E-bikes and E-transportation are the future - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#15049945
Americans are a bit slow. Half of all new bikes in Germany are E-bikes, 68% in Holland.

There is also a new trend of taking E-bike motors and putting them into single person pedal cars. They aren't cheap, but the motor completely changes the experience. You've got a motor, lights, you're out of the rain, and parking is a doddle. Not to mention that traffic jams won't usually stop you.

These guys need a name, they aren't really electric cars. In Europe they have names like velocars. Maybe E-velo?

E-velos need to evolve. The motors are designed for bicycles. Most use the same motor I have on my E-bike. It's great, but in a vehicle you are going to want more power, and a bigger battery than an E-bike has. Other issues, like reliability, need work. This has already started. One company has come out with an E-velo called the Orca, which is crash tested, and uses a better design than the 1st gen E-velos. So it's happening, if slowly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW7leoCOgxI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu1LVroXsSc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q47epupDvs&t=40s
#15050029
I think these are ideal for people with mobility issues who live in an urban environment. Which is a surprisingly large percentage of us, to be clear.

Here in Edmonton, we have the third world equivalent: people of limited means put lawnmower motors on their bikes.
#15050030
Pants-of-dog wrote:
I think these are ideal for people with mobility issues who live in an urban environment. Which is a surprisingly large percentage of us, to be clear.

Here in Edmonton, we have the third world equivalent: people of limited means put lawnmower motors on their bikes.



What you want to be looking for is mass production of E-velos.

That will not only bring the price down, but the size of the market will make the dramatic improvements possible, that are so clearly needed.
#15050035
I have issues with mass production of new electrical gizmos, even when they are incredibly convenient and can help significantly with climate change.

E-bikes (or more specifically, the electric components) share the same drawbacks as solar panels: they are made with rare and toxic elements and chemicals, they cannot be repaired or recycled easily, and unless the electricity is being produced responsibly, it just shifts the pollution and problem.

Meanwhile, the guy who passed me the other day with the lawnmower engine and cruiser bike had a machine he could fix himself, was made almost entirely of recyclable materials, and could be modified to run on bio-diesel.

But we are simply discussing the fuel here. Regardless of which fuel is used, these mini-vehicles are going to become more popular as time goes on. They are simply too convenient for cities with traffic congestion.
#15050343
Pants-of-dog wrote:
I have issues with mass production of new electrical gizmos, even when they are incredibly convenient and can help significantly with climate change.

E-bikes (or more specifically, the electric components) share the same drawbacks as solar panels: they are made with rare and toxic elements and chemicals, they cannot be repaired or recycled easily, and unless the electricity is being produced responsibly, it just shifts the pollution and problem.

Meanwhile, the guy who passed me the other day with the lawnmower engine and cruiser bike had a machine he could fix himself, was made almost entirely of recyclable materials, and could be modified to run on bio-diesel.

But we are simply discussing the fuel here. Regardless of which fuel is used, these mini-vehicles are going to become more popular as time goes on. They are simply too convenient for cities with traffic congestion.



I am not that pessimistic.

Alternatives energy sources are slowly replacing carbon fuels. We need to speed that process up, and that will happen.

There is a lot of research being done into batteries, and that will bear fruit.

But the bottom line is that small one and two person E-velos have created a niche in the transportation ecosystem that is going to get huge.

Eventually.
#15055530
This is a video about the basics of e-bikes. I am an ancient cancer survivor. I used to ride a lot, but in recent years, that wasn't possible.

Last Spring I got an e-bike, and it not only changed my life dramatically for the better, but, holy crap, there's revolutionary potential here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu1LVroXsSc&t=475s
#15055610
Pants-of-dog wrote:They are simply too convenient for cities with traffic congestion.


Indeed, some countries had been forefront in this.

When I was small, news footage of China often depicted commuters in large cities swarming the roads with bicycles.

And when I was in Taiwan 10 years ago I was also amazed by the sheer number of people using scooters.

It's rather sad to see the people in China switching over to much more polluting cars, or making "canned sardines" of themselves in metro trains, instead of enjoying their (non-political) freedom on their bikes.
#15055612
Patrickov wrote:Indeed, some countries had been forefront in this.

When I was small, news footage of China often depicted commuters in large cities swarming the roads with bicycles.

And when I was in Taiwan 10 years ago I was also amazed by the sheer number of people using scooters.

It's rather sad to see the people in China switching over to much more polluting cars, or making "canned sardines" of themselves in metro trains, instead of enjoying their (non-political) freedom on their bikes.


China should revert to using rickshaws, after all, there's plenty of rickshaw 'petrol'(rice) at hand, in which to power them. :lol: :lol:
#15055627
Nonsense wrote:China should revert to using rickshaws, after all, there's plenty of rickshaw 'petrol'(rice) at hand, in which to power them. :lol: :lol:


Well, one problem: Humans run much slower than bikes, let alone cars and trains.
#15055630
Patrickov wrote:Well, one problem: Humans run much slower than bikes, let alone cars and trains.

I am sure he means rickshaws with a bike in front.
Rickshaws pulled by a running human being are not used these days.
The last place where they were present was Calcutta. I was in one in 1988 over there and I felt very bad about it, paid him handsomely to alleviate my conscience..
#15055645
Patrickov wrote:Well, one problem: Humans run much slower than bikes, let alone cars and trains.


That's not really a 'problem' in a world that's obsessed with four wheels, two legs & two wheels is more sedate. :)

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