Originally Posted by
Schwinnrider
I've seen plenty of electric bikes, but they're usually cruiser bikes, designed for short distance riding. I wonder if there's a market for a road bike with an electric motor? I would think that mounting the battery and motor to as light and efficient bike as possible would result in longer range and faster speeds, right?
I think an electric road bike with a range of 40 miles or so would be a great idea, but is there a market for it?
40 miles is possible; but, it is on the outside of e-bike range. As you have undoubtedly seen, even those with advanced batteries have a normal range of 20-30 miles. It comes down to normal use. As these articles state, in places with
declining sales of conventional bikes, but
growing sales of e-bikes, such as The Netherlands:
The new e-bike buyer intends to use his bike regularly; about half of them even daily. In particular for short city trips (about 75% of all cases).
Even paying close attention to the various e-bike focused forums leaves one quickly seeing that the dominant use of e-bikes, outside of experimentation by hobbyists, is commuting; something that some here seem to want to be treated as a taboo topic in the commuting sub-forum.
Originally Posted by
JanMM
Isn't there an Electric Bikes forum on BF?
In commuting, the 20-30 mile range is generally seen as sufficient. To commuters looking at bicycles as transportation, not a sport of purists, 20-30 miles on a vehicle that is generally limited to an average spend of, or below, 20mph, is sufficient. Beyond this distance begins to look impractical, to most people, for commuting. Further, most e-bike users are reporting that employers are generally positive to recharging at work.
Note, this does not address the question of cause and effect . . . Are e-bike riders finding employers receptive to recharging at work; or, are riders only using e-bikes in places where employers are receptive?
When one gets beyond the current 20-30 mile norm, which seems to exist at the present, for e-bike range the batteries tend to get large and expensive. Further, there does not seem to be much demand.
As I see it, at the present the e-bike should be promoted as an alternative to automobile use. However, the unique niche filled by the e-bike is short range use. I realize that many cyclists feel that this an answer to a question that no one asked; after all, nearly any person can easily hop on a bicycle for trips up to 7 or 10mies. However, even a small bit of intellectual honesty would cause them to see that this is not the normal thing that happens; instead, people choose to drive. They even drive for what most here see as short commutes. The e-bike can help break that habit and lead to a better environment (be your concern noise, air quality, or just traffic congestion) and a healthier population as people spend more time outside.
Instead of extreme range the e-bike development focus, for US e-bike usage cycles, is better placed in lighter weight and normal cycle dimensions. This would better allow e-bikes to fit in commuter trains and on bus racks, allowing e-bikes to fill the last mile question that keep so many from making use of mass transportation instead of private automobiles for medium distances and commuting.