The world’s 280 million electric bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil 4x more than electric cars due to their staggering uptake in China and elsewhere.
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I'd swap out my car for a bike in a heartbeat if there was a safer way to ride between home and work. As it stands, I'd get killed in the first week! So I don't feel I have that option yet.
oh yea definitely a scooter. which is fine, but i know a lot of ppl buy these bike-like objects which look like an "ebike" but are more appropriately considered mopeds or even electric motorcycles.
They are an ideal solution for short-distance urban mobility. They are quietly revolutionising city transport, even though most cities have yet to fully factor them into plans.
Yes, but can we please spare a thought for London's millionaires?
"Residents in Kensington complain that there are so many e-bikes being parked in some of the streets that they have difficulty leaving their multi-million-pound homes".
The U.K. needs to allow the sale of <20 mph ebikes with a throttle as the U.S. does and without the need for a permit. As a disabled person tired of the limited range of mobility scooters (always <½ what the battery manufacturers claim) I am ready to graduate to an ebike that I won't have to pedal.
Beware of Kenda tyres (tires) on ebikes. They're bicycle tyres used on a frame that's much heavier than a normal bike, due to the battery, so they go flat. Fortunately, most models have shifted the battery to the middle instead of the back, which improved efficiency. Now they just need better tyres.
And can China's electric cars be compared to the West electric cars? My understanding is they have a lot of lightweigh, low maintenance anti-Teslas, that are barely in the same category as our EVs.
An illustration of a counterintuitive phenomenon: When there are cost savings from new technology, low-income countries will adopt them faster, because they can less afford the wasted money for the legacy techn
yep, we saw this w cell phones leapfrogging landline phone service too & i expect the same will increasingly happen w solar for getting electricity to places currently w/o
This has the feel of a story being crafted to fit the author's prejudices.
Surely in China, tellingly the article doesn't say, people are moving from push bikes to electric bikes. They are not selling their car to buy an Ebike?
I bet the US would see more electric bikes, mopeds in place of cars if states' transportation & occupational infrastructures were made accordingly. The avg distances between home and work won't allow it, esp w/ many businesses ending work from home options and bringing more cars back to the streets.
Unfortunately, where my teen is at university, they ban the charging of them in or around any accommodation areas and provide no viable alternative to top up the batteries
Something like 75% of Indonesians own a petrol powered moped or motorbike. The switch to electric in these SE Asian countries is going to be incredibly impactful.
It's very positive. But won't cut that much. Ballpark = 1 or 2% of regional greenhouse emissions, 5-10% of total transportation sector. It's 75% the number of vehicles but the other 25% are vastly dirtier. Still, a positive step. Low hanging fruit, and all...
Wenn nur halbwegs stimmt, was uns Wissenschaftler und Hersteller im Bereich Kapazität, Kosten und Ladegeschwindigkeit bei Batterien versprechen, dann wird sich so ein Tauschsystem für Autos nie rechnen.
There's a difference between providing public good, and profit.
We will have to accept that entire industrial models of our economy will need to be abandoned. The current automotive model is a good example, it's insanely wasteful, and will cost us much more than a little bit of near term profit.
An example of the externalities we're not pricing in; the permafrost melting given current, planned, levels of overshoot trigger tipping point which release ~400GT of CO2e, which could cost $100 trillion to remove. Or 300yrs of VW's turnover. That's only one of many more similar costs.
Electric bikes and mopeds should also be equipped to
act as "moveable batteries" in case of emergency,
a scaled-down version of the electric Ford F-150
which can provide power independently
when not on the road.
One of the more surprising things I’ve learned about e-bikes is owners may get *more* exercise than those who ride regular bikes, simply because people love e-bikes so much they’re more likely to actually use them.
I've literally found this to be the case. I was a BIG bike rider before my ebike, but I've ridden EVEN MORE since! Commuting is faster, cleaner (less sweat), and even safer! Up the ebikes!
This is my experience. I live in very hilly Sheffield but my lithium wings flatten them nicely. What was a grim prospect - biking into and out of town - is now a pleasure. Well, it would be, if there were proper, or any, bike lanes.
Maybe I've missed it, but does the study actually say that? It shows that e-bike users ride for longer, but that doesn't equate to statistically significant increaes in exercise.
Tbf to the authors, they also admit that "Further uncertainty is embedded in our assumptions for intensity of physical activity, in particular with MET values for e-biking, driving and public transport."
I'm only really flagging it because I have ridden a 'normal' bike and an ebike pretty extensively over the last 5 years and even with increased distances, I just can't see how an ebike generates anything approaching the exercise benefit from a normal bike.
It's up to the user. There's an argument there will be more hours, but of lower intensity exercise. However, I have a colleague who cycles an hour each way on her e-bike, and says she never takes it off the lowest assist level. She wouldn't try it on a regular bike.
There have been studies that have compared traditional bikes to e-bikes (pedal assist and full throttle) and found that while e-bikes are less demanding they still give a good workout, but riders' *perception* is that e-bikes offer a far less demanding workout than it actually is.
That’s it - thanks for sharing! And I love that Bluesky has reached the point where an author of a study under discussion just pops into the replies with a link to the paper.
That may be part of why folks are more likely to use them, and thus get more exercise in over all (especially older and less fit folks who may be averse to cycling).
So we live rural; about five minute drive from the closet town, and on an old rail line. I wonder how one of these would work on dirt and gravel roads.
You can get a e-bike that’s a mountain bike, or even a gravel bike / touring bike with a little bit of suspension. Dirt and gravel road are no problem at all.
I had an "interesting" interaction on Threads recently with a numpty who couldn't get past their Hot Take that reasons to have an ebike were infirmity, laziness and, errr, that's it 🤔🙄🤦♂️
This is definitely true for me. I expend about the same amount of energy on an e-bike by going farther and a bit faster. It's made a huge difference for longer rides. My arthritic knee can't grind up the big hills on an analog bike, but it's been easy on the e-bike.
It is, in fact a workout (tho less intense), and people are likely to spend more time on e-bikes because they enjoy them and perceive them as less work than they are (so, more miles, and ultimately more exercise)
1. Absolutely agree that it is insane how many ride e-scooters w/o any head/other protection however
2. This article is off (and anti-climate action?) with saying "chief among [the reasons for use] is their low carbon footprint". No, chief is their utility and after that financial + fun.
Right. Its as if the author/editors want to blame "climate" for increased head injuries due to (no-helmet) scooter use in the micro-mobility/transportation (and recreational) system.
Definitely a real dilemma, esp. in US, but it seems that much of the growth in electric two and three wheeled vehicles is coming in middle/low income countries where they’re simply replacing fossil fueled versions of the same vehicles, no? Not growth in scooters and such vs four wheelers
I bought an e-bike last year after much humming and ahhhing, do not retreat it! Esp now the weather is warmer I use it more and it’s more enjoyable than a car.
This is the kind of news I want to see!!! This is actually so cool becuase not only does it mean less cars on the roads and less reliance on oil fuels, but it also means less congestion on the road, faster traffic flow and therefore less fuel spent while idling.
No, they aren't. Demand is driven by production, not the other way around. The only way to reduce fossil fuel production is directly, with the delicense of an oil major.
Travelled to China recently and EV mopeds, EV bikes and EV cargo bikes were everywhere, even in the cold and wet. I saw some solutions to wet/cold weather riding that I had not seen before. I was so impressed.
Comments
"Residents in Kensington complain that there are so many e-bikes being parked in some of the streets that they have difficulty leaving their multi-million-pound homes".
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/nov/30/absolutely-outrageous-wealthy-residents-living-in-shadow-of-harrods-wage-war-on-e-bikes
Okay, animation references aside, that's actually very surprising, and really cool.
We all need to pile on!!
Surely in China, tellingly the article doesn't say, people are moving from push bikes to electric bikes. They are not selling their car to buy an Ebike?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Super_Cub
We have to use both EVs & electric bikes/mopeds.
Non-horses for courses.
https://www.gogoro.com/
Imagine this approach with a car share platform, partially autonomous, designed to be serviceable for millions of km.
https://hbr.org/2024/05/how-one-chinese-ev-company-made-battery-swapping-work
We will have to accept that entire industrial models of our economy will need to be abandoned. The current automotive model is a good example, it's insanely wasteful, and will cost us much more than a little bit of near term profit.
https://biosphere.wilmarigl.de/en/?p=3806
Note: Thieves use electric saws to cut through special bikestands to steal cargo bikes at local train station.
act as "moveable batteries" in case of emergency,
a scaled-down version of the electric Ford F-150
which can provide power independently
when not on the road.
Would be nice if @davidho.bsky.social could put such discussions public so the collected knowledge can be shared in other networks referring to 👆 this thread. 🤗
https://bsky.app/profile/ianwalker.bsky.social/post/3lcbotjl3i22i
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259019821930017X
Before it was vandalized.
I will use the lowest level if I want exercise and save the higher levels for the last hill home or if I am in a hurry to get somewhere.
Not true, just looks that way -- pedal as a motion instead of propelling.
2. This article is off (and anti-climate action?) with saying "chief among [the reasons for use] is their low carbon footprint". No, chief is their utility and after that financial + fun.