Engine.

[Joe Blake]

"Battery costs will never come down."

Battery costs have gone down 97% over three decades.

https://ourworldindata.org/battery-price-decline

"The carbon footprint for battery production is little better than petroleum."

Batteries (particularly Lead Acid) can be recycled to a great extent. Petroleum cannot.

Other minuses for cars - whether electric or otherwise. Space for parking, both in housing and in city streets. 3-4 velomobiles can be parked in the same area as a car - even moreso if one goes vertical with multilevel storage. Traffic congestion. Road construction always lags behind car ownership resulting in roads being turned into parking lots, with the air being polluted by emissions from idling ICE's. Damage to roads and infrastructure. Cars cause much more wear and tear on roads due to their weight. Other infrastructure such as power/ lighting poles, house walls etc are damaged by cars because of collisions.

Fred Flintstone's power comes from the mind of the animator. My velomobile carries its own solar panels on the back so the batteries are being recharged (albeit slowly) as I ride.

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z24IwyWzxng/W_iPeMFp17I/AAAAAAAAAE4/nTD4TAIitsEbtI1o3tOITxFhr0fSwqbDgCLcBGAs/s1600/P2190002.JPG