These days, more and more people are looking to electric vehicles for their personal transportation. Whether it’s a way to reduce your carbon footprint or simply a fascination with the latest tech, these cutting edge vehicles are taking the world by storm. With millions of units predicted to be sold in the coming years, the buzz around electric bicycles is real, but can an e-bike replace a car?
An e-bike can replace a car depending on your lifestyle and current situation. Before you buy one, there are a few important considerations to take into account. Your lifestyle, where you live, and the distances you commute will all affect how well an e-bike can fulfill the role of a car in your life.
In this article, I will take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of ditching your car in favor of an electric bike. If you have ever considered this environmentally friendly and tech-savvy mode of transportation, read on.
Advantages of E-Bikes
E-bikes are becoming more common around the world, and for a good reason. There are several advantages that these hybrid vehicles have over cars and traditional bicycles.
Environmentally Friendly
Many people are choosing to actively reduce their environmental impact, and one of the most popular ways to do this is by driving less. Public transportation and traditional bicycles are both good choices, but e-bikes provide a level of freedom and convenience beyond these options.
There have been a number of studies on the impact of shifting trends towards e-bikes and the affect this can have on the environment. One of these studies looked at Portland, Oregon, and came up with some promising results.
Here’s a relevant quote from the study: “An individual e-bike could provide an average reduction of 225 kg CO2 per year. These estimates show that e-bikes have the potential to help cities and regions achieve their climate goals.”
For anyone that is concerned with the future of the planet and is looking for a way to play a part in the good fight, switching to an e-bike is a good move.
Budget-Friendly
The cost of gas is a real factor that must be taken into account in every car owner’s budget. In the United States, the average person in most states spends more than $1000 a year on gas getting from place to another in their cars.
E-bikes, on the other hand, can save you cash in a few different ways. First of all, the overnight charge that will give your e-bike the necessary juice for a day’s riding costs significantly less than the equivalent amount of gas. In fact, with the average price of electricity in the United States, and the power it takes to charge an e-bike, your commute will cost you pennies.
Another significant cost of driving a car is parking. In urban centers like Manhattan in New York City, parking can cost as high as $6 per hour, making an e-bike a logical way to reduce costs of living.
E-bikes also don’t require registration, licensing, and title fees that apply to cars. While these vary from state to state, they are all significantly more than the total of $0 required to legally ride your e-bike around town. Then there is the issue of car insurance. In the United States, car insurance costs $1,348 annually or $112 per month on average. Although not required and not nearly as expensive, there are options for E-bike insurance as well.
Finally, the cost of buying an ebike, is significantly less than buying or leasing a car!
For many people, these costs are reasons enough to ditch their car and make the switch to an e-bike.
Technological Innovation
There is also the very real appeal that e-bikes have for people that love new technology. Besides the thrill of pedal-free, silent speed that you can get when zipping around town on an e-bike (some e-bikes can hit speeds of 45mph!), there are several different apps that increase and enhance the interface between bike and rider.
These apps range from classic functions like GPS and mapping features similar to Google Maps to others that provide metrics to help you properly maintain your e-bike. Strava, for example, takes GPS functions and allows you to track speed, distance, elevation, and allows you to compare with other users around the world with a “King of the Hill” feature.
Bike Doctor, on the other hand, instantly provides free tutorials that will help you to diagnose and fix some basic problems you may encounter while riding your e-bike.
Disadvantages of E-Bikes
With all the benefits of e-bikes, it would seem like everyone would jump on board. However, the truth is there are also some disadvantages to this new form of locomotion, especially when thi.
Capacity
This most obvious downside of e-bikes–and bicycles in general–is that they are generally single-occupancy vehicles. For people with families, this can be a major problem. You can’t pick up the kids at school on most e-bikes, so for mom and dad, they will have to remain secondary vehicles that can be used for weekend rides around town or running errands. There is the option of getting a trailer or larger cargo ebike, but these aren’t always feasible depending on the type of riding and distance traveled.
Commute Distances and Weather
According to an ABC News poll, the average American commutes 16 miles each way to work every day. While this may not seem like a long distance when you are sitting in the comfort of a climate-controlled car with the radio playing your favorite songs, but on a bike exposed to the elements, this can be a far less pleasant experience.
This brings me to another factor mitigating if an e-bike can replace your car: the weather. If you live in sunny California, the weather is a non-issue for the most part. However, if you live in Seattle, where it rains 8 months out of the year, or you have to commute to work in Nebraska in December, an e-bike may not be a reasonable option for a daily driver.
Safety Concerns
Last but not least is the issue of safety when riding an e-bike. The increased vulnerability you experience on an e-bike is important to understand before you trade your car in permanently.
There are a couple of ways that this danger is present. Many cities have traffic lanes specifically designated for cyclists, and while this is a great safety feature, the high speeds that some e-bikes are capable of can make for some dangerous interactions between e-bike riders and other cyclists riding traditional bikes.
Alternately, many cities allow for bikes to ride in traffic, and while this may seem like a fair compromise given the power of these e-bikes, some riders may not have the same spatial awareness that motorcyclists have. There are no tests required to jump on an e-bike and head into traffic, and being inattentive or reckless on these vehicles is asking for disaster.
A study in Switzerland presented evidence that the main cause of e-bike injury was “self-accident,” which highlights the danger that can come from inexperienced riders climbing on these juiced-up bicycles. More on ebike safety and dangers here.
Is an E-Bike Right for You?
Now that you understand the potential and limitations of e-bikes to replace cars, you have a much clearer picture of whether or not this is a realistic option for you.
E-bikes are much more appropriate for people living in urban areas, where the cost of parking and storing a car are limiting, and while an e-bike will undoubtedly cut the costs of registration and insurance associated with cars, they are not a substitute for a minivan when it comes to a family’s requirements.
The truth is, the reality of whether or not an e-bike can replace a car is dependent on your lifestyle and what you use your car for. If you are a contractor that hauls lumber and building materials to job sites every day, then no, it will not replace your car or truck. If you are single and commute to work in the city every day, then yes, an e-bike absolutely can replace your car.
Like most things in life, replacing your car with an e-bike is not a cut and dry affair.