How Virtuous are E-Bikes?

Kyle Mullin | May 13, 2012 2:00 pm | 2 comments | 2815 reads

Cars are not the only reason that traditional cycling no longer dominates China’s roads. National sales of electric bikes sped up to ten million in 2005 as more bike and public transit users switched to this mode, according to Christopher Cherry, a professor of environmental engineering who researched the juiced two-wheelers during his tenure at UC Berkeley’s Institute of Transportation Studies.

We asked both Cherry and Ed Benjamin, the managing director of consulting firm eCycleElectric, to cycle through the pros and cons of conventional and high-volt bikes.

What are the main benefits of electric bikes?
Christopher Cherry: They are extremely energyefficient, affordable, and provide better-than-carlike mobility in congested Chinese cities. They have capacity to carry a load and emit no local pollution. Since they’re energy-efficient, they don’t require a lot of electricity to charge, meaning they don’t need dedicated charging infrastructure.
Ed Benjamin: Electric bikes mean less air pollution than the motorcycles and mopeds that they replace. And less noise.

Why are e-bikes better than traditional pedal bikes?
CC: They’re not, from an environmental perspective. Traditional bicycles are still the most efficient mode of transportation out there, and also the most affordable. You’re not gaining much if you shift from a bicycle to an e-bike in terms of environmental impacts. But compared to [petropowered] cars and taxis, e-bikes are making a positive impact.
EB: Manual bicycles require the rider to be strong, in good condition, and willing to get sweaty. I am old, fat, and a bit lazy, so a manual bicycle is not very attractive to me. There are a lot of old, fat, lazy people. E-bikes are easier.

Why are these e-bikes outlawed in Chinese cities like Shenzhen?
CC: E-bikes are getting faster and the speed regulations are almost unenforceable, but the banning policy seems shortsighted, from the media reports I’ve seen. Cars mixing with bike and pedestrian traffic are very dangerous. The cars are the dangerous element, not the pedestrians. But pedestrians are the ones killed so they are categorized as “dangerous.” This argument is ludicrous. Adding more cars by prohibiting other modes like e-bikes is not going to help.
EB: It is not correct to say simply that e-bikes are outlawed in some Chinese cities. Some have banned e-bikes that do not meet the regulations because they are too heavy or too fast. But generally, e-bikes are not banned, and when they are, it is for a good reason and for a short time until the problem is fixed.

What are the other drawbacks of e-bikes?
CC: The coal burned to charge batteries is a problem. They also use a lot of lead-acid batteries over the vehicle’s life. The spate of lead poisoning cases is alarming and a problem for the entire lead production industry, of which e-bikes are a significant part. On top of that, the production and recycling emissions are high.
EB: There is some talk that because China burns a lot of coal for electricity, e-bikes are simply moving the air pollution from the tailpipe to the smoke stack. E-bikes are very efficient and air pollution has greatly declined by replacing motorcycles, mopeds and even cars with them. This is easy to see. But the electricity to recharge or manufacture e-bikes comes from a variety of sources that can vary greatly between dirty and clean.

Click here to see the April issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: Patrick Benjamin

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Re: How Virtuous are E-Bikes?
Posted May 15, 2012 4:55pm by phugiyama

Of course energy from coal isn't the optimal environmental option, but to attribute a significant portion of pollution produced to recharge e-bikes is short-sighted.

If you compare the productivity ratio of e-bikes to the pollution & waste created versus the productivity & pollution ratio of charging all your electronics devices and the electricity used by your favorite restaurants, cafes, bars, and clothing stores, I'd say e-bikes are well worth looking "stupid" for Mary.

Additionally, to say e-bikes are bad for the environment, would be like saying the subway system is bad for the environment. Electric powered transportation has a greater potential to solve moving a large number of people with less pollution than petro-powered vehicles.

Furthermore, there's a better chance of controlling pollution when it's generated at central locations rather than depending on each motorist to maintain their vehicles at the environmental minimum.

Lastly, China will repeat the mistakes of the West by buying into the coolness of cars and motorbikes. China is missing the opportunity to create a unique identity of a nation that can control pollution with such a massive population.

If China would support e-bikes & e-vehicles and depend more on renewable energy, then the pollution from the transportation sector would be greatly reduced.

Re: How Virtuous are E-Bikes?
Posted May 15, 2012 11:24am by Mary D

Ed sums it up in his last statement.

From an environmental standpoint, even without factoring the lead-acid batteries into the equation,in an area where most electricity comes from coal, electric motors actually produce more carbon than gas engines.

While its encouraging that e-bikes would be lower emission than gas bikes if China were to reduce its dependence on coal, unfortunately no steps have been made to address the issue of how stupid you look while riding one.