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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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.
Catchy titles notwithstandiing, freewheels aren’t sexy. But if you’re using a rear electric hub motor you’re probably still going to need ‘em, so it’s worth understanding a bit about cheesy ones and really good ones. Because most of what’s out there now is pretty cheesy.
Got half an hour to listen to some pretty smart guys talk about electric bicycle market trends? There are some good insights here on how different national markets differ, what works for different types of consumers, and where we might be headed.
Please visit our discussion forums and share your own thoughts with us.
Another industrial heavyweight takes aim at electric bicycles for everyone — have a look:
Please share your thoughts with us at http://ElectricCyclist.com/forum.
“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.
