Tag: E-bike

Sustainability Month 2023: E-Bike vs. Car

Wowza, it’s that time of year again where I talk about sustainability. Could it be about the environment? Investing? Life Style? All three? Who knows but it’s been a successful series and I have more to talk about this year.

E-bike

So I haven’t been driving in a couple years! In 2019 I bought a Rad Power Bike (still not an ambassador) and while at the time I bought it because I liked riding scooters downtown, the value has only gone up over the years; try saying that about your pickup, I dare you.

The Benefits

For me, it was a one and done. I paid for the bike in full and thus owned the bike. All said and done, it was around $1800 for fenders, a basket, a nice helmet, and of course the bike. I could have done monthly payments but I didn’t want to deal with the headache. Now E-bikes are fairly common but in 2019 they were something you only saw every once and a while. And in 2019, gas was a lot a cheaper.

Benefit one

Cheaper than gas. That’s right, I could pay a few hundred a month in gas or ride an E-Bike. Even electric cars need to be charged often and not everywhere has a charging station. My bike battery can get about 20 miles on full throttle, going 20 miles an hour. For city commuting, this will get you where you need in a decent timeframe. And it takes about 6 to 8 hours to charge. If I use peddle assist, I get 40 miles (and more) per charge and speeds that far surpass a normal biker with no effort exerted on your part (I tested this on my brother).

Benefit two

Exercise. Yes, you heard me right; you get to have your cake and eat it to (not literally, of course). Most commutes will be a mix of peddle assist and throttle, so prepare to work those calves. In a car, you sit. That’s it. No wind in your hair, no nothing. You sit and think about your life choices.

Benfit Three

They do not take up space. This has immediate impact. If you have a house (so no one) you can put the bike in a corner of your garage and use all that space for… Whatever you want! Woodworking? No problem. Set up a painting studio? You got it? Man Cave? Bam, it’s there. Now, big picture. You take up less space on the road and guess what? You have your seats filled. Cars are funny in the sense that a lot are built to have more than one person in them but 90% of the time people are driving alone. No carpooling, just driving alone. If you don’t believe me, go stare at a car passing you the next you’re on a run or walk. You are more likely to see one person than a car filled with people; crazy! Now imagine if society shifted to majority of people biking. Less space taken up means no need for eight lane highways and we can put back what was there before. Which, if you were wondering were houses, libraries, and schools; you know, things society actually needs.

Wow, another paragraph. It doesn’t stop there. Less cars means no need for massive parking lots, which in turn could be parks and plazas; you know, places for people to gather socially. I know, I know, I’m talking like a madman right now. If I’m not careful, I might say that if we just shut down entire blocks to traffic, it’ll actually make people happier and drive up revenue for local businesses. Gross!

Benefit four

You don’t kill people. That’s right, less cars means less death. Turns out supersizing your pickup is actually dangerous to kids and people who weren’t born six feet tall. Do you need a large pickup in a city? No, no you fucking don’t. Are you hauling lumber? Hay bales? Towing a truck? No, you’re just driving? Good job. You’ve just spent a bunch in gas and made the oil corporations very happy as well as the car lobbyist. If your truck takes up two spots in a parking, maybe you are the problem.

Benefit Five

No monthly payments (unless you didn’t pay in full). That’s right, they’re cheap. You don’t need to take out an expensive car loan to purchase one (I see you tesla drivers!). That saves roughly $500 a month give or take. On top of that, no bike insurance! That saves you another $150. That is investing money right there or rent (just kidding) or groceries (for a couple months). Cars are an extremely poor investment, I’m telling you. And if you have no commute, you literally just have a hunk of metal sitting around losing value every second it exists. If you need a car, guess what, lyft is probably cheaper or better yet, for that one trip, get a rental.

Benefit Six

They don’t pollute. Obviously, there is the cost of manufacturing. Trucks drive, materials get shaped into batteries, etc. But from my understanding, there is less of an environmental impact than the manufacturing of electric cars. And of course, when you ride your bike, zero emission. So you can feel good as you ride your E-bike. Driving a car, even a Tesla, not so much. You are stuck in traffic, wasting gas and if someone builds you a new lane, you just get more cars on the road. So enough, let’s start acting like Europeans. Cars don’t make economic sense and they’ve made America a beautiful Hellscape of pavement and broken dreams.

Benefit Seven

They’re just fun. They are fun to ride. Unlike a normal bike, you do not have to worry about dying in a pool of your own sweat. You can ride your bike and just enjoy the ride. Want a long bike ride? Use peddle assist at the lower levels and you can go 40 miles. Want to get groceries? Throttle up and enjoy the wind in your hair. However you ride, it is your choice to make. You know what doesn’t have congestion? Bike lanes. So ride on.

So that’s E-bike’s in a nutshell. There are really no downsides to owning one. The older models can be a little heavy but that just saves you a gym membership right there. For a sustainable future, I truly believe this is it. Get an E-bike and society will adjust. Imagine all the money you’ll save and imagine a world where walking and biking are the norm.

Sustainability Month 2021: My Electric Bike and Public Transit

The final article for what has been my first ever Sustainability Series. To close this month, I thought it’d be fun to talk about a questionable purchase I made and my experience taking public transit as well as what I think the future of transportation should look like.

My Electric Bike and I

In 2019, I went on a bit of a spending spree. I decided to make lots of long term investments for future Mike. The tablet computer I invested in for settling down in coffee shops and writing as an aspiring Creative did not quite pan out how I expected (curse you Pandemic). And my electric bike that I would ride miles to work every day on? Has been sitting in my garage for the last year or so with one very brief ride. But it’s assembled and ready to go. In the future, I will talk about it more but for now I have nothing to say. It’s foldable, has a basket, and my God, it weighs 60 pounds. My next E-bike will be lighter and smaller; and when you think about it, folding is not as cool as it sounds. It was an experiment and I might even try the one wheel electric skateboards or an electric longboard in the future. Is E-biking better than driving? Hard to say so instead I will talk about…

Biking

Transportation for me has always followed major life transitions. I have ridden bikes throughout my life but it wasn’t until I reached college that it became something I did on a regular basis. And I should clarify, it was once I moved out of the dorms and didn’t have easy access to the campus. My Sophomore and Junior years I rode almost everyday, from home to class to the grocery store. A good three years were spent on the bike and it was great. I had flat tires that I learned to fix, a handlebar that came off during a ride and learned all about front and back lights as well as fenders for rain. I was riding with a purpose. As college became more and more crazy, I opted for walking and chose to ride my bike more selectively. It’s hard to say if I had more peace of mind walking 20 minutes to class but it was nice to slow it down.

Europe

Throughout college, I hardly ever rode our free public transit. Everything was fairly close and most of the time walking was quicker than waiting for a bus. That changed when I did study abroad. I rode the train, took the bus, and got quite used to every mode of transit that wasn’t driving. Living in a small German village was absolute paradise. The cities are designed for bikes, trains, and buses whereas the U.S. is mostly made for cars (hence why an electric bike makes sense). While the U.S. is getting better, Corvallis and Portland were American exceptions to our public transit. And these two cities pale in comparison to even the most rural German village.

Walking

Truth be told, I love walking. As far as feasibility, it becomes dependent on city. I can only walk so far and while it offers a lot of control, it’s limited by time. It is rare to live in a city that has it all. Many cities in the U.S. have strict commercial and residential codes making overlap between the two uncommon. In suburbs, there are strips of convenience among the sea of houses. If you have a car, no big deal. But anything else? It’s much harder. Where space could be used for whatever the mind can imagine, instead space is paved over for parking lots. Cities are great for walking but chaotic; lots of stopping for cars and traffic that honestly has no business being there.

Practicality vs. Sustainability

Cars are convenient and in the U.S. they are big. Why you might ask? Because our roads and bridges are crumbling, so if it’s not built like a tank, you’re in for a bumpy ride. The amount of space cars take up is staggering. In Portland, I’ve seen some retcons where two lane roads become one as bike lanes are added. As far as emissions, it’s hard to say if cars are our most pressing concern. I like the idea of going all electric and I may be in the minority, but I think electric trucks sound awesome. I also think if we want to cool the planet, we really need to innovate our roads. The pavement retains heat and makes the hot even hotter. Carpooling also might have taken a hit during the Pandemic as Lyft and Uber prices skyrocket with their rates, which is unfortunate, as the model turned a car (arguably a huge economic waste) into a sustainable option for individuals. Cars no longer spent the majority of their time in garages, sitting for the next big trip, but rather could be used to meet demand. I imagine after the Pandemic less will opt for Lyft rides and Ubers but I hope I’m wrong.

Personal Habits

Honestly, I prefer a mixed approach. Cars I view as an economic waste, even were I to buy electric. A car would be a luxury and with an E-bike I can accomplish my city needs easily at 20mph. Longer trips would suffer but a better network of carpooling would fix that right up. In cities with large populations, the cities should limit driving. Pedestrian only city blocks are becoming more popular and it’d be nice to see that arrive in Portland. If remote work sticks, it might save the commuting world. All speculation at the moment of course but it’ll be interesting to see people redefine how they travel. If you do drive, imagine a world with less traffic and more bikes. And if cities were designed so people are closer to their work as well as grocery stores? Then you have a utopia in terms of basic transit.

And that’s it for Sustainability Month 2021! With this, my blog is fully realized. I am talking about everything I want to talk about in a way I want to talk about it. The support for this month has been amazing and I’m excited for next year! Next month, I’ll be testing out a month vacation from the blog and will rejoin the world come September. Until then, enjoy summer and remember that being sustainable doesn’t mean having to compromise!