As the proud and nerdy owner of an electric bike for three months now, I can make one statement about e-bikes and e-biking with complete confidence: E-bikers don't get no respect. Depending on demographic, the e-biker is viewed as a wimp (can't hack the pedaling), a poseur (regular bike not complicated/expensive enough), or an object of pity (can't drive, or can't afford a moped/car). If you've never been at the receiving end of the simultaneous sneers of the hippie knapsacker and the Hummer H3-driver, well, here's your chance.
Indeed, the goal of this diary will be to convince you that E-bikes deserve serious consideration as a mode of transportation well suited to the daily needs of many, if not most, of the citizens of this warming planet... even here in the car-centric USA.
The E-Bike Question: In the US we can define electric bikes, according to Federal statute, as bicycles with on-board electric motors of <750 Watts (1 h.p.) and maximum motor-only powered speeds of <20 mph. E-bikes conforming to these standards are licensed and controlled at the state and local levels as bicycles rather than mopeds or motorcycles - hence, no state registration or license plates, and no driver's license requirement.
I developed an interest in e-bikes following a trip to Beijing last summer, when I noticed that e-bikes were suddenly ubiquitous. If the average Beijing commuter can afford an electric bike, and if many consider it superior to an ordinary bicycle or moped (not to mention car!), then what exactly is holding up widespread adoption here in the US? As spring broke over central Pennsylvania this year I started looking into this question, with an eye towards tackling my own hilly 3.5-mile commute by e-bike.
Flavors of E-Bike: Searching online for "electric bicycles" led to a forest of links, with a range of prices so wide as to be baffling. In fact, some lower-price products (<$1000) are not e-bikes at all, but e-bike mod kits designed for use with a preexisting bicycle. Among the dedicated e-bikes, the cheapest ($500 to $1000) will sport sealed lead-acid battery packs behind the down-tube or mounted on the rear-wheel luggage rack; the latter are similar in design to the e-bikes now overrunning Beijing. As price increases ($1000 to $2500) the sophistication of the batteries, electronic control systems, and designs increase in tandem (see eZee, EcoBike, iZip, Sanyo, e+). Finally, at prices beyond $2500, some truly beautiful e-bikes - works of art really - are now on the market.
In reviewing the options, I realized I would have to decide whether to pursue a pedal-assisted e-bike, or one with the option of pure motor-powered cruising. I chose to explore only pedal-assisted designs, since I was not interested in losing all touch with the bicycle mode of transport, and wanted to retain at least some exercise in each commute. But this is an important distinction to keep in mind.
I settled on the iZip Trekking Enlightened, which I ordered online from eco-wheelz. I wanted a commuter e-bike with Lithium ion batteries, which provide better power per weight and longer lifetimes, and I appreciated the integrated battery, low-profile design, included commuter features (mud guards, rear basket platform, kickstand, thick tires, front shocks), and pricing of this model.
The E-Bike Experience: Ordering online with eco-wheelz was a breeze; the bike was shipped partially assembled and it took only an hour or so to put together (though you may want to have a bike shop take care of this for you, I made one minor mistake the first time). The bike is heavy, at 52 lbs; the battery and motor have significant weight, and the frame itself needs to be sturdy to support these. Overall this is not a bike you will want to carry up stairs (at least, not often). At the same time, the boost in power is substantial; its 600W puts it well beyond the range of kiddie toys. Since a Tour de France cyclist puts out about 600W of sustained power, I came to think of the e-bike experience as like riding tandem with Lance Armstrong - yes, you're not as light and agile, but you sure can power up the hills.
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Reasons to Choose an E-Bike: I've now tackled my daily commute repeatedly by three different means, enough times that I feel I can make a fair comparison between bus, ordinary bicycle, and e-bike. The main disadvantage of the bus commute is the schedule restriction; missing the bus means an hour wait. Bicycle and e-bike allow me to keep my own schedule, and mix in a bit of useful exercise in the bargain. The key point in favor of the e-bike, in my case, is provided by the substantial hills along my commute. I have no desire to shower and change at work, or at home after work and before dinner, with kids loose in the house, but riding an ordinary bike often has me soaking with sweat in both directions. Riding an e-bike has the effect of flattening out the hills, turning my hilly commute into something out of the Low Countries. I expect I might also give e-biking the edge if my commute were flatter but substantially longer distance, 10 to 20 miles or so, or if I were regularly splitting my work day across two or more locations.
With the e-bike I have gained the ability to commute in "work casual" clothes comfortably, and without offending anyone's nostrils. I have much improved tolerance for hot and muggy weather, and - for the first time - I have begun towing our three-year old to daycare (see pic). As a further advantage, e-biking allows me to tune the degree of exercise provided by my commute, by adjusting the degree of power assistance as I ride.
Reasons to Avoid an E-Bike: Assuming some part of this rationale makes sense to you, you will still want to consider cost and maintenance issues before purchasing your own e-bike. First, maintenance: The market is only now maturing to the point where the average commuter is likely to have an e-bike shop convenient to their home. This is important, since e-bike maintenance requirements can be summarized as "all the maintenance of a bicycle, plus live wires" - I would not recommend getting your own unless you either have such a shop nearby, or have the skills to treat this maintenance challenge as an enjoyable hobby. Next, price: Since the e-bike replaces an ordinary bicycle, this evaluation should be made on a price/performance basis; in my situation the substantial increase in ease and convenience of "green commuting" - as compared to hopping in the car - makes the e-bike a worthwhile investment at three to five times the cost of an ordinary bike, roughly current price levels. As e-bike prices continue to decrease, I expect they will make sense for a growing fraction of commuters.
Summary: So what do I think in the end? I realized one recent, glorious summer morning, as I pedaled lightly up the last and hardest hill in to work, that the e-bike was providing me with the near-ultimate in commuting - a commute that serves as a respite, relaxing and enabling mental preparation for and (in the evening) recovery from the day of work. Since half of my commute is via bike path, this includes the chance to commune with bits of nature (bird, chipmunk, woodchuck...) along the way. Commuting by car or bus, while also offering a respite of sorts, tends to include aggravating elements, aka "other people", which ratchet up the internal stress level as much as or more than they relax it. Thus, while I would still consider a relaxing walk or easy bicycle in to work the ultimate in daily commuting, I think that the e-bike is now providing a "third way" that is potentially accessible to a far greater number of people. And maybe - just maybe - this makes it worth enduring the smirks you get along the way.
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E-Bikes in the City: For a discussion of what it's like to tool around a hilly city by e-bike, I cannot do better than recommend this recent Slate story by Farhad Manjoo.
E-Bike Accessories: I had to carry out nontrivial modifications to both e-bike and carriage in order to attach the toddler carriage to my iZip e-bike as pictured above. This was necessary because of the wires that run through the axle of the rear wheel, and because (as a result) the rear axle is larger than standard size - the standard included attachment mechanism did not fit. This sort of incompatibility is probably a risk with a wide range of aftermarket accessories.
Disclaimer: In case this is not clear from my main text, I want to state strongly that these are my opinions and my opinions only and that "your mileage may vary", both with respect to the e-bike experience as a whole and with respect to the individual products and companies I have mentioned above, and that I have not received any sort of consideration from any of them (don't I wish!).
Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments!