Tesla version of a "Bike" - Would you?

[bugeye_bob]

As the electrification has been taken up by a few seriously, the last Ewan Mcgregor and Charlie fall off were on electric bikes,

I just wondered what peoples thoughts are on this path it seems to be going,

I have avoided the word motor, but electric bikes are motor driven,
And if in some weird way the Tesla of bikes came out, would it interest you?
Assisted riding, you would still be out in the open, or does an electric bicycle already tick that box?

I had a quick glance and couldn't see the same thread, but if its been covered I do apologize.

[kgm]

An electric bike would be ideal for my commuting needs. I don't want lots of extra gadgets and fancy electronics that ride the bike for me though. I ride because I want to RIDE and be in control. It would have to be affordable in the same price range as similar ICE bikes too and have a reasonable range.

At present no bike exists in that category that isn't a fortune to buy.

Electric also wouldn't work for my overnight or longer trips because I don't plan where I'm going and I'd inevitably be caught short of battery power somewhere.

I've ridden electric off road bikes, the instant torque is fun.

[Pete.]

I would buy one in a blink if I could get 250miles range without throttling performance, and the price was reasonable. I think that's a fair way away though.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[stinkwheel]

Very rarely I do less than 400 miles in a weekend and the places I stop are wild camping sites.

If they invent an electric bike that can get me from Carlisle to Braemar in under 4 hours (total journey time, including stops), I'd be somewhat interested.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Bhud]

ICE bikes are like barbecues.

I like barbecues. You can't replace a barbecue with a microwave oven. You won't get the flavour of the real thing, no matter what condiments you add. You won't hear anything sizzling. You won't feel the heat. You don't need to be so physically involved (it's not necessary to handle the food and turn it over every now and then). You definitely won't see or smell or taste the smoke.

It's not an everyday thing - far from it, but my prerogative to enjoy a barbecue at any time of the year is something I prize and which contributes significantly to my quality of life. It's not even a social thing. It's just the epitome of cooking and, if Tanzanian tribesmen are to believed, the ultimate purpose and happiness in life.

If you need to eat cooked food and you don't have the luxury of a kitchen and mains electricity wherever you are, you will need to take a canister of propane gas, or collect firewood. Fire has been with mankind since time immemorial. Prometheus disobeyed the gods and brought us fire. He was wise. Epimetheus obeyed the gods and brought us Pandora. He was foolish.

[Pete.]

That suits you. My bike is just transport. The simpler, quieter, least fuss and maintenence it is the better.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[chickenstrip]

Nope, not interested in electric bikes, never will be. For me, it's like the difference between a Ford Focus and a Ferrari. One is practical, the other has something much more that's hard to put into words. I'd have an electric car if it were as practical and convenient as my ICE car, but not bike.

Now, would I have a Tesla, having heard all about the amazing performance? I'd be interested to try one, but I'd still rather have an ICE Ferrari.
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[chickenstrip]

[Robby]

I'll have one as soon as I can get something I like the look of, that gives me 50hp, 100 miles range, 200kg weight, for around £6-8k.

However my quite modest requirements are still some way off. Too far to even put a reasonable estimate on it. Could be 2 years, could be 10. May also be the back of the queue. Currently most of the work is going into very expensive, short production bike to show off the technology. I assume the the next step of mass market will be scooter and 125 equivalents - it's a big global market with lower expectations for quality.

So I want one, but I'm not holding my breath.

[iooi]

How many people actually travel more than 100 miles on their bike without stopping for a pie & brew.
So you have charging time there.

With the new faster charging available. Take the new Kia EV6 . A quick charge for 5 minutes would give you over 60 miles of driving range. It takes less than 18 minutes to charge from 10 to 80%. Yes that is with a 77.4 kWh battery. which would never fit on a bike. But gives a idea of where charging & batteries are going now.

So the average biker will stop for longer than that, or not even do that sort of mileage a day.

Yes, it will be a issue for some. But even if you are wild camping you have to stop somewhere for food, petrol etc. So there are your charging points, once a decent network is sorted (god knows when that will be).
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[chickenstrip]

^ That still completely misses the point for me. Bikes just aren't about practicality for me. All the advantages being stated for electric bikes I can have in a car with even more practicality, if that's what you want to maximise.
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THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Bhud]

Newer petrol-engined bikes currently on the market are really, really good. They do their jobs extremely well, they're reliable, efficient and refined. However, in some ways they may be a victim of their own success. This may be borne out by the success of Royal Enfield and retro-appearing bikes. If a bike suits you well, meets your needs and doesn't intrude on your thoughts or experience of riding too much, then you might not see the value in forming a connection with a vehicle (whether bike, car, boat, aircraft or anything else). Many people have tried to do this by replacing the exhaust with a louder one. I know, as I've done the same once or twice. But doing this isn't enough to make a bike interesting. The connection comes in the sensory feedback you get from being hyperaware of your surroundings and immediate experience. This, of course, comes in degrees. If you ride a 1942 Harley Davidson XA, you will be feeling the experience more than most!

For most people, however, I would say that the basic things which were swept aside in the race towards progress still hold a lot of potential and interest. If you just shortened your timing unit's ignition advance springs in order to slightly change your timing advance curve, then that's one thing. You would be hyperaware and interested on your next ride, wouldn't you. If you've just ported your cylinder head and put it back on the engine, then you would be hyperaware too, wouldn't you. These are examples we can all understand. Elements of doubt and uncertainty, and not just excitement and anticipation, have to be present in order for there to be a sense of exploration and adventure. Remove these, and all you have is a means to go to another place, in less safety and with less weather protection than even an old banger of a car.

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

I’m an EV cynic but I do think the dynamic qualities of an electric motorcycle (additional weight notwithstanding) and even the whirring/whooshing sounds might be just as much fun. I might quickly regard such things as changing gear and the routine maintenance requirements of an IC bike as a faff rather than cool. Still, at £19k for Zero’s cheapest bike I’m unlikely to find out.

My main problem with EVs is I don’t see them as the solution they pretend to be regarding sustainability or fossil fuel use. It just pushes that dirty business away out of sight.

[chickenstrip]

If you believe the climate change alarmists, we're on the cusp of a change. So future generations may have to consider practicality more than my and previous generations did. That's their problem
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Pete.]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

Give me something that has the same performance and range of at least a 125 with useable recharge facilities for a non rapey price and I'm interested.
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Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
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[chickenstrip]

[chickenstrip]

I'm tired of kittens and puppies. Let's kill 'em all
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THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Howling Terror]

Currently I'm yet to be convinced that eclectic powered motorbikes are less harmful to the environment.

Like a few here I wouldn't poo-poo them.

Having seen them race and hear the riders reaction shows they're rapid and fun.

Like those that miss the steam engines I'll miss the ICE yet as with steam engines if I really wanted to carry on using one I could.

Make them a tad lighter and expand the charging infrastructure.

Loud bearings save lives.
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[chickenstrip]

Racing kills kittens and puppies. Ban it.
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THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Howling Terror]

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R50097ebb393ebc67a85e3bc4552497ba?rik=A%2bwJDAWTtDxMxA&riu=http%3a%2f%2f1.bp.blogspot.com%2f-yD-z6D97heM%2fU0m62DhOeVI%2fAAAAAAAAQuw%2f4-JaBgfdx-I%2fs1600%2fScreen%2bShot%2b2014-04-12%2bat%2b6.12.11%2bPM.jpg&ehk=sz5re4B2IV%2b6dnht62aAYIVi6%2fuZ82%2b%2fHYDy%2bhg3roA%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw

There's a reason it's called the Human Race.
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
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The Harry Turner Project

[chickenstrip]

Humans kill kittens and puppies. Ban them.
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Bhud]

I'm not sure that change is a gradual process. This whole argument might be academic - the tech doesn't have to be ready, for the rug to be pulled. And that's normally the way an ordained change presents itself, isn't it? The rug gets pulled from under you while you're making plans.

There is also a built-in paradox. Suppose it's early last century. You have a guy who worked on steam engines his whole life. He fixes and maintains steam trains, in the age of steam. Another guy just works as a boring desk clerk in an office. The latter guy spends his weekends fixing an old steam-powered lawnmower. He doesn't really know anything about it ,so he reads up about it at the local library. He tries out a few things, and even asks the steam engineer for tips when he's stuck. That's what he does for fun.
At the annual lawnmower convention, the desk clerk hobbyist shows up with his amateur-built lawnmower. It's imperfectly restored, but it works, and he's happy with it, and he's had a great time. The steam engineer shows up with an amazing revolutionary turbine design he came up with in his garage on his weekends. He enjoys winning the competition and being at the top of a social hierarchy, if only at that once-a-year show, and a source for help and advice to hobbyists. He's actually not that fussed about steam engines. He sees them every day and it's getting old.

Time rolls on, and the steam engineer is tired and bored. Liquid combustible powered engines have arrived, and they are viable for use in carriages and trains. They require less work and physical effort. He takes to them like a duck to water, with great aplomb. He writes in his steam club magazine that he welcomes the new tech and can't wait to move onto it.

The clerk's there with his steam-powered lawnmower, thinking, hang on, did I not show proper appreciation for the technology of steam, and derive a lot of enjoyment from my hobby? Did it not give me something to do on a weekend? What would I have done with that extra time, if I had had the convenience of a petrol-powered lawnmower? Would I have felt compelled to spend more time indoors reading newspapers and writing letters to the editor?

Isn't this where we are, right now. I have just come in from the garage, where I've been working on my project bike. It's almost done. I don't need it for transport and I don't come from that world of apprenticeships and engineering studies. I've found that working on things like that helps give the middle finger to the waves of fear and panic, and spending time tinkering on something with your hands as if it were 1981 and not the "you need to change, so scrap your bike now before we do it for you!" 2021 being pumped by the news media every day.

[chickenstrip]

Bikes have given me both an all-consuming hobby and employment over the years. Still not tired of them. But electric bikes as the only choice? No thanks, time to hang up my biking hat when that happens. If that's the way it has to be, so be it. I'll pick up my guitar more, or go hillwalking more

And I'll look at the youngsters and shake my head sadly for them - as they might do when they see me
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THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[P.]

200-250 mile range, not an excesive length to charge and an abundance of points, talking 3 hours so I can go places, explore and come back charged.

I'd love it to be quick, but realistically, 50-60hp or so would be perfectly fine. It'll be quick off the line, I rarely spend more than a few moments above 80.