Electric Bikes... the Future?

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NeilM
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by NeilM »

Teapot One is doing the four points of the UK and has some interesting views on infrastructure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHOpGf3n7x4
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tuftywhite
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by tuftywhite »

I've been watching a few of the videos of this chap travelling on his electric bike.

Whilst the bike seems to do the job, he does seem to spend a lot of time eating whilst his bike is charging.

I'm interested and open to electric cars, but I can't see how bikes are going to work, without a massive update in charging or battery technologies.

What's also disappointing with many videos of electric vehicle travel, is the amount of charging stations that just don't work, the different accounts and registrations you need for the charging companies, the fact that on many, you can't just rock up, swipe your card and pay for a charge.

Like Harvey says, I can wait too.
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Monster
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by Monster »

I went to the German bike show (Intermot) in Cologne over the weekend

1 of the 3 halls was all electric vehicles ... so many brands that I had never heard of ... most seemed Chinese

Nothing there that really grabbed my attention apart from a few off-road bicycle type vehicles

Three of us went and nothing at all was purchased

The NEC show is bigger and more interesting ... but we had a fun weekend
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catcitrus
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by catcitrus »

I note that ,with the current EU wide electricity price hike, when you do the sums running a battery car is about the same in cost per mile as a good diesel doing 50 plus mpg. I'm still not convinced that mining the materials and producing a battery vehicle is at all green when the electricity generated , particularly in the UK, comes from burning fossil fuels--its like a double environmental hit once you throw your leg over etc. I do think that there is a place for inner city travel being electric, but thats hardly a big market. I didn't know that the new electric London bus chassis (complete and ready to drive) comes from a factory in China. The Chinese seem to be way more advanced than the rest of the world--for example urban battery exchange stations for your bicycle--no need to wait to recharge. However, they still have a massive coal burning electricity generation system. There has to be mileage in investing in carbon capture from the flue gases from fossil fuel burning power stations--wind wont do it all and the NIMBYs seem to object to land based wind power generation--which is needed on a much bigger scale to be effective.
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by HarveyCamm »

Well there's certainly a push to build discussion and interest in the products coming on-stream. I read two articles in Bike mag (other magazines are available) last week, one for Maeving who are offering a city runabout with a swap out battery pack setup you can ride on a CBT license, 45mph, 40 mile range and a £4,500 price ticket (maeving.com)

The other was for an electric tourer from Energica called the Experia - 100bhp, 112 mph, realistic range 110 - 150 miles (claimed city mode 261 miles) and a £27,900 price ticket.

What I'm finding the most interesting is that a lot of the progress so far appears to have been mainly in launching new manufacturers with no product legacy or connections to the big names apart from a certain Harley product loaned to the Scottish lad OB1 and his mate to do south America on in his holidays ;-) or have I just missed their press releases?
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by garyboy »

At first I was disliking strongly the arrays of wind turbines on my local welsh mountains, but, strangely, one can get used to them, and actually Like them.

My big disappointment with my emtb is the range.
I met up with some equally decrepit oaps on ebikes.
One guy was getting up to 60 miles range, mine is 30 miles, but it was a hybrid and a lot slower than mine lol, with road tyres and unadulterated lol.
The other guy had a massive battery over his rear tyre, on the rack, and had much more mileage again, than me. Gawd it was heavy though and unsuitable for a wild welsh mountain man, like me lol.

Sure Ron's seem good but illegal unless treated as a motorbike.

I think those elec stand up scooters are great .. bring it on lol.
Last edited by garyboy on Tue Oct 11, 2022 7:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Tonibe63
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by Tonibe63 »

HarveyCamm wrote: Tue Oct 11, 2022 3:02 pm Well there's certainly a push to build discussion and interest in the products coming on-stream. I read two articles in Bike mag (other magazines are available) last week, one for Maeving who are offering a city runabout with a swap out battery pack setup you can ride on a CBT license, 45mph, 40 mile range and a £4,500 price ticket (maeving.com)
This summer a mate (test rider) has spent some time testing the Maeving and was only getting 20 miles to a battery.
Open your eyes and you see what is in front of you, open your mind and you see a bigger picture but open your heart and you see a whole new World.
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by HarveyCamm »

Tonibe63 wrote: Tue Oct 11, 2022 7:02 pm
HarveyCamm wrote: Tue Oct 11, 2022 3:02 pm Well there's certainly a push to build discussion and interest in the products coming on-stream. I read two articles in Bike mag (other magazines are available) last week, one for Maeving who are offering a city runabout with a swap out battery pack setup you can ride on a CBT license, 45mph, 40 mile range and a £4,500 price ticket (maeving.com)
This summer a mate (test rider) has spent some time testing the Maeving and was only getting 20 miles to a battery.
Blimey you're better off buying a bus pass and a sturdy pair of shoes, you'd have money left over for a good number of taxi rides for when the buses don't turn up and a holiday abroad :lol:
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by NeilM »

Both Teapot One and Marc Rides have shown that our charging infrastructure in the UK is all wrong.

There are good companies and facilities but it seems to me that many of the providers have set their businesses up to service the regular commuters or the increasing number of company vehicle users, that seems to be what the accounts and bank payment systems are all about.

I know commercial pressures will sort things out in the end, companies like Lidl putting easily accessible and working charging stations outside their supermarkets will help give the other providers a shove, but it appears to be a bit of a Wild West / mess at present.
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Re: Electric Bikes... the Future?

Post by catcitrus »

The key point , and weakness, of Li batteries is energy density(storage capacity--kWh/m3) compared to hydrocarbon or hydrogen storage--there is simply a chemical limit despite improvements--and you will never improve much beyond current ranges, and boy are they heavy and expensive with limited life cycles. The future will either be hydrogen fuel cells or simply burning hydrogen--what percentage of the world's surface can actually accommodate charging stations every 100k?
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