Electric Bikes

[colink98]

my current commute is a very pleasing 20 miles each way and my aging bike will have to go sooner or later.

so i was thinking about that electricitry stuff...

it seems electric bikes are still some what of a fad as opposed to mainstream like cars.

when are we likely to start seeing electric bikes in the main stream ?
and will they be ultra cool or much faggy like harleys ?
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[Easy-X]

What sort of electric bike are we talking about?

A twist-and-go with the 50cc motor swapped out for electric or a converted bicycle?

I know nothing of the former and everything about the latter
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[EazyDuz]

Legal Ebikes (electric bicycles) are restricted to 15mph.
I used to have one, its a good workout and would do 40 miles on one charge. Would I recommend it? No. Unless you are so skint you cant afford the tax, insurance and MOT for a 50cc scooter then yes. Otherwise said poverty scooter will be far less hassle and time consuming than an Ebike.
Ended up selling mine to an elderly woman who had had a hip replacement. She used it to roam the peak district bless her
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[Riejufixing]

[Easy-X]

[Bhud]

A smartphone on 2 wheels? Future-ready, and all the easier to implement this:
https://www.gtplanet.net/the-nanny-state-is-coming-europe-to-make-gps-controlled-speed-limiters-mandatory/

Not cool.

Socially acceptable personal transport in urban areas to get to work? Sort of, to an extent, but why do you need powered personal transport in an urban area when there are buses and push-bikes?

The bottom line is, needs vs wants is a socialist argument to put a cap on personal freedoms - they will say that the roads were never designed for you to get a little bit of illicit recreation, but just to get you to work, increase productivity and national GDP, etc. But at the end of the day, do you really think that the NHS and a pension will be there for you in exchange, when you're put out to pasture? Nope, they will breach their implicit social contract with you whenever they see fit and when you no longer bring in a net benefit...

There is a trade-off between freedom and safety. Always has been, and always will be that way.

There is also a special parallel universe of privilege inhabited by people who will always guarantee their own personal Lamborghinis, Bugattis and horses will be able to go everywhere, forever, to the great delight of the fenced-in cap-doffing masses.

Electric bikes are a lot of things but cool isn't one of them. Sure, there will be some guy who isn't you who test-rides a fast electric bike in traffic. But your place in that situation, in most cases, is to doff your cap while whipping out your mobile phone and taking a shot. You are not to be him because there are too many of you.

Solve the riddle, separate the rational convenience and advantages of being able to filter in traffic in the rush hour from the actual love of bikes, because they're not the same thing.

[kgm]

There are a few out there but the cost of them is prohibitive. I'd like one for my commute, because with the right motor it could be a lot of fun however I'm not prepared to spend 10k when a decent and internal combustion machine can be had for a fraction of that.

[colink98]

[flearider]

https://www.bikesure.co.uk/bikesureblog/2018/03/your-complete-guide-to-electric-motorcycles.html

[linuxyeti]

There are quite a few to choose from..

Zero's range is the most obvious place to start.

The, Super SocoTC Max coming very soon, and, quite possibly ideal for your commute, at a decent price

https://www.green-mopeds.com/super-soco-tc-max-174-p.asp?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqKXb-bCV4QIVLrvtCh0UvwASEAAYASAAEgKprvD_BwE

There's also a new bike coming from Lightning

https://lightningmotorcycle.com/

Cheaper than Zero, and, with a decent performance spec

Of course, there's Vespa & Piaggio of the esablished names with scootters available, or, soon to be available.

It's quite a fast evolving sector, this site is pretty reasonable at keeping up to date..

https://electricmotorcycles.news/
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[ART-ADS]

i'll ride off a cliff before i cave to the globalists and anti human environmentalists and buy an electric bike
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[doggone]

In some ways the issues are the same as with cars, most people could manage fine with a predictable commute, but would worry about charging on longer runs - with good reason.

If that means the electric vehicle must be an addition rather than replacement the high cost is even worse and the reduced use of petrol vehicle effectively means that costs you more per mile too.

[rpsmith79]

[Baffler186]

[One Ball 1971]

[moonzoomer]

I use a 250 watt ebike, really good of road even with such a low powered motor but the cost and hassle to use on road makes it pointless due to having to have the bike registered, insured , wear a M/C helmet etc (NI rules), my bike is both pedal assist and throttle only as it is a pre 2015 model on which throttles are legal. In my case it is cheaper just to use a small motorcycle for road use and a lot quicker.

[linuxyeti]

[Easy-X]

[-]

10,000 miles a year on an electric bike? Are they up to it?
At what age does stuff start wearing and getting costly?
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[Easy-X]

[sickpup]

A year or two ago I saw someone riding a Bultaco Brinco R over Blackfriars bridge, I know it was an R as he did over 35mph on the south side. Not road registered and just treated as a push bike because he was a naughty boy.

[MarJay]

I really fancy something like a Zero. Same performance and range as something like an ER6, but sadly twice the cost to buy.

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-reviews/zero/dsr/2019/

Charging will improve, range will improve. If I didn't have to fill up with £20 worth of fuel every 200 miles then I think it would almost be worth it.

Maintenance wise, you don't need to change the oil, there is no coolant to change, no air filter. You just keep riding until the bearings in the motor give out. You still have to service suspension and brakes of course, but that's the same price as any normal motorcycle. The elephant in the room is obviously batteries, but they'll be easier to replace on an electric motorcycle than on a car. The best electric cars seem to distribute their cells around the car, whereas we all know a bike works best when the mass is centralised (*ahem* Buell *ahem* Honda).

If a Zero cost the same as an ER6, with the same performance and range, I'd definitely consider it for my commute. Don't get me wrong, I love IC engines, but I'm not wedded to them enough to refuse to ever ride an electric motorcycle.

In lots of ways the electric motorcycle makes more sense than an electric car I think. The performance, weight and range seem closer to a IC engined bike, than an electric car is to an IC car.

In 5 years I reckon a decent proportion of this forum will be on electric motorcycles, especially when the bigger manufacturers pick up the mantle.
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[moonzoomer]

Electric bikes could really take off, main problem as I see it is currently the range and very limited charging facilities, these problem could be overcome by standardising the batteries between vehicles and manufacturers to allow filling stations/ shopping centres etc to stock and recharge the batteries, no need to be installing expensive charging points all over the country.

[Easy-X]

Yes, the thing to consider with any electric vehicle is the density of the energy storage. Electric motors - with regards to electric/kinetic energy conversion - are already about as efficient as they can be at >90%.

Lithium-ion batteries have ~10% the energy density of fossil fuels. In other words a kilo of batteries, fully charged, can output the same energy as 100g of petrol (if time is not a factor.) Okay, so dinosaur burning does lead to a lot of lost energy, mostly as heat, but also consider batteries weigh the same whether charged or not.

The concept of a battery, how much it can store and how quick you can recharge it has pretty much hit the limits of thermodynamics just with lithium ion technology. Compromised batteries already have quite a surprising explosive potential and one were to push the energy density much higher you'd basically be lugging TNT about...

So it comes back to getting a good power to weight ratio to make electric vehicles viable with the energy storage we have and, as MarJay states, this probably means bikes will be reasonable and cars will always be a bit of a joke.

Cars, vans, buses, lorries etc. need a much better energy storage solution like hydrogen or natural gas fuel cells.
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[EazyDuz]

Doesnt your typical 50cc scooter do something stupid like 90MPG? Pennies to tax, insure and maintain. Whereas a half decent Ebike is going to cost £2000+, then you have maintenance. Tyres dont last as long, brakes dont last as long, gears and chains dont last as long etc. They're a fun toy but not the best option if you want it as a commuter anywhere other than London
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