Archive for the ‘Advocacy’ Category

Electric Cyclists, Introduce Yourselves!

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

There are loads of sites where you can find testimonials for particular brands of electric bikes.  There are technical forums where you can discuss the finer points of motors and battery chemistry until you’re ready to teach engineering courses on them.   There are heated discussions to read on just about everything and plenty of sites where folks post pictures of their electric rides.

What you won’t find much of are the stories of the people who ride those electric bicycles.   Who are they?  Why do they ride, and what kind of riding do they do?  You might not want to post your full name and address on the web, but wouldn’t it be nice if other electric cyclists could see themselves – and you – as a part of a rich and varied community?

This link sends you to a discussion on ElectricCyclist.com where you can read my story and share yours.  If enough of us belly up to the bar, we’ll gain a picture of our community that we may not have had before.  And maybe some friends to help entice ebike business folks to better meet our needs.  Maybe even some help in educating regulators and others about what we’re really doing on those electric bikes of ours.

Please join the conversation and be sure your voice is heard.

What Does Your Electric Bicycle Say About You?

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Today’s New York Times has an electric bicycle story inspired by Sanyo’s recent push to promote their Eneloop hybrid-electric bicycles at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  It quotes a number of industry sources and makes a number of the usual points in favor of electric bikes.  (Most trips are short, modern designs work well and have plenty of power, lithium-based batteries are very effective, industry is gearing up, etc.)

It also says:

But there may be a greater challenge for companies like Sanyo and other e-bike makers. People tend to think of their transportation, like their clothes or cellphones, as an expression of their identity.

In China, riding an electric bike conveys professional achievement, even a certain degree of wealth. People in the United States, said Ed Benjamin, an independent consultant in the bike business, don’t quite know whether these bikes are fashionable. The e-bike is “an ambiguous statement,” Mr. Benjamin said.

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Greening the Planet: Why the plug-in bicycle beats the plug-in Prius and all-electric cars

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Picture of a Toyota Prius with a  

We bought our lovely blue Prius hybrid because it’s environmentally green. If the recently-announced plug-in version had been available we’d have considered that too, but we already have a great plug-in hybrid vehicle. It’s enormously greener than any Prius will ever be, and it’s greener than all-electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt as well.
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Cities, Bicycles, and the Future of Getting Around (electric cycling included)

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

I had the pleasure of attending a panel discussion on this topic tonight with David Byrne (yes, David Byrne of the Talking Heads), Congressman Earl Blumenauer, New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution.  I also had the opportunity to raise the subject of electric cycling with them directly.

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Electric Cyclists — It’s Time to Stand Together

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

 

“That’s cheating.”  “It’s not a bicycle if it’s got a motor.”  “Why not buy a real motorcycle – or (giggle) a Vespa?

 

Sigh.  Electric cyclists seem to need the same pep talk as a lot of other misunderstood minorities.  Yes, our bikes are different.  (Some of us are, too.)  But different doesn’t mean bad, and it doesn’t mean “not real”.  It just means different.

 

Bumper sticker: My other car is an Electric Bicycle - www.ElectricCyclist.com 

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