In the last 6 days the NY Times has run 4 articles about e-bikes -- all of them negative.
A few other stories the paper might consider:
🔹 E-bikes pollute far less than even electric cars
🔹 Compared to autos, e-bikes pose minimal risk to other people
🔹 Unlike cars, e-bikes provide exercise
People For Bikes, the main bicycle industry lobbying group, is trying really hard to keep ebike repair tools and manuals out of the hands of independent repair shops through carveouts for ebikes from right to repair laws on the grounds of battery safety.
This is very similar to the tactics used by car companies to keep car owners locked to dealerships for repairs.
Yes, batteries can be dangerous. But what's even more dangerous is that people will improperly dispose of broken bikes when they don't have access to the documentation and diagnostic tools manufacturers make, but only license to official shops.
Besides the battery thing is a big red herring. The stuff they're holding back isn't battery repair tools, it's documentation of everything else like controllers and throttles and sensors. They would rather brick your bike than let you have control over it. #RightToRepair#Ebikes#FelonyContemptofBusinessModel
The NJ legislature just passed a bill requiring low-speed electric bicycles to be registered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and to be insured.
Somewhere, either a fossil fuel lobbyist or an insurance industry lobbyist got his wings.
The City of #Boulder, #Colorado‘s e-bike rebate program begins in July. Residents will be able to get $300 back off the price an e-bike or $500 off an e-cargo bike sold by local retailers. Low-income residents get even more back, $1200/$1400 respectively.
"Electric vehicles as a whole displaced about 1.5m barrels of oil a day globally in 2022, according to Bloomberg. Two-thirds of that – almost 1m barrels a day – was just from electric bikes and mopeds, which are known as electric micromobility."
When I sold my last car in 2011 and switched to bike (first a standard, last 5 yrs eBike) I walked past the auto-electrician, the tyre place, the rego office, spare parts dealer, the mechanic, the panel beater, the petrol station etc etc and counted all the money I was saving and it made me very happy.
Also noticed how many things I did not spontaneously shopped for because I had no way of getting them home (and really didn't need them anyway).
It works well for me, public transport is used for trips I can't make with the bike.
The freedom of pulling up next to the shop without having to search for a parking spot is priceless.
Some would find it extremely inconvenient for sure. Others, like myself, find it very liberating.
We keep willfully ignoring the actual solution for urban and suburban transport.
We still let the car industry lead with the preservation of their profits instead of looking at what's actually working.
The world’s 280 million electric bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
Kudos to the EU Parliament for their ruling on replaceable batteries. Great news for consumers and the environment... and their ruling will not only cover smart phones, #eBikes too will have to follow this new regulation.
searching for e-bike recommendations for my disabled ass, that won't break the bank and have an amount of cargo capacity even if it's like a few bags of groceries (more is better, i'm a disaster)? I need to nearly-never pedal and especially not up any hills or anything
City dwellers across Europe are ditching their cars – and traffic jams, hefty bills and the weight of climate guilt – for cargo bikes. Writing for The Next Web, Siôn Geschwindt explains why he became one of them. https://flip.it/LdM3gU #Tech#EBikes#Technology#Culture
Decarbonising road transport - Lighter vehicles make a big difference
"Currently, a large diesel SUV typically emits a kilogram of CO₂ for every 3 kilometres of driving, compared to 15km for a light electric vehicle and 200 kilometres for an e-bike. An average electric vehicle currently emits 1kg of CO₂ every 7km."
"Australia is on track to miss the net-zero target for 2050 mainly because of the large proportions of fossil-fuelled vehicles and large and heavy passenger vehicles."
Best-selling electric vehicle in US? The e-bike. WaPo on appeal of the car replacement that makes you happy. https://wapo.st/3RXYuAb (gift link)
Kawthar Duncan: “Before I know it, I’m riding 20 miles a day,” she laughs. “I never thought it was going to be me.”
Adrienne McCann: "Eventually, a lightbulb turned on when her e-bike-owning friend told her she wasn’t buying an expensive bike. It was a cheap car." #EBikes#EV#BikeLove#BicyclesChangeLives#ClimateAction#transportation#BikeTooter
I got some custom side panels made for my #BullittX and I'm super happy with how they came out. Mike at Tinkering Monkey in Berkeley did an incredible job with them. The left-hand, car-facing side shows the Keeling Curve (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keeling_Curve), the message being that we're not making real progress on #ClimateChange. The right-hand, sidewalk-facing side shows a quote from my friend Ronnie, who was talking about me being insufficiently annoying about #EBikes. #BikeTooter#LarryVsHarry
“Toyota will be marketing the #cargobike to existing customers—including van-driving tradesfolk who may wish for an agile last-mile haulage option for streets closed to motor vehicles–and also hoping to attract bike customers...”
There has been a deluge of articles in the last couple weeks about the danger of #eBikes and California's push to require licensing to ride them.
As a bike rider it's never surprising to see the media and drivers blame riders for their own deaths, no matter how egregious the driver error was. And some of the cited examples are quite egregious.
But this push for education and licensing made me wonder:
How effective is Driver's Ed at improving road safety?
Are there such things as secure-ish bike trailers? Or power assist #bike trailers? Or are there #eBikes#eBike that can handle hauling some significant cargo?
I'm wondering if it would be practical to replace my ailing car with an eBike and trailer. Use cases are 1) commute around town, 2) shopping around town, 3) haul two peoples' worth of #scuba gear around town (and then store it safely while locked to a pretty hefty public bike rack), 4) occasional use as a mounain bike on 4x4 trails.
Seeking volunteers for 2-hr shifts with BikeLoudPDX.
Show off your #cargoBikes! Answer questions on hauling kids & large loads #CarryShitOlympics#eBikes