Originally Posted by
Amberwolf
This may be long and wandering, but it's my simplified experience living completely car-free so far, and leading up to what I'm trying to do now about the carless thing. ...
So I've started working on the electric-assist problem, and have decided that in my typical packrat fashion, I will use only recycled parts in this wherever possible. ....
My research:
Electrics-
Some electric kits mount very easily (the front-wheel hub motors in particular) but the problem electrics always have is the range, and often recharging on the road isn't practical. Cheap batteries are
very-low-range and very heavy, and good batteries are lightweight, energy-dense and
very expensive. And they still may not put out all that much power (you may still have to pedal). Electrics are clean enough to be stored inside living spaces.
Gasoline-
Gasoline engines have much more sustained power and if you get a 4-cycle, essentially unlimited range (you can refuel at any gas station). They do pollute, but a 4-cycle engine does much less than a 2-cycle, and it's not unusual to get over 200 mpg. Bikes with gas-engine setups frequently smell like gasoline, and cannot very well be stored inside the home.
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Battery technology is always improving and I think eventually we will see electric vehicles in use--but to be practical, you have to consider what's feasible right now--and electric setups still compare badly to gas in terms of general practicality. I don't feel any electric setup can substitute for a car yet, and went with a gas engine kit.
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