this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2024
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Electric Bikes

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[–] litchralee 10 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Inherent to any discussion of "is X good/bad for the environment?", there's always the matter of accounting: to what or whom -- and when -- do environmental benefits/impacts accrue? And there's no general answer to that, which is why multiple reasonable people in a room can independently conclude that the solutions to climate change can be any of: personal responsibility and personal consumption taxes, the downfall of capitalism, public policy to distort market forces, laissez faire and light-touch regulation, domestic manufacturing, offshore mining, or even all of the above simultaneously.

Unless there is agreement on how the climate impacts are counted and totaled up, you'll get 11 answers from 10 people. I think the point of this video is: 1) in proportion to either the typical Western consumer or the average human anywhere on earth, the embodied carbon footprint from manufacturing of an ebike is low, and 2) the propensity to displace other modes of transport is where ebikes can flex their environmental credentials.

Some may not agree that displacement is a net positive, arguing that if an ebike works so well for someone that they sell their car, then that car will be driven by someone else and now there's an extra ebike in this world. I don't agree with such simplistic logic or its conclusion.

But for people that do see displacement as a valid environment net-benefit, then I hope they'll see that ebikes are very effective at that. Since ebikes still use lithium batteries, that'll continue to be a point of contention, but given the typically fossil-fuel alternative, we could do much, much worse for the environment.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Certainly worse than a regular pedal bike.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The only cycling I do is my commute, it's ten miles each way on hilly roads. I'm not 21 anymore and I absolutely wouldn't be cycling it without an ebike. This saves 100 miles of driving every week.

Yh, it's worse than a regular bike but you shouldn't let good be the enemy of perfect.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I'm not saying e-bikes are bad. Just clarifying that they're not a zero impact bike v. a pedal bicycle.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That’s like saying exercise is bad for the environment, shit take.

They are more carbon intensive to produce, since they are a regular bike, with additional parts.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Actually mate, I know it sounds ridiculous, but it has been demonstrated that, statistically, because of the extra amount of calories burned and the pollution due to food production and transportation in modern times, ebikes are greener despite the higher impact of their production.

Of course the specific case can be different, maybe someone already grows their own organic food and buys an ebike without doing any distance that they couldnt cover easily with their acoustic bike, and then proceeds after only a few months to throw their ebike off a bridge (stupid example, but much more important when studying the impact of electric cars vs ICE cars, if an EV gets into a really bad accident or fire in the first ~20-30k kms of its life, then it would have been slightly better for everyone that it wasnt built, compared to an ICE car)

As far as exercise goes, it has also been shown that ebikes results on average in more exercise by more people, because people cover much bigger distances, and/ore use it more often, and because it allows you to smooth out the ride (making some roads, especially climbs, cyclable to people who wouldn't have been able to do them with a normal bike), and to decide for yourself when you want to put more effort.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

The person would still need to exercise by another method and still need to consume those calories…

All it’s doing is pushing it to some other metric to make theirs look better.

Sorry, it’s a shit take since people still need all of that exercise and food regardless the food still needs to be shipped, bike or ebike and supplemental exercise. You know what’s even better for the environment using this asinine logic, never leaving the house and having everything delivered, it’s someone else’s problem, just like using an ebike and claiming it’s better.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

That doesn't add up the way you think it does. An e-bike is still exercise. In fact, it's pretty good exercise because for general health, time spent doing physical work means more than the actual exertion level of that exercise. For body building, you do need high intensity, but not for general health.

What it adds up to is that e-bike riders tend to get more exercise because the motor lets them go longer distances. What you end up with is transportation and exercise being done together, and the extra calories don't need to be spent on separate exercise time.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

There are countless situations in which you can ride too much, or your cargo/baby passengers are too heavy, or the roads are very polluted and that extra breathing on that particular climb is better avoided...et cetera

Have you tried an ebike? My favorite bicycle is a 1980s road bike which weighs maybe 8kgs, but I know what it means to commute every single day more than 30kms with it, it stops being fun after a few weeks. My second favorite is my ebike.

Following your line of thinking we shouldn't have lifts because people need the exercise. Do you know that a single flight of stairs with a lift uses as much energy as roughly 10km with an ebike/escooter? But you don't see me or anyone else attacking lifts/elevators. Also to remember, the lithium mined or refined to make the battery, can be reused forever.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

What does any of that have to do with people still needing to exercise and consume calories beyond what an ebike gives?

Putting the blame on something else is a wonderful way to make the point and statistics look like propaganda, which is exactly what this is bordering on, and your arguments are fallicous, nothing to do with the topic.

People still need exercise and calories, full stop, moving it elsewhere so one thing looks better, only shows your bias…:

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (2 children)

At the outset and comparing total emissions, yes. (E-bike = Regular bike parts + motor, battery, controller after all) Comparing on an emissions per kilometre basis, the research referenced in the video suggests no.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Uh huh, now, talk about how lousy the battery recycle process is.

BTW, I'm not anti-ebike. Just pointing out they're not as environmentally friendly as a pedal bike.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's absolutely addressed in the video. Even if something like only 5% of Li-ion batteries are recycled currently, methods are slowly improving and the target for 2026 in Europe is to have 60% of lithium batteries by mass recycled.

Even if you assume that the whole e-bike is thrown in the trash once the battery wears down, the emissions per km and net benefit still work in the electric bike's favour.

The video also goes further in that emissions related to meat and/or vegetable consumption being the main source of energy used to power a conventional also need to be calculated for in the calculation of operating emissions/km.

Even ignoring that, it just comes down to the fact that a person would put more kilometres on an ebike than a conventional one resulting in the largest net carbon reductions despite the little differences here and there.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

The video also goes further in that emissions related to meat and/or vegetable consumption being the main source of energy used to power a conventional also need to be calculated for in the calculation of operating emissions/km.

Right but if you only burn 20 calories during your ride to work instead of 200, you still need to exercise and eat those calories somewhere else. Pushing the problem somewhere else to make your own look better is textbook propaganda. Buddy needs to account for the additional exercise and calories to make up for the saved calories of an e-bike for the same distances.

Hes having his cake an eating it by cherry picking different situations to make one look better than the other.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Ok maybe a personal anecdote might put things in perspective then?

One pleasant Sunday I biked from Vancouver to White Rock, a 100km round trip, on my ebike with a 450Wh battery. I ate Kraft dinner and a can of tuna that I brought with me, and picked up a scoop of ice cream. With a conventional bike the limits of how far I'd go on a day trip would be to Burnaby Lake, about a 25-30km round trip. I'd eat the same lunch and probably some equivalent snack. By the end of the trip I was exhausted and the battery was as well.

If I only had a normal bike and wanted to go to White Rock I'd take the bus instead.

Yes you're right, I consume the same number of calories and food in the two scenarios. What to compare is the emissions to make my lunch and snack, divided by 25km vs. the emissions to make my lunch, snack and additionally generate and deliver 450Wh of power to recharge my bike (BC is 90% hydro power in my case but feel free to calculate the mix in your area) and divide that by 100km. See which one has lower emissions per km.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

So you got a better workout on the regular bike….

Now you need to go to the gym and burn off those calories the e-bike didn’t….

You’re missing the fact that you need to still stay fit and healthy, since you don’t get the same exercise on an e-bike…… or it takes longer with more distance so it’s less time to do other stuff. It’s all trade offs and putting in something else…

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

You aren't the person I [edit: originally] replied to and you are missing the point entirely. This is not a comparison of how healthy it makes me overall, nor is it a comparison of the time it takes, which your assumptions are off. My exhaustion level or informal way to put the physical energy I expended for the day is held the same.

It's a simple calculation of emissions over distance. Food emissions / distance by bike vs. Food plus electricity emissions / distance by ebike.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

…. The fact that you need to include food at all to make it appear better is the issue… since you still need that food regardless in every other situation….

You realize the original video can be wrong or miss a point entirely yeah?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It seems you disagree about including or are just ignoring outright the part about distance travelled in the calculation. That's fine with me. I won't push the issue any further. Have a pleasant day.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I am attempting to point out the massively glaring flaw in doing so, since you must omit the rest of days calories from the calculation for it to be better, which is exactly what the video is doing……

Give the bike the same situation and calculation to remove the bias and propaganda and get back to us. Yes removing a key metric will of course make things look better… I’m sorry this is so hard for you to comprehend. The distances have to be the same to be able to compare them, or its apples and oranges. Yeah you can burn the same amount of calories, but it takes longer and more distance….. it’s not thebsamr thing at all dude. Use a specific situation, biking to work, now do the math and see which is better, include the food uses if you want (but account for additional calories for the rest of the day as well), but in the end the situation has to be identical… come on…

Why are they even bringing food into the equation? Maybe start there and you can see the flaw in doing so.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

I don't have enough data to tell you about energy consumption on my daily commute to work. I can try getting a fitness app to track it and get back to you if you wish in 3-4 weeks time, let me know.

It's about energy, emissions created from the energy generated, all normalized over the distance travelled.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

People using an ebike would still need to exercise and consume calories beyond what the video is using. So sure, if you ignore the additional exercise and calories someone using an e-bike would need to account for over a regular bike, it becomes “better” for the environment.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Would they drive their cars as much? Because I wouldn't.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I feel like some need for the electric part depends on how in-shape you are as well as your trip conditions. I started getting in-shape enough to think about it, then my local trail closed and now I am probably back to where I was. My bike is also only 250w so it isn't much of an ebike.

Well that, and I'd want a similar size (or smaller) bike, such as a minivelo. Not really a thing where I'm at and seems to be a cost premium. Unless maybe I could get one used somehow. Though I'm also not in a city, so it probably makes less sense than for other people.