“In a systematic comparison of energy flow, a mains-charged battery driving an electric motor will provide mechanical power approximately ten times more efficient than a human on a typical diet. For personal trips between 5 and 30 miles per day, the electric bike offers personal and environmental monetary cost, generally without increasing urban travel time ”
Energy, global warming and electric bicycles Energy flow analysis with an emphasis on personal transportation
1. Climbing
That may seem obvious, but it is the main advantage. A good electric bike effectively flattens hills, increasing average speed and eliminating the “whine” factor when an incline occurs. As long as you provide a reasonable amount of effort, you can expect to climb hills of 1 in 10 (10%) on an electric bike with ease and overcome a maximum slope of 1 in 7 (14%), or much more. In a mountainous country, the effect is nothing short of miraculous.
2. Security
Sounds unlikely, right? But the math is compelling. Think of a steep, busy road, with cars going 30 mph. If you previously went up the hill at 6 mph, but can tackle the same gradient at 12 mph with an electric bike, you will see 33% fewer cars and they’ll pass you at 18 mph instead of 24 mph. Or at least, we think it is correct.
Regardless of the numbers, there’s no question that an electric bike helps keep you out of harm’s way. The same general principle applies to road junctions: the faster you accelerate, the sooner you can get out of trouble. And without the need to rush up hills, you won’t be tempted to drive downhill at breakneck speeds … another useful safety feature.
3. Personal fitness
Are you sure a conventional bike will keep you in shape? That, of course, depends on how much you use it, if at all. Research (b) has found that 46% of conventional bicycles are used only once or twice a week, and an additional 30% are used once every fifteen days or even less. In contrast, a recent survey of electric bike owners reveals that one-third use their bike at least once a day and 81% use the bike at least once a week (c).
The figures confirm our experience that an electric bicycle is normally used at least twice as many times as a conventional machine.
Because riding an electric bike is much more enjoyable in a mountainous field, with high winds, or when carrying heavy loads, users tend to take better advantage of them. The motor provides up to half the effort, but more regular use means more exercise for the rider.
4. No sweating!
Sweating may not be a serious problem when you are out and about, but it is more important if you are cycling to work. Although some employers are reluctantly providing showers and other facilities for cyclists, the vast majority do not intend to do so. An electric bike eliminates the problem at its source. In hot climates, it is possible to maintain a normal schedule by transferring a little more load to the electric motor. In colder climates, or if you feel the need to exercise, simply slow down or turn off the engine.
5. Clean and green
Electric bikes obviously consume energy, whereas conventional bikes don’t (as long as we ignore the environmental cost of growing and processing food, see below). However, the amount of energy used is very small compared to a moped, motorcycle or car. In addition to fuel, the only consumables are batteries, which can usually be recycled when their useful life is exhausted. In terms of energy use, electric bicycles typically consume fuel at an average rate of 100-150 watts of electrical power, compared to 15,000 for a car (it does travel much faster). In terms of fuel consumption, an electric bike reaches around 800-2,000mpg (290-700 liters / kilometer) (d). No other commercially available vehicle can match such figures.
If it is difficult to place these numbers in your own lifestyle, think of a 100-watt electric light bulb turned on at night; it’s enough power to propel an electrically assisted bike 20 to 40 miles …
6. Genuinely sustainable
There is a lot of nonsense about sustainability in transportation, but an electric bike can be made really sustainable. Buy electricity from a “green” supplier or generate your own with a roof-mounted windmill or array of solar panels (see data on solar energy), and the fossil fuel consumption of the vehicles will be zero. Are you sure a conventional bicycle already does that? Only if you grow the food you eat while riding it. Unfortunately, the most modern food production and distribution consumes so much fuel that the consumption of a typical cyclist is not very good.
7. Travel faster
In theory, a car can average a high speed, but in practice the speed often falls below 10 mph in cities. The problem is congestion: motorcycles avoid this to some extent, but they are still confined to the road network. An electric bicycle can maintain a higher average speed than a bicycle but take advantage of the same network of bicycle facilities, giving access to routes that cars and motorcycles cannot reach. The result is often faster door-to-door travel time than any other mode. And by taking advantage of the uncongested bike network, but eliminating hills and headwinds, e-bikes are often the most consistent mode of travel.
8. High resale value
Electric bikes are a new technology, and it’s still early days, but the evidence points to a much better resale value than a conventional bike. It is true that buying a typical electric bike costs more, between £ 400 and £ 1,000, but it seems that you will get most of that if you sell the machine.
9. Motorized, no paperwork!
You know how it is … ITV expired, log book lost, insurance costs increase year after year. Electric bikes are treated like regular bikes for legislative purposes, so there is absolutely no registration or legislation to worry about. Of course, you are free to insure the machine if you wish, but there is no obligation to do anything other than have fun!