Electric Bikes - Cost comparison: Electric bike vs a small car

Since my knees haven't been working well in the last 6 months, I've started driving again, but I'm sick of how much my car costs to own. I pay a fair chunk in regards to insurrance, fuel, and repairs.

This has caused me to ponder the question:

Are electric bikes economical, instead of driving a car? I know that they aren't cheap to start with and that they go through batteries pretty quickly. I know that their range is limited to 20mph at their best, and then it only gets worse as time goes on. Replacement batteries I hear are expensive.

I also know that in my state (MN) I have to register it with the DMV. Thankfully they don't require insurrance on it though.

I know that if parts wear out (like the motor), it's probably not cheap to get it fixed. Hopefully the company that sold it still makes parts and are in business.

Tires wear out pretty quickly on bikes vs. cars. Other parts wear out quicker as well.
I'm decent at fixing bicycle stuff, and that's why I'm kinda drawn towards an electric bike.
I know I could save a lot on labor by having me do the work.

I also know that e-bikes are more likely to be stolen, particulary if you leave them parked outside in the downtown of a large metropolitan area (something that I used to do all the time with my bike and still do with my car). Having to buy a new one wouldn't be cheap.

How do you think they compare cost-wise?

They're quite good. I'm not going to talk cars, but i'll provide some information on the electric bikes. So far as daily costs of the electric kit are concerned, I will use my kit as an example:

Battery costs: I own a 48v, 10.5a Lithium polymer battery.
Charging a battery of this size is about $.05-$.10 per day. Between a nickel and a dime, heh. I haven't worked it out precisely, but its minute. The larger cost is, as you guess, replacing batteries.

So how much does that cost? Packs like mine retail for around $600, and last approximately 700 charges. Its about $.85 per day.

So, total e-bike cost per day with a lithium polymer is about $.95 with charging costs.

For example, a very similar lithium phosphate battery is about $.73. About $.83 a day, including charging costs.

20 miles of range is actually a fairly easy goal. Batteries in the 500wh range such as the ones I used in that example will reach 30-35 miles depending on riding conditions.

Regarding parts such as motors, it depends on what you are going with. Brushless hub motors are common, and they have no internal moving parts which require maintenance. Aside from possibly needing to change some hub bearings in the long term, little to no service is required.

Other motors may require more service, such as in-line motors and geared motors, but replacement planetary gears are available, they need not be sourced direct from a manufacturer.

True enough, some things on bicycles wear out quicker. However, replacing components on bicycles that wear out is something you can do yourself in relative ease, and at a low cost. I will avoid detailed specifics, but my Xtracycle requires about $100 / year for maintenance, and I consider myself fussy about keeping it in good shape.

It would be easy enough to create a low maintenance bicycle. You could go with disk brakes and avoid suspension to greatly reduce how much work would be needed, for instance. Good, durable tires such as the Schwalbe Marathon Plus can provide 10,000+ km of service life.

Regarding theft, perform all the proper precautions. Dull the appearance of the bike down, use strong locks in proper methods. I've not had any concerns over the safety of my electric bicycle, its plain looking and secured well, wherever it goes.

Overall, I believe my e-bike costs about $500CAD / year in maintenance and battery replacement. That's pretty good.

There are so many ways to compare the two.
I'll give you my figures:

I use a 48V 20ah Lithium Iron Phosphate battery. It was $750. It is good for about 5 years, or 2000 charges.
The conversion kit was about $400.

The bike's range is 20-50 miles for each charge, depending on how little or how much I pedal.
It can cruise at 25-30 mph on a level road without pedaling, depending on the wind.

The motor is brushless, so I imagine it is good for 5+ years and at least 10,000 miles, probably much longer though.

If the motor wears out, it is very easy to find a generic replacement. They are a relatively universal fit, and cost roughly $250.

I setup my commuting route so I only recharge at work, so electricity is always free.
It charges at 60 volts and 2 amps for 4-8 hours, which is well within the realm of DIY solar panels, if you buy enough of them.

My example works out to $0.65 a day if everything breaks all at once after 5 years/10,000 miles.
The battery I use is relatively new technology; nobody has owned one for 5 years yet to give real world feedback. If it and the motor lasts for 7.5 years, the cost changes to $0.42 a day.

To be honest, I have forgotten about cost saving calculations. I started my venture back when gas was $4.50+ per gallon last year, and since then I realize it probably would have been cheaper, bottom line, to buy a gas-powered moped.

This is much more fun though.

thanks guys for he comparisons.

I'd just like to change the question a bit so we can look at things from a different perspective...

Are electric bikes cheaper than electric cars? (IMO, yes, regardless of how you crunch the numbers)

I stopped driving 18 years ago. I've saved over $10,000 a year since then. Some goes to my retirement (I'm 61) and some to my vacations.

I live it Toronto, and biking year around is a dream, although I manage my 42 km commute about 10 months a year with lots of assistance. Part of that assistance is riding an e-bike. When there is a big headwind up a huge hill, it's great to have some help on the pedals. The rest of the time my bike is just a regular commuter bike.

Cost comparisons are difficult but I've budgeted my costs at $100 a month until the bike is paid for. I built it in 2007, so this year I only have to pay for upgrades and new tires (I go about 8,000 kms a year).

I could add other things to my savings: I'm healthy, I don't have to pay for a health club, I'm happy and still can keep up with other men years younger than me. Really, you can't put a cost to that.