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e-bikes very cost effective for short trips
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Written on: 29 May 2008 [00:17]
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jstack6
 Topic creator
registered since: 27.10.2007
Posts: 29
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There are some nice e-bikes for sale on line and locally that are great for 5, 10 or even 20 mile trips. Almost all bicycles come from Chian and Taiwan and these do too.The part I like best is you can peddle them yourself. This was you get as much exercise as you want. The local ones are only $3-400, on line they are $600-700. Other fancy models are over $1,000 and even come with long lasting lithium batteries. http://www.evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=1439 |
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Written on: 31 May 2008 [01:24]
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jstack6
Topic creator
registered since: 27.10.2007
Posts: 29
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FYI, my frind Bob got one of the 48 volt models and could never go more than 6-8 miles before running low and having thje bike speed up and slow down as it cut on and off. We just replaced his 4 batteries with new ones and he drove to work , 8 miles and still showed full on the charge. He's so happy he's going to keep going with out charging just to see how it does each day. After that I told him the battereis last a lot longer if he charges every chance he can. Even a 1 or 2 mile trips. short discharges are almost no life from the batteries. Big deep discharges are very hard on a battery and it has a limited amount before they degrade.  ops:
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Written on: 12 July 2008 [00:52]
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jstack6
Topic creator
registered since: 27.10.2007
Posts: 29
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the local company Phoenix Produce that sells the E-bike has the new model and it has about 12 improvements. They even have a lithium battery option. These just keep getting better. still 20-30 miles on a charge, peddle forever if you need to. |
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Written on: 14 July 2008 [14:36]
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Yardonn
 
registered since: 22.08.2007
Posts: 160
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Off course nothing can be more efficient on short range (low speed) than a bike, with less than 20 kg including Motor and Batteries. But sadly it is only a "nice weather"-option for most people. Most people will not accept an (e-) bike at below 5°C or in heavy rain. Even (or especially ) after driving Motorcycle for more than a decade (even in bad condition), i now really need some kind of rain and wind protection, and a some kind of lockable trunk to really be able to replace a car even on short distance. I need to get to work in every weather condition and public transport i no option (very rural area...). I think everything without a roof will not be something you can rely on for transportation, even though it might be perfect in nice weather. I found and bought my "e-bike", to get me and my Laptop dry to work (18 miles one way) but it is quite expensive to buy: Alleweder A4 (http://www.leichfahrzeuge.de ) Because of better airodynamic it beats all (e-)bikes on flat area, but the corpus-wieght of 34 kg takes it's toll when going up the montains. Alleweder 4
http://www.akkurad.com allmost full weather protection for one person at 0 - 1.5 kWh / 100 km CityEl as secondary E-Car |
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Written on: 21 February 2010 [12:31]
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OwningElectricCar
registered since: 16.01.2010
Posts: 31
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I used to sell electric bikes and they were a very practical form of transport for many people. I was amazed at the number of people who are giving up cars and using electric bikes instead - for these people, they use their electric bikes throughout the year and not just in sunny weather. Compared to a normal bike, electric bike owners tend to use their bikes an awful lot more and go further distances on them. Many electric bike owners use their bikes 5-6 times a week rather than only once or twice. As such they cut down on car use and encourage greener travelling. If you're buying an electric bike, go for a good one. A lot of the cheaper bikes are poorly built using the cheapest possible components - if you buy one, expect the inner tubes to puncture, the gears to be stiff and fiddly, the brakes to be poor and the batteries to die on you very quickly. That's fine if you know about it in advance - budget £75 for new tyres and inner tubes and to get a proper cycle shop to set the brakes and gears up for you, and budget another £100 to replace the batteries after six months. The cheap Chinese lead acid batteries are not good, but get a good make like Panasonic and the batteries will give you a really good service: they'll also improve the performance of the bike as well as range. If you go for a good make, you'll find the bike repays you time and again with better performance, better life and simply being a better machine. My personal recommendation is a bike from Giant or Urban Mover. If you're working to a stricter budget, the Thompson bikes are amazing value for money and definately overperform to their budget. If you can afford them, buy a bike with LiFePO4 batteries and budget for a replacement every five years or so. If you're buying a cheaper bike with lead acid batteries, expect to replace the batteries every 250-300 recharges - about a year if you use the bike every day, but every two years for most electric bike owners. Author of the book 'Owning an Electric Car' - http://www.OwningElectricCar.com
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Written on: 21 February 2010 [21:31]
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Yardonn
registered since: 22.08.2007
Posts: 160
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OwningElectricCar wrote: they use their electric bikes throughout the year and not just in sunny weather. Do you really know many people who ride a regular bike at temperatures below 0° Celsius, with snow or icy-rain... In this winter i did not see many people riding regular bikes... I had to use a regular bike for 4 km at -10 ° Celsius, and i was very happy to fold it and put it into the trunk of the car i had to retrive from the garage... Alleweder 4
http://www.akkurad.com allmost full weather protection for one person at 0 - 1.5 kWh / 100 km CityEl as secondary E-Car |
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Written on: 21 February 2010 [21:52]
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OwningElectricCar
registered since: 16.01.2010
Posts: 31
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I used to use my own bike in these sorts of wintery conditions. I don't now because I live too far away from the office. I've become a wimpy cyclist now - if the sun is shining and I'm feeling energetic, I'll get the bike out, but if a single tiny cloud pops up on the horizon, forget it!  But at my place of work, our bike racks are full even at this time of year. And I see other people cycling in to work every day, so there are some people braving the elements as I sit in my car with the heater on full blast. Author of the book 'Owning an Electric Car' - http://www.OwningElectricCar.com
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Written on: 21 February 2010 [22:18]
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JBode63
 
registered since: 11.02.2010
Posts: 83
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 Yardonn and I have no problem to be wimpy - we have the perfect "leg-heating" inside our vehicles. It is not cold at -5°C (I did not drive at less temperature yet ...).
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