Electric Bike being used in an All-Electric lawnmowing
business
CHOICE
ENERGY
Biking Time Project -
Comparing Commuting Time
Between Cars and Bikes
June 3, 2010
Ray LaHood: "People Want Out of Their Cars"
http://www.hybridcars.com/
In March, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood surprised delegates at the National Bike Summit, when he jumped up on a table and proclaimed that national policy would no longer “favor motorized transportation at the expense of nonmotorized.” It was a watershed—a direct statement from the US czar of transportation that fuel-efficient auto technologies, such as hybrids and electric cars, are only part of the solution.
"People want out of their cars, they want out of congestion, they want to live in livable neighborhoods and livable communities,” LaHood told the crowd.
Despite the federal support for electric-drive cars--$2.4 billion in grants and $25 billion in low-interest loans for retooling – it will take a decade or more for hybrids and EVs to rise above their niche status. The greenest cars are still cars—which require tons of energy, produce lots of emissions, and erode the quality of life along increasingly congested roadways. And after all, bicycles are the only true zero emissions vehicles.
Mr. LaHood, the 64-year-old former Republican member of the US House of Representatives, outlined the new policy in his blog. He called on state and local governments to go beyond minimum planning and maintenance requirements to provide convenient and safe amenities for bikers and walkers. “Walking and biking should not be an afterthought in roadway design.” Transportation agencies are urged to take action on a number of fronts, including the creation of pathways for bike riders and pedestrians on bridges, and providing children with safe biking and walking routes to schools.”
In a follow-up tweet, LaHood wrote, “More cars on more roads may not be the best way to move people more effectively.” The response from the blogosphere was almost all positive. One enthusiastic commenter wrote on LaHood's Facebook page, “Finally we have a Secretary of Transportation and not a Secretary of the Automobile.”
Blame for Gulf Coast
Spill Begins at the Pump
http://www.hybridcars.com/
If you're mad about the spill, think about what you're driving.
The devastating oil spill in the Gulf Coast will embolden green transportation advocates to push harder for change—from fuel-efficient cars to public transportation and bicycle use. But that change won’t happen until drivers make a fundamental connection between their oil use, oil spills, and other severe environmental and economic risks.
Electric-drive cars, especially those fueled by electricity instead of petroleum, could play a key role in reducing the need to drill. The good news is that electric cars and plug-in hybrids are finally coming to market, but they are trickling out while the spill in the Gulf gushes out. The current spill is not an isolated event. Between 2001 and 2007, there were 356 oil spills of varying degrees of seriousness on federal lands and waters alone.
We could get angry at Big Oil, or at negligent federal regulators, but consider this possibility: Nothing will change as long as the average driver—not just hybrid and EV owners—fails to connect the dots. That’s why author Lisa Margonelli’s clever idea is maybe about the best we can muster right now: “We should print the risks [of using oil] on every gasoline receipt, just as we label smoking’s risks on cigarette packs.”
SIX reasons and the bottom line when it comes to transportation:
Do you want to:
1) Save time?
2) Save energy?
3) Get some exercise while saving time and energy?
4) Dissociate yourself from oil spills?
5) Enjoy your commute and the town you live in?
6) Reduce traffic congestion?
Then you can do all of this simply by riding a bike. Bozeman has over 300 days a year of biking weather, and while there are times when cars are needed, many of these days could be spent gaining ground on the 6 advantages listed above. If you live out of town, consider a bike rack on your car then park at a central location and notice how much faster you can get around.
The Bozeman Bike Time project aims to dispel the myths of
biking in Bozeman.
Myth #1: Biking is slow. In fact, the pedal bike was 7%
faster than driving (electric bike was 23% faster!), and that's not just
downtown - the loop includes Walmart, Costco, The Ridge, and MSU.
Watch the video to see how much time is spent maneuvering in parking lots
and walking to and from the car. Then you finally get the car out onto
the street just to get stuck behind other cars. Bikes get you to the
DOOR of your destination, not a block away.
Myth #2: Biking is cold. In winter, gloves and a hat are
essential, but exercise creates body heat and I find myself arriving much
warmer after a bike ride than after sitting still in a car. Core body
heat goes a long way and is much more effective than blowing warm air on
yourself. This also means I'm less prone to crank up the heat when I
arrive at my destination.
Myth #3: Bikes cannot carry groceries, kids, or gear. A
rear rack can carry two large bags of groceries or other goods. A
trailer adds capacity for larger items
LOGISTICS OF THE VIDEO
The Biking Time Project was produced to display the differences in travel
time between identical destinations at the same time of day using:
- Electric Assist Bicycle
- Pedal Bicycle
- Motor Vehicle
All travel was performed legally and with the same level of
urgency. The data used to compile travel time, average speed, and
energy use is presented at the bottom of this page.
The e-bike was my daily driver, a typical mountain bike with a $900 electric
motor and lithium battery kit installed. The pedal bike was a typical
mid-grade well-used bike. The vehicle was my Chevy
truck powered by used vegetable oil.
Some routes varied because I tried to use the route that made the most sense for the mode of travel. For example, pedal biking to MSU's Strand Union Building allowed me to ride through campus.
I gave the bike videos an extra 10 seconds upon arriving and departing each destination to allow time to lock the bike.
The videos were shot starting at noon on August 13, 14, and
15, 2009 - all weekdays and all nice, summer weather. Summer heat
actually slows down the pedal biker, whereas cooler weather tends to make
people more energetic. Winter biking in snow can be much slower, but
then so is driving around in snow and ice. Studded tires are just as
important for a bike as for a car.
CONCLUSIONS:
- Ebiking averaged 23% faster than driving the vehicle
The main time consumers with driving a car are parking lots, traffic
congestion and stop lights. Finding a parking place and walking to the
front door from the car consumes an incredible amount of time. Also,
having to stop for traffic turning left, or lining up at a stoplight slows
the progress of a car more than one might imagine.
- Pedal biking was found to be 7% faster than driving a car. Even over longer distances like from Walmart to Costco, or Costco to The Ridge the pedal bike kept up with the car.
FACTOIDS FROM VIDEO
- The biker was in good shape, riding an average pace on a mountain bike.
- In town, E-bikes are 23% faster than driving a car on average. Pedal
bikes averaged 7% faster than a car.
- Biking keeps you in great physical and MENTAL shape.
- Biking is QUIET, helping create more livable communities.
- Reliance on cars promotes SPRAWL.
- Biking promotes denser, more walkable communities
- E-bikes cost 93% LESS than driving a car (at $2.50/gal and 25 mpg)
- A bike with a small trailer can easily haul over 100 pounds of kids or
cargo.
- A bike with a rack or basket can easily haul several bags of groceries.
- E-bikes allow you to arrive without SWEATING.
- A car costs over $3600/year for insurance, gas, oil, depreciation,
repairs, & parking (source:
http://www.myebike.com/advantage/Anelectricbikeasanalternativetoacar.html
- A decent used bike costs only about $200.
- An E-bike costs 5-10% the cost of a car.
- Bike tune-ups cost $50 or less ONCE a year.
- E-bikes are 97% less polluting than a car.
- Riding a pedal bike is non-polluting.
- Far fewer materials are needed to manufacture a bike than a car.
- Cars are prone to complex mechanical problems requiring a mechanic to fix.
- Most bikes are so simple, you can fix them yourself.
- Biking turns your commute into an ENJOYABLE experience.
- Biking TO the gym eliminates the need to bike IN the gym.
- E-bikes use only 2.1% of the energy that a car uses (at 25mpg).
- A laptop computer can be carried on a bike comfortably in a small
backpack.
- A bike always starts, even in cold weather.
- Biking is often MUCH faster than driving a car.
- Biking is ALWAYS cheaper than driving.
HAVE A BEEF WITH ANYTHING ON THIS PAGE? We invite you to send us an email and let's investigate it. We are not in the business of selling electric bikes and have nothing monetary to gain from people using them. It's just an exciting option for stepping away from the automobile when appropriate. The indirect costs of using petroleum should now be painfully obvious.
Back to Electric Page with info on electric bikes, lawnmowers and yard equipment, and electric cars.