eBikes are a lot of fun to ride - with pedal assist, their electric motors help you zip up and over hills and explore new areas with ease. They are so much fun that the true utility of an eBike is almost completely overshadowed by the joy of riding one.
The utility of an electric bike cannot be understated. With assistance from a motor, carrying cargo or passengers is much easier, and the reduced effort of riding makes it easier to show up to your destination looking sweat-free and presentable. Plus, additional options like public transit, ride sharing, and delivery reduce the need for a car even in situations where an eBike might not cut it. Riding an eBike can even result in real financial savings, on top of the fun and health benefits that come with regular riding.
For some, riding an eBike can help by cutting back on car trips here and there. For others, it could mean downsizing from multiple cars to one and picking up an eBike or two to fill the gap. And for the truly committed, it might mean giving up car ownership altogether — yes, really. In this article, we'll look at practical ways to ride your eBike more and drive your car less, earning you all the benefits that come with eBike riding.
Why eBike More & Drive Less?
From a practical perspective, eBiking can save you a significant amount of money compared to driving a car. When you take into account the cost of fuel, maintenance, insurance, and parking, cars are an expensive means of transportation. Charging and maintaining an eBike is much cheaper, and you can usually avoid parking fees altogether, especially with folding models that can be brought inside with you.
eBiking also has a number of benefits benefits for your physical and mental health, making it a great way to get in a workout or enjoy the ride while commuting to work or running errands — and by eBiking, you don't have to deal with the typical car hassles, like sitting in traffic and finding and paying for parking.
However, you don't need a practical reason to eBike - for many, the main benefit of eBiking is simply that it's fun. While the savings, health, and environmental benefits of eBiking are all worth noting, it's also just a great way to enjoy the outdoors, whether you're cruising through the neighborhood or exploring trails.
Commuting to Work or School by Electric Bike
Commuting to work or school is a very common use for driving a car, but an electric bike can accomplish the same task just as easily.
Start by mapping out a route to work that's safe and avoids heavy car traffic. Google Maps' bicycle directions feature is a great starting point — plug in your commute, and then test and tweak the suggested route until it works well for you.
You may need to fine tune your route before you find the right one for your eBike. For example, you might find a more direct side route that includes a hill Google Maps steers you away from. That's worth a second look, since Google's bike directions are optimized for conventional, non-assisted bikes and tend to avoid hills by default. On an eBike, a hill that would slow down or exhaust a traditional cyclist is often no problem at all, so don't be afraid to override the suggested route when your motor can easily handle what Google Maps is trying to avoid.
Also, have fun exploring different routes through parts of town you may have never traveled through before. You might be pleasantly surprised to find parks, restaurants, coffee shops, and more that are fun to check out and share with your friends and family.
Pack Your Charger, Clothing, and Work Essentials.
Depending on how far your commute is, you may want to take your charger to work so that you can top off your battery for the ride home, or even buy a second charger to keep at work.
Carrying your work gear, clothes, and other essentials is easy with cargo options such as front and rear racks, baskets, trailers, and more. For those who drop the kids off at school on the way to work, there are several kid-seat options for electric bikes, especially long tail and cargo models.
If you regularly carry a lot of cargo and/or passengers to and from work, an electric cargo bike may be a good fit, as it is built to carry much more than a regular eBike. Many options also have model-specific basket or seat attachments as well.
Errands by Electric Bike
Similar to commuting, you will want to map out good biking routes to run errands around town by avoiding high-traffic streets. You will also need a good lock to keep your electric bike safe during your time in the store. Common U-Locks and Cable/Chain Locks can provide solid protection against theft. No lock is foolproof, but U-Locks are generally the most secure type of lock available.
There are also new lock options, such as foldable locks, adjustable band locks, zip locks, wheel locks, seat locks, and handlebar locks. The lighter, smaller locks are intended as short-term theft-deterrent locks for a quick errand stop, not for maximum security (you wouldn't use these to lock your bike overnight, for example, as thieves with plenty of time of their hands often have access to tools that can cut weaker locks).
Work by Electric Bike
eBikes are great for just getting to work; they make for great work vehicles as well! Electric bikes have become a popular option for restaurant and grocery deliveries in dense urban centers. Thanks to the ease of navigating bike lanes, eBike delivery times can be the same as or better than car delivery times.
People who work with delivery services can use an electric bike as a cost-effective way to make deliveries. For other transit-heavy professions with a relatively small amount of cargo, eBikes can easily take the place of a car when getting from place to place. Plus, riders who use their eBike for work can sometimes classify their ride as a business expense with some tax benefits — it may be worth checking it out with an accountant.
Mass Transit
There are times when you may not want to ride your electric bike. For instance, if the weather is poor, or if you're riding somewhere without a good place to store your bike, you may want to find a different mode of transport. For those times, there are mass transit options like buses, trains, subways, and ferries. These are very economical options for getting around when eBiking is not feasible.
You may find that the money you've saved by not driving most days is more than enough to cover the cost of a transit pass. In addition, some schools and workplaces offer programs that make public transit cheaper or even free. Even without these programs, public transit helps to supplement eBiking as an economical option for getting around town.
When You Need a Car
There will be times when you want a car for longer trips or to transport large items. It is good to remember that there are more options available these days to “borrow” a car when you need it. The most established way is to rent a car from one of the national car rental companies. This is a good choice for longer-term use cases, but for quick trips, rideshare options like taxis, Uber, and Lyft for quick rides are often more economical. Whatever you need, there are often resources available to you that let you utilize a car without needing to own one yourself.
Home Deliveries
Thanks to the convenience of delivery, many people no longer need cars to access most of the items they need for day-to-day life. Whether it's furniture, appliances, groceries, clothing, or other goods, almost everything can be bought online and delivered, making it easy to avoid driving out to shop yourself.
Ride On
In short, not only are eBikes fun to ride, but they can even save you time and money in the right circumstances, all while providing benefits to your physical and mental health. While going car-free may not be possible for everyone, we hope these tips help you reduce your car usage where possible and reap the rewards of eBike ownership.
Enjoy your rides!