Can e-bikes transform our cities? | FT Tech
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ส.ค. 2022
- Sales of electric bicycles, or e-bikes, as they’re better known, are booming. At the same time, innovations in battery technology have extended the range that an e-bike can travel. The FT’s Harry Dempsey explores the impact they’re having on commuting, deliveries, and the cities we live in.
#ebike #transport
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If there was safe cycle infrastructure i'd swap my car for an ebike in a heartbeat
Join a group and advocate for it where you live
@@Aeyekay0 tru tru
I have one and have ridden 5000+ miles on it. It's a RadWagon. I do very much like it over other vehicles. That being said, there are a few things to consider. Most E-bikes are made from standard bike parts, but are much heavier than standard bikes. If you are a large person or carry a lot of stuff like I do, you may find that spokes break far more often. In my case about every 200 miles, this is annoying. Weight also means your brakes wear out quicker. I had to replace my motor at 5000 miles due to issues. My rear motor and wheel assembly weights about 40lbs, this makes adjustments and repairs far more difficult. So if you include the initial cost of bike plus all the repairs I've spent $2800+ over the last 3 yrs. Or more than 50cents/mile. If optimistically you subtract $1200 selling the bike, than it's about 32cent/mile so far US dollars. Is it worth it? YES Could they make bikes more robust? YES (motorcycle/scooter parts would be one way, better brakes, chains, wheels etc...) (but won't as there is $$$ in repairing) So my next bike is going to be a DIY.
@@telocity
Common Dutch bicycles (regular and e-bikes) are robust.
The wear and tear you describe is unacceptable to the Dutch unless you consciously buy a cheap crappy Chinese quality ripoff bicycle (yes, we have those too).
it would be safe if you stopped driving.
Can't wait for cities to go the dutch route and become more and more bike and human friendly. Also: it is about pedestrians as well, having a walkable city with great public transport goes hand in hand with good bike infrastructure
And thousands of ebikes thrown in the canals?
Yeah cities in the future need to be outfitted to be more walkable.
Most people can have a car fine but they don’t need to use it half as much as they do now.
@@EsaMononen Better than thousands of cars thrown in canals?
e-bikes certainly are NOT an overall blessing!
YeEah MaNn ElECtRiC BiKeS 21sT cENtUry Who's HyPpeEEd YeeeYY
I live in the US and the roads here are profoundly dangerous. My best friend was just hit on his bike by a drunk driver and put in the ICU with a serious brain injury. I'd love to dump my car for an e-bike, but my god, we need to protect cyclists in this country.
I hope your friend can recover from the accident.
One important aspect of the danger is that it's illegal to ride your bicycle on sidewalks in the US, which ends with the deaths of many people each year. Sidewalks need to be fixed, biking on sidewalks should be made legal everywhere, and there should be dedicated, enclosed bike lanes whenever possible. I grew up constantly seeing bikes chained to fences. One would be taken down and another would be put up in the same spot a couple months later.
@@AmishGramish Have a look at the bicycle infrastructure in the Netherlands. There are plenty videos about it.
I don’t see that happening in the US though as it would require a complete redesign of all roads including traffic lights and parking spaces.
thats sad. Both the UK and Australia like to emulate the USA when it comes to the 'car is king' mentality. I was riding my bike when visiting family in Australia last year when I was sworn at 3 times by 4wd drivers and told to get off the f'kn road and another one tried to run me off the road, all in one week.
Where I live they just narrowed the street to create bike lanes. Of course there will be collisions when cars cant even fit on the road now. Also, these bikes are motorcycles and should not even be used in bike lanes. You wouldn't allow a Harley in the bike lane, would you?
@@benjamindover4337 Up to 25km/h they should be considered bicycles.
FT : Wants to look at the impact of ebikes on urbanism.
Also FT : proceeds to focus on high end moutain bikes and delivery companies.
E-bikes are revolutionary because they reduce the effort needed to cycle, making it accessible to everyone from old people to commuters in business clothes. It's great FT is trying to tackle the question, but this video barely scratches the surface.
Scratching the surface ( and screaming bloody murder when the results are not as they had envisaged) is The Economist's stock-in-trade.
Just to point out that a good commuter e bike can be bought for way less then the 3000 euro quoted here. Also, electric scooters will also have a massive part to play in future urban travel as they can be stored in any apartment and when you get to work they can just be stood in a corner out of the way.
In the Philippines, you can get an ebike for about P20000 or about 400 euros or less.
E scooter are as dangerous as a skateboard.
A crack in the pavement can flip you.
think the prices they referred to here was specifically the e mountain bikes
Montréal is getting bike friendly everyday and may become an example for other North American cities to follow suit
“We have built a place to park 300 bicycles next to the railway station”
In Utrecht (Netherlands) there’s a parking garage for 12,000 bikes next to the central station (and it’s full every day)
Making a video about transport on bikes and not including the Netherlands is a bit of a missed opportunity imo.
Well to be fair, this is a small village while Utrecht is well over 300.000 people. Most people know about how advanced the Dutch are, so this change is morgen meaningful. Dat denk ik althans.
@@joories Utrecht is 10 times bigger, which makes Utrecht's main parking still relatively 4 times larger... and that is not the only indoor bike parking in the center.
Except for Utrecht being much bigger, there's something more.
The Netherlands are known for their wide-spread bicycle adoption. E-bikes won't change much there. This video is about e-bikes' power to transform more car-centric places elsewhere.
Conventional bicycles have their limitations. Anti-bikers always like to point out that a bicycle does not offer much to older, heavier or those living in more hilly places. And they do have a point. Where I live, I have to cycle 100m up when going from city center to my house. And it's true for almost everyone living here, regardless of the district. It is challenging even for people in their 20s or 30s if they do not live particularly fit lives.
E-bikes not only allow everyone to make that trip regardless of their age, sex or fitness level. They allow to make that trip without breaking a sweat. On a bike with geometry and drivetrain suitable for everyday transportation, not a gravel bike or an MTB. Given political will(which clearly exist across all of Europe) e-bikes have a potential to transform our cities and the way we live and commute in an extent comparable to invention of the automobile
@D R Polluting compared to what? A manual push bike?
I can't verify the accuracy of my next statement because I read it recently and I just am taking it as generally accurate.
Someone made an argument online with facts and figures which I skipped over that one Tesla model 3 could supply batteries for up to 80 electric bikes.
If one less e-car of any kind was not sold, that would be a fair exchange for even fifty e-bike's that could last for decades if both the batteries and motor's could be upgraded and repaired as needed.
The biggest limiting factor for increased bicycle and e-bike usage is theft.
I know a few people who have beautiful new e-bike's but only take them out for recreational activities.
Never to leave parked outside the supermarket or work for hours or all day which they would do with an e-car without much concern.
Basically they just spent a lot of disposable income on an expensive gadget to take out every now and then.
Never to have any utilitarian use or to reduce even one car journey.
@D R The fact that the Netherlands is flat helps, certainly, but that is far from the main reason. Kansas is flat, does it have a lot of bikes? The Netherlands was not bike friendly in the 70s, did the flatness change over the past 50 years? No. Having consistent, reliable and save bike infrastructure is the key ingredient. Being flat and mild weather is nice and all, but the key is the infrastructure. Just look at Seville and Oulu, terrible weather and hilly but people bike there, because the infra is good.
Bikes also make public transport more reachable for people reducing need of cars even for mid-distance commute. Public transport + biking infra == ❤
Seeing alot of these E-Bikes. I'm LOVING IT. We have too many noisey ICE Bikes, Scooters, Motorcycles, and all the rest of the LOUD and Polluting modes of transportation.
Where do you live, where there are "too many noisey [sic] Bikes, Scooters, Motorcycles"?
@@GTMarmot anywhere near dummies in US
I've used my Ebike as my main mode of transportation since the start of the pandemic. I absolutely love it, the best purchase I've ever made.
And living in Montreal, I've even put my ride through the snow. It's great.
It's also a foldable bike, so if something happens where I'm unable to ride like a flat tyre or a broken chain, which has happened. I can put the bike on the subway or in the back of an uber in case of emergency.
Same. Agreed. I picked up my RadCity 4 in May 2020; closing in on 28 000 kms. I cherish every moment on it. Here on Vancouver Island, I often ride in heavy rains come winter, but last year I did get to experience the bike in snow. It was a delight.
Keep riding and stay safe.
It may have a certain trendy appeal in cities in the UK. However, this misses the huge demand from rural comunities, where school leavers, unemployed and poor people are getting ebikes conversions (most commonly to mountain bikes) to access shopping, medical services, and even that vital first rung after school or university, where mopeds, cars- even old clunkers are unaffordable even second hand, with totally unaffordable basic insurance, and bus services badly cut back. Ebikes in the uk are providing rural people able to access affordable transport to food, medical, education, and employment.
And the local commute from my village to the nearest town 8 miles away is slashed from around 45 minutes, to around 20 minutes by ebike.
That's where ebikes will continue to have high growth. And current conversions can fit everything from racing and mountain bikes to tricycles etc, also opening independant ecenomical safe travel for the elderly, disabled and retired housewives who may never have had a driving licence.
But it is urgent that the government put a safety framework for them to be road legal, such as the alreadilly available rear lights, with brake lights and indicators & front headlamp/running light with indicators, that are readily available, cheap accessories, that can easilly fit on all current traditional cycles.
Back in 2018 I was one of the few in my hood in San Diego who had a fat tire foldable e-bike. I was stopped so many times to answer questions. Now when I ride it I pass a sea of people - most of them on e-bikes. It’s a revolution alright ))
The issue is less about e-bikes and much more about bike friendly infrastructure.
They work together. As ebikes make more people curious about bikes as serious transportation, the political pressure for better bike infrastructure will follow.
I rarely use the car since I’ve bought an ebike. You don’t need a brand new top of the range sports bike for daily use, but good quality matters. I took mine to the Netherlands, but found it wasn’t necessary, a standard bike was sufficient in the Utrecht and Delft. Here in the U.K. it’s really helpful.
I've commited to use my bike at least once a week, and this was enough to improve my sedentary life. I put a mirror on my bike and it makes me feel less tense when riding on streets because I can see when there are cars behind me.
London in the 1800s: BICYCLES ARE THE FUTURE!
In the 1900s: CARS ARE THE FUTURE!
2022: THIS BICYCLE WITH A BATTERY ATTACHED IS THE FUTURE!
2100s: FLYING CARS WITH A BATTERY ATTACHED ARE THE FUTURE
I commute to London and taking a Lime e-bike is the fastest way for me to get to the office, covering 1.5miles in 9mins. 90% is on dedicated cycle lines separated from vehicles and it's a great experience.
I think nobody is mentioning how helpful e-bikes and e-scooters can be in a hilly city. If you buy a normal bicycle in my city and want to get around everywhere with it good luck.
I was in Beijing about ten years ago... the morning commute was amazing... thousands upon thousands of people whizzing by on electric bikes...
I bought a pedal assist mountain-type e-bike 15 years ago. I rode it 15 miles to work for two spring/summers. I later bought a road bike and found I could ride to work with the same effort and same time with the road bike. I’m sure e-bikes are better now.
Quality of life is so much better on a bike. Sure it is rough sometimes in the winter, but for our health and for the lungs of people, tranquility... It is a far better choice. One thing shocked me the most, during the pandemic, Paris has multiplied by... i don't know... maybe 10 the usage of bikes, and the city has to adapt the lanes to fit the traffic ^^.
In Montréal as well the number of cyclists increased by a lot during the pandemic. I used to be alone in the bike lane in my area, now I cross tons of other cyclists at any time of the day
For infrastructure just do what they do in Amsterdam
You can learn but you can't copy because each city is unique and needs adaptation.
@@thunderb00m And the will to do it. which is almost totally lacking in 'Daily mail' UK
@@thunderb00m It’s not just Amsterdam but all of the Netherlands. Cities and country side.
Amsterdam is the gold standard for cities across the world. Having a PM who regularly bikes across the city has helped enormously in getting infrastructure built thus far. I just hope this continues whichever neanderthal is chosen to be our next PM.
@@mypointofview1111 The current Dutch PM has ‘only’ been there for the last 12 years. The development of our bike infrastructure has taken much longer than that and cannot be attributed to the prime minister.
If Rutte takes his bike to go to work, he’d use it in The Hague where the government resides btw.
I love my ebike. Not quite to the point Ive sold my car but any trip within the city I use the bike. Even use it for Uber Eats, its so much more convenient than a car but I do make the odd long trip a ebike cannot do. Sure has saved me a bundle in gas costs in the few months Ive had it so far though, its paying for itself in gas saved alone.
While you’re hanging on to your car for those rare trips you still carry insurance and depreciation. Even at $5 per gallon gas fuel is still the smallest line item in car ownership.
My wife and I are car-free for 20 years now. But we’ve rented cars, trucks and vans about a dozen times over that time. The individual bills are a bit eye-watering but given how often we use this option it isn’t much. Overall our transportation bill is less than a tenth of even single-vehicle households.
I dream of the day that cities get redesigned to be entirely walkable through densification. Replace single-family detached housing plus yards with mixed-use 5 or 6 story buildings. Retail primarily on the ground floor, maybe professional offices on the next two or three floors and residential on the remaining floors. Throw out the idea of demanding car parking everywhere. Shrink roads and eliminate parking lots for even more high-density mixed-use building. Pretty quickly no one needs, or wants, cars because everything anyone needs is at most a few city blocks away.
@@CarFreeSegnitz youre assuming i pay for insurance on it or that somebody else isnt using it while Im not.
I like e-Mopeds better (Vespa style)
They have more comfortable seat and ride, much harder to steal , and carry much more stuff if you need to take it to a store.
Can't stand needing to lock up a bike at every stop. E-Mopeds are 200lbs with lock steering and motion alarm.
@@Crashed131963 cafe style integrated locks are a game changer.
The 4 lane road where I live is lined on both sides with retail and residential rental units. While sidewalks are being added, there are only two crosswalks. They more than a mile apart. The plan I saw is for unprotected bike lanes along the shoulder. And these are to flow with traffic. Our roads still aren't people centered.
Would be great to see more people getting exercise and getting their supplies rather than being reclusive and having everything delivered.
IF AMAZON IS INTERESTED IN TRYING THIS IN CANADA I WOULD LOVE TO DO THIS!!!
I already have spent the last 15 years driving year round, winter and all on just my mountain bike. I could definitely help to make something like this a possibility year round in at least Southern Ontario.
That would include Toronto and up to Southern Quebec. It could easily work in any Canadian city with a decent snow removal team in the winter months. I have ways to increase winter profit but that’s not for here.
EBike should be way of the future. Itll help reduce so make energy wasted to move large machines just to get a person from point A to B. EBike will save so much space, Wngery even time by reducing traffic and parking time. Hope they make cities more Bike friendly
Public transport and bikes is the future💪💪
The sales may be booming now, but due to the relatively high entry point of what is still only a bike, it will likely be prohibitive for the majority to make the transition so at some point we may expect sales to level off. The bike has become a premium product and is another big ticket item just as the costs for family cars are rising - something that most will not willingly give up.
I'm not really a fan of e-bikes, I'm much more of a traditionalist in this aspect, however if e-bikes are to transform our cities in such a positive way - kudos to them👏🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
I own 2 E-bikes and 4 traditional bikes. The traditional bikes I use the most, due to destinations within 15 km. Beyond 16 km and higher I use my E-bikes.
You pedal them like a normal bike if the battery dies. They go up hill like a breeze.
@@Crashed131963 My long distance record is 132 km/ 87 miles in one day with my E-trike. A strong wind in my back and I cycled from Ieper/ Ypres (famous for 4 battles in WW1) to Antwerp(en).
U my friend are not overweight lmao
Hope companies can add more features in deterring bike theft
eBikes and eScooters are GREAT - if commuting, just plan your journey properly (allowing for the fishies (Acts of Cod) and each trip becomes actually quite enjoyable and (dare I say?) FUN! Happy travels and remember "No helmet? NO WAY!".
Long term rental of ebikes for more rural settings would make such a difference to us. If we could rent an ebike for 3 seasons, and have insurance and tracking built in to the plan it would open up this transport for us. With theft so high, it’s the main reason why I haven’t invested yet.
It’s good to learn the e-bikes has become a popular mode of transport in the city or in the mountain trails.
E Bikes would be especially beneficial in developing countries. They would reduce dependence on oil, reduce air pollution and trade deficits, and make cities more livable.
Totally, lets all try and turbo charge the e bike revolution by spreading the word.
Opening on e-mountain bikes and completely neglecting to mention the Netherlands or consumer e-cargo bikes (like Urban Arrow) feels like the wrong angle for this video. Even with an established cycling culture in NL, e-bikes are bringing many changes and some challenges and controversy. Also failed to mention that e-bike are on pace to outsell *all* cars in Europe by 2025.
I cycle 20km to work everyday on my electric bike that goed 30kmph. It takes only 40min and i’m never stuck in traffic anymore!! And it “only” cost me €2500. Much cheaper than my car which I barely use actually since I got my bike.
Cycling in the UK in January and February is the worst. Someone needs to solve the issue with turning up to work on a dark morning, cold, wet and sweaty. Then having to work 9 hours in your sweaty clothes and do it all again on the way home.
I spend 10 hours a day on an e-bike and I don't get sweaty.
People treat a bicycle like it's an piece of gym equipment then complain about getting sweaty. Just take it easy.
And get a better raincoat, it's Britain, the investment is worthwhile.
Excellent informational on Ebike use in Europe..and now elsewhere! Hi from Mexico! We make videos about life here ++. I don't use an ebike but a regular bike and have been doing so for years! Get rid of your polluting cars people!, and join the biking revolution!! :-D
Footage of bikes is always taken on nice days in summer. Not winter wet ones.
Can e-bikes transform our cities?
Before I watched the video: Yes!
After I watched the video: Yes!
The HQ of Bosch is in a hilly area. They need e-bikes for commuting.
This is the main reason they are very motivated to have the e-bike business.
It makes them a customer of their own product !
With the cost of living rising so much I think more and more people will be looking to replace their cars with ebikes!
Is there a Sailor Mercury on the back of that sign? 3:52
Great product. Works well.
Even inventor of Yamaha couldn’t imagine popularity of ebike today.
Lots of them in Norway.
Another benefit of all this is exercise! Just having the general population being in decent physical shape will pay dividends for the health service.
It has literally occurred in China And boosted mobilities for millions of Chinese
The biggest problems with e-bikes is it is easy to steal. Its big problem in my country. I really want to switch over to e bikes but this problem has to be fix before. Those bikes are gettin very expensive.
Most expensive e-bikes have tracking devices build in. Some manufacturers have tracking teams that hunt stolen e-bikes.
Perhaps Oonee pod can go international or more companies can start manufacturing bike lockers.
@@Conservator. this is not true bike manufacturers don't do that. You can install it yourself but tracking devices are easy to detect and neutralise.
@@onlyoneofhiskind
Cowboy bikes have a build in tracker.
Van Moof bikes and Sparta do too.
The latter two report that their bikes are hardly ever stolen anymore because thieves know that they will be traced.
Sparta cooperates with a detective company that actively traces stolen bikes.
As a user you can make a notification via their app that your bike has been stolen and that will be send to both the police and the detective company that will act immediately.
There are aftermarket trackers but those systems are difficult to hide.
This applies to the Netherlands.
@@Conservator.
This system may work o
if your police is effective enough.
Cycling infrastructure is far easier and cheaper to build than car infrastructure. But American and Canadian city planners seem to think it's impossible.
E bike quite interesting, but I have doubts about its suitability other than the European world. I mean just to think about driving cars or motorbikes during a rainy season in India is difficult let alone E-Bikes.
I have travelled 28 000 kms on my e-bike since May 2020. I live in Canada and commute by e-bike year round. Just as anything in life, as long as one is prepared for the elements, the elements are manageable.
Highly recommend the Topeak bar end mirror for safer ebike riding.
In warmer and drier climates yes. But better cycling infrastructure is needed.
Way forward 👍
i owned an ebike for five years but the battery recently died and i have no intention of getting another ebike. their main problem: too slow to be in motor traffic, too fast for sidewalks or even even bike lanes/paths. there really is no infrastructure to make them feasible as regular transportation.
Then I suggest you start bugging your local politicians to get this sorted out pronto
everyone should have an e bike ... no matter how rich , howmany cars in garage , no matter how big mansion .... once a while use your basic Ebike ... (have some humble fun)
One of the biggest killers of e-bike batteries is lack of use.
Especially not charging them up correctly.
@@tconnolly9820 it's something new people will learn ...
@@tconnolly9820 how's 1979 bud
e-Bikes YES! e-Scooters NO! The problem is most who ride these things, don't know how to ride them safely. They are constantly riding on sidewalks, running into pedestrians, etc.....
I could say the same about people operating vehicles.
The 2-wheeler movement is good. In addition to e-bikes, cities should encourage electric mopeds as well. The electric mopeds add another tier of electric mobility options for the city dweller for those that need more range and speed. These electric mopeds need licensing but would *not* need nearly the training as compared to the full speed internal combustion motorcycles which have a steep learning curve.
Way, way way more important: They are a whole lot less dangerous (for anyone surrounding them), take up conciderably less space then a car, don't clog up the streets, and they cause only a fraction of the pollution and resourcers needed of a car. I could cry when people see electric cars as the solution for climate change. We won't gain anything by just replacing combustion engines with electric motors in the same redicolously inefficient metal cages.
Scooters are still worse then ebikes, bikes and public transit, but they certainly have their benefits and maybe they could even be essential during the translation to better transit - if we ever been with it.
@@sagichdirdochnicht4653 I agree that our global addiction to big wheel transport is problematic especially in the developed nations and N. America in particular. Using a big IC engine vehicle that's only 20% efficient to move an average single 170lbs human around with 3000+lbs of metal and furniture along represents the height of wastefulness!
With the global population already near 8-billion, there isn't enough resources to give everyone who wants their own vehicle to get one -- be it IC engine or EV. Both types require thousands of pounds of refined materials to manufacture.
In addition to 2-wheeling, in the longer term, I'm leaning heavily on robotic driverless taxis. The winters and such make it difficult to do 2-wheeling year-round except in the moderate climate zones like California, Australia, Mediterranean, etc. I believe that robotic taxis will develop to the point that it will cost pennies per mile to get around.
At that point, people will clearly see the financial boat anchor that personal car ownership represents: initial cost, financing, fueling, maintenance, cleaning, etc. All to keep a high cost *depreciating asset* around that sits around unused 99+% of the time. Then consider the cost of insurance and the actual liability risk of hitting someone accidentally just on your way, say, to get groceries! Insurance can pay for monetary damages but it can't save you from prison time or a lifetime of personal regret and guilt! :( Especially in these days of distractions like smartphones.
@@beyondfossil I'm glad to see there are some people with some sense left in this world!
I agree on most of what you are saying, however I must disagree with robot Taxis. What we need is first and furmost reliable, cheap and efficient public transit.
If we don't fix transit, streets would look exactly the same, just with robotic vehicles, doing the same wastefull job.
Of course, we are leages away from the transit we need. You can't expect anyone to ditch the car, if the alternative is anything like the transit you get in north america and many parts of rural europe. But well, let's begin building then.
I'm also in general not a friend of the idea of AI driving. There are so god damn many variables and situations - I wouldn't trust AI with that. Not that I would humans with that task either - we see how incredibly well suited our species is by looking at the death statistics ;)
To be fair, at least AI would follow the rules I suppose. And robo taxis wouldn't be privately owned, thus taking away much less public space.
By reducing the car traffic, we won't have a great need for robo taxis either. I'm a big friend of car sharing tough. We are ditching our car and car sharing is just fantastic, for those occations when we actually need a car. Just like the robot taxis, they aren't private either, reducing required parking space .
@@sagichdirdochnicht4653 Good, we're both in agreement the most wasteful and environmentally damaging of all transportation by far is single driver vehicle internal combustion engine (ICE). Public transit can continue to serve an important role especially for daily commuters with a familiar route.
But there's just anxiety around riding public transit especially for many non-commute trips. I have experienced it and many friends and family too. Let me try to elaborate below. Some of these are obvious but others not as much.
Taxis provide point-to-point door-to-door service with more consistency. This helps with non-commute chores like groceries or doctor's appointments to unfamiliar new areas. Door-to-door service especially helps during inclement weather because we don't always get a choice of when to take a trip like for pre-scheduled appointments. Nevertheless, we still need to get there. Multiple bus transfers and unfamiliar routes to new locations don't help either.
Most unfortunate is American public transportation is plagued by very expensive and decades long construction times. Not to mention expensive public union labor costs.. American public transit is plain expensive even with municipal and federal subsidies. Just search the costs compared to world-wide public transit and be shocked.
This cost and performance of public transit leaves a lot of room for alternatives which I think you were already hinting at.
Its unlikely the long construction times and high labor costs will magically get better even if we've dismantled the most of the fossil fuel industry. Yes, there are the billions of dollars in subsidies we give to the fossil fuel industry every year but that's another topic in itself.
Now this is the *most important* part: This public transit anxiety and cost pointed out above just pushes people towards owning/leasing a private vehicle. The vehicles becomes the first default transportation choice since the vehicle is already conveniently parked in their driveway or apartment parking space. The ROI on an ICE vehicle "investment" is negative and gets worse with use but most people don't want to think about it.
Hence, the low cost robotic point-to-point at-will taxi concept strikes *directly* at this pattern of pervasive automobile-centric thinking. N. American public transit has failed to make a serious dent in this pattern. Only some 5% of American commuters use public transit. Not entirely transit's fault though due to the 1950s-era car centric N. American city design -- but it is what it is. Something has to change because the equation has remained stacked in favor of private cars for too long.
Even today's ride share concept with its modern easy-to-use sophisticated smartphone hailing, has proven this fundamental concept works. But ride share costs have gone up now that Uber & Lyft investors are demanding actual profits so the company subsidized rides are reduced. So.... Enter the robotic taxi concept. Its something that can finally disrupt the N. American private car hegemony.
BTW, if you haven't yet, search for the "Waymo Arizona" videos like this one:
th-cam.com/video/qAZ6tJSj9T4/w-d-xo.html
One other thing to consider is the US doesn't have the population densities that make public transit as cost effective. Public transit return-on-investment (ROI) is best in high density areas but the closest the US gets to India and Asia densities are only in the Los Angeles and NYC metro areas but those are just two metro transit areas. This is partly due to US's large land area at over 3-million square miles combined with awful suburban sprawl design inherited from the 1950s automobile lobbying. See: th-cam.com/video/oOttvpjJvAo/w-d-xo.html
@@beyondfossil Where to begin... I guess with America ^^
Yeah, America has some major issues in traffic. Cities were bulldozed to make room for cars, public transit got dismanteled, zoning laws - give it a few decades...
Let's just say your traffic and land use are catastrophically broken.
I know about subsidies to mineral concerns. It's the same about everywhere. Why? Corruption...
Of course, public transit will not make any profit. We loose on public transit. But that's the price of transit. We pay it one way or the other. Streets are not sustainable. Even if parking and all the space cars occupy were free, the construction and more importantly: Maintanance of the streets cost a hell of a lot more, then all the combined car taxes bring in.
Therefore your Robo Taxis are anything but low cost. Public transit has a hell of a lot less impact then cars, even when they aren't privately owned.
Of course, your public transit is absolutely broken. Because it basically doesn't exist. How the hell do you expect more then 5% riders, when 95% of transit is unuseable? Schedules are - even in god damn cities - rare, stops have no commodities, not nearly enough stops, many stops drop you at the middle of nowhere, unwalkable streets...
Ridership will go up, if the service is good. It's that easy. If it is the easiest, most convenient way, people will eventually use transit. I admit, there might be a "learning curve" for people, who never used a bus in 50 years, but you'll get used to it. IF the service is good.
Well, your's isn't just not good, it basically does not exist. Start building it!
I know, this is a gigantic task. But it has to be done anyway. If the "only" thing you do is to banish private cars and use taxis instead, All you gained are maybe a few bike lines, since there would be required much less parking space. And maybe the traffic would flow a *bit* better with less human drivers on the road. But nothing changes. There still will be massive pollution and redicolously large intersections and roads. That's barely and improvment overall.
For the door to door trips: Well again, public transit. If it's good and reliable, you'll have no problem reaching your destination.
Of course, there will allways be situations, even if transit was near perfect, where you'd need a car. I still think Robo Taxis are a god damn horrible Idea, because code breaks. But assuming they worked perfectly and weren't hackable (lol), I suppose they'd to the job. However, as I mentioned, we don't really need futuristic technology. There is allready car sharing. It's very easy and convenient to use, doesn't cost much and solves this exact problem.
It's the way of the future. Nice and quiet.
An order of magnitude better than electric cars.
No rain or snow in Europe anymore?
The U.S. needs to get ahead of eBikes. The problem is that they are too fast for existing bike paths (shared with dogs, walkers, pedal bikes) but still too slow and exposed to be on the roads with cars.
Let's use ecosia 👍🌱🌳
How do they work in snow?
Fat tyres. Lots of fun. Oslo Norway has plenty of snow & cyclists throughout the winter as the sweep the paths as a priority. The Dutch have solar heated bike paths... Here in the South of England we haven't seen any serious snow for years. Even Glasgow only gets a couple of days of settled snow a year.
My biggest question is , how do you protect bikes from theft ? Bikes are stolen in London and the police look the other way.
Keep bugging local councils, rail companies, supermarkets etc to add this to the infrastructure. If space can be found for cars, space can be found for e-bikes.
Not unlike they become LIGHTER!!!!
I just like seeing manufacturing outside of China.
love how you're a simple human
Viva la revolution 🎉
I never wanted an ice vehicle until I had to moving into the rural areas and yeah that down payment could've paid for a e bike
I was a sustainable living major riding my bike for my renewable energy course and got hit by a person driving a vehicle running a stop sign. Now on disability. Vehicle drivers need to train their brains to be present enough for the task. Communities need to be intelligently designed to accommodate bikes and wheelchairs. In the US about 40% of our homeless have had brain injuries in three different university studies. These people and their challenges are “invisible”? Presence while driving, riding, designing, and empathy for inclusion. With an increase in bicycles there will be an increase in head trauma and other injuries. We can help that with our design, awareness, intentions and follow through. Ebikes are great. And our sense of self including the so called separate natural world is always helpful. ☀️ We are remembering 🌍 🙏
I love my ebike and plan on buying more when I can afford it.
1:40 Bosch ebike test track
the answer is YES
The thing is if one gets an e-bike it should really be like a Volkswagen, not a Cadilac. It ought to be reasonably priced. I have an E-bike model, which is much closer looking to a regular bike, and with Mt. bike sized tires (2.4") not fatties, and it didn't cost me $5000. It was $1500. Also it just seems a little ridicules for people who haven't been on bicycles since they were kids to have e-bikes alone. In a way it kind of defeats the whole purpose which is not just getting around but also being fit from it, and getting to the traditions of cycling. As for me a regular bike kind of cyclist who happens to own an e-bike for certain things, and certain times, is going to not only be fit from cycling generally but is also going to be getting real exercise from an e-bike too, by not overusing the power, by being power off for warming up and by really hitting it. Too many people use it as a total crutch, as a slacker machine, and that isn't the right way at all.
The gotta bring those outrageous price way down.
There are 300+ million ebikes and escooters in China. We are decade+ behind.
Unfortunately, where I live, riding an e-bike makes you a prime target and criminals will steal it from you at gun point.
Where is that?
Short answer, Yes
I love my e-bike, but I will not go anywhere near cars and trucks traveling 20-40 mph faster a few feet to my left.
Look at the Netherlands. The most advanced bike culture in the world.........
Having just driven across the Netherlands a few times in the last month it's better for drivers too. Far less congestion.
I like e-Mopeds better (Vespa style)
They have more comfortable seat and ride, much harder to steal , and carry much more stuff if you need to take it to a store.
It’s a good development!
i havent tried one but have the feeling it being so heavy expensive and tedious maintenance (charging) i rather stick to traditional bikes for at least another decade and see if they get lighter and cheaper
The US has entered the chat.
Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure
I bought my e-bike on upway
Here in Vancouver, Canada we have side-walks that nobody uses, but bicycles are not allowed to ride on. Backwards af.
would rather use my own e-bike than bike share systems
The mayor of Vechta is a clear demonstration why obligatory helmets are a bad idea 😂😂😂
What??? Entry level E-bikes are not 3,500 Euros. LOL! President of company does not know the business! A specialized Vado is 3.2, and Giant and Trek offering are in the high 2's, and high-end respectable hub-motor ebikes are in the 2k range. Entry-level Ebikes are in the 1000.00 USD range. Dude. It's not the tech it's the BIKE components that cost $$$. The tech is relatively cheap compared to the horrifically overpriced, bloated mountain and road bike industry pricing it is tied to.
Here in USA I put a Bafang mid motor 48v11a kit onto my old aluminum trek, fenders,lights, pannier, bell. Reliable. Total cost $1200 usd including used bike price. In two years the bafang kit dropped 10%
The new $3500 bike are beautiful but willlook as scratched and marred as mine in a couple months.
I've never understood why upmarket bicycles are so expensive. I bought a 2nd hand BMW F800GS motorcycle for less than a new, mid-top range mountain bike. How is that possible? I can buy a NEW name-brand, mid-level motorcycle for the same price as a top-end bicycle! Yes, economies of scale. Yes, all carbon fibre, blah. Still doesn't compute.
Probably their bikes have that price. I bought a good e-bike for my son to go to school for 1000 euro at Decathlon; a bike with good test results.
@@cornelmasson4610 It's a big scam, prices for bikes and bike components.
E bikes need to be heavier or have a form of immobilizer built in to seize the wheels unless unlocked
This will justify the expensive price and reduce theft hopefully
No, we need lighter e-bikes to make them easier to cycle and to carry up stairs!
no, we need middle weight ebikes to do a piss poor job for either use case
80% of stolen ebikes with a gps teacker are retrieved in NL ( that's what i heard at least ..)..
E bikes are the way forward. I will never look back and drive a car.
Look a high end e bike costs the same as small second hand car. It’s meant to be a replacement where you can fit passengers like children in a tub in the front. As FINANCIAL times you should take note how much cheaper cycling infrastructure is compared to cars (tax money); and look at how much car ownership actually costs. like houses and businesses have to be further apart (longer roads and plumbing pipes etc), a large portion of your property is driveway and garage (street parking is like subsidised real estate). Like all this on top of car cost and depreciation, fuel, maintenance, insurance, tyres etc. I mean even poor air quality will have some measurable economic impact. But the cycling infrastructure MUST form a complete network that ties in together with other transport networks like trains etc. And your zoning has to allow for a small shop around the corner.
So true ! Every €1 invested in bike infrastructure has a €7-8 society benefit (health, less accidents, cheaper road etc) whereas €1 in vehicle facilities costs >€1 ..
No need for a high end e-bike, get a basic one, they go for $1,000-1,500.
Or get a used one.
muscle-bikes are the best for most people,
e-bikes are OK for pepople with handicaps.
Ditching the car for an e-bike seems like a great idea in August. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way in January.
You never feel cold when riding a bike, I have ridden in -20c weather. As long as you are dressed for it, it's not an issue.
In The Netherlands we use the bike no matter the weather. And as Dutchie who has lived in Sweden before, also there a lot of people bike when temperatures are way below 0. Cold temperatures, ice and snow doesn't have to mean you can't bike.
@@markuserikssen Plus it creates strong people which creates strong societies. I live in canada toronto, even tho it's one of least coldest part of canada, people still complain "look how tough we are for living in canada" when all their winter experience is, getting out of their house into their heated car and into their heated workplace or etc
Won't know until you try. I went from a few rides in the winter to being a year round rider.
Not necessarily so.
With an e-bike you can wear protective clothing and accessories that are too difficult or cumbersome on a normal bike.
I have a bike poncho which covers my head, body and arms and over the handlebars.
I don't use it much because it's also very difficult to pedal into a strong wind wearing a sail. Although it's very beneficial if the wind is behind me.
But apart from that, it's absolutely brilliant and you won't sweat particularly if you're on an e-bike.
Also there are things like Bar Mitts which keep your hands warm even in extremely cold weather.
And I have seen full face covering helmets which apparently are very good.
Basically on an e-bike you have the luxury to wear appropriate protective gear and not worry about sweating or being as aerodynamic as a sail going the wrong way that would kill you on an ordinary push bike.
i was surprised to hear that their demographics were 30+. Interesting.
I believe it's due to the price point of 3500 euro, also they are bought with a purpose - point to point commuting which makes it easier to justify
Young people still ride road bikes because of the cost.
Recumbent electric would be incredible, comfort without the uphill drawback.
Check out the MLM by Arcimoto
@@farmergeorge6885 Will do, thanks!
They're out there.
Any recumbent can be turned into a an electric. So pick you favorite model/ brand and buy one.
Where's the tax rebates for ebikes???
The Europe is behind. China have used ebike for delivery for nearly 15 years now.