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Deleted member 4210
Guest
One of my reasons for being so involved in the e-bike industry as a dealer, is not per se for the sake of ebikes themselves. They are fascinating and fun, and do all sorts of great things that enable more people to get outdoors and riding a 'bike.'
It goes much deeper though, as our current choices of transportation (cars, bus, train, plane, bike, motor-cycle, scooter, moped, etc) are basically archaic. Its been more than 100 years now, since the advent of what we call 'cars' (suv's, trucks, sedans, what have you), and we are stuck on stupid. Using so much energy to push around 5000 lb vehicles, up to 80,000 lb loaded semi's is absurd from a sustainability standpoint. Safety is an entirely different and super important issue, and its relevant in how we address this going forward, but shouldn't keep us from pursuing much lighter weight vehicle choices.
There are so many more choices of vehicle form factors, weights, propulsion systems, etc., and yet we allow 'big oil' and the 'tiny 3' to essentially dominate what occurs. Their lobbyists remain too powerful, and influential, while their design engineers are heavily limited by organizational bureaucracy. They are not able to be very creative nor innovative. And our woeful transportation infrastructure, largely designed for these archaic behemoths, basically pushes out 90% of the other choices we could really consider, including much lighter weight, less toxic, less wasteful from a material use standpoint, type of vehicle.
The above is in part why you have to LOVE an ebike from an overall sustainability standpoint. It uses human energy (so humans can gain the benefit exercise), while also using machinery and less polluting propulsion, to achieve MPGe (equivalents) of as much as 1340 MPGe. I've posted elsewhere about how you get to that math, courtesy of a really cool TedX talk done by a gentleman far smarter than I am in that particular area.
We need to evolve, and we need to PUSH back, on these big corporations, that really don't have your interest at heart. Neither do politicians in DC, as we all know, and neither do the globalists who are all about political 'power.' You may not be buying an ebike for this purpose, but it IS a pushback, and the more people engaging in it, is going to force politicians and these corps to respond.
For some short background, my LLC is Sustainability Innovations, named for certain specific goals that I have for the rest of my life, going beyond the 35 + years I have worked mostly with energy technology. I'm not out to change the world, but certain I want to have a role in enabling some of these changes that need to occur for our society to prosper well into the future, for generations to come. Even if they are small and 'baby steps' toward what is possible. I don't define myself as an 'ebike dealer' nor a 'business owner' or even any kind of 'specialist'. I am more about possibilities, and pushing forward, and not going back. What I accomplish is not relevant either... it's simply about doing and action, always moving forward. So when I post here, its about ideas and staying true to core principals. And if something is detrimental to the overall well being of an industry like ebikes, I am not going to be shy about pointing it out. You know me for that, and it ain't going to change, no matter what any of you respond with. (Admonish away or make fun of it all you want. lol)
Anyway, sharing this next link is about possibilities.... you can critique it all you want, and yes its about baby steps, but I really love the fact that there are ideas and firms implementing them heading toward more sustainable technology, including lighter weight, and purpose built. Including electric, yes, but the way we get that electric may likely change drastically from batteries to something beyond.
I mentioned in a post a couple years back, that this 'electric assist' stuff and ebikes, are going to open up the possibilities of what is possible for transportation, that does not need to involve 'behemoths' or big hunks of metal, that take massive 1200 lb battery packs to get one or two people around. That's frankly archaic folks. And thats how we may need to think of all this related to transportation, and not necessarily be so impressed or so in awe with what a Tesla comes out with, or Porsche, or any other EV firm. Certainly, what is being accomplished is interesting, and yet still VERY expensive. But does it have to be that way, and cost so much, and do we really need to have such heavy vehicles to get around, that still use up way too much of this planet's raw materials and energy resources ? Ask yourself if any of that is sustainable in the long term ? This is about a lot more than recycling paper, or using solar PV, or energy efficient appliances, or doing things like work 'virtually' to reduce transportation needs. Sustainable living is also about saving time, not wasting time. (wasting time usually means also a waste of energy. Both human and raw.)
Key Excerpt... "One recent study in Seattle found that delivery drivers spend at least 28% of their time looking for parking. When they don’t find it, they often end up blocking traffic. A separate study from Texas A&M found that while trucks make up around 7% of traffic, they account for 28% of congestion. And, like other larger vehicles, they get stuck in heavy traffic themselves. While a large Mercedes van has four times as much space for boxes, the e-bikes can compete by moving quickly and refilling at hubs, where a new cargo container can be loaded on the back of the bike in roughly a minute."
It goes much deeper though, as our current choices of transportation (cars, bus, train, plane, bike, motor-cycle, scooter, moped, etc) are basically archaic. Its been more than 100 years now, since the advent of what we call 'cars' (suv's, trucks, sedans, what have you), and we are stuck on stupid. Using so much energy to push around 5000 lb vehicles, up to 80,000 lb loaded semi's is absurd from a sustainability standpoint. Safety is an entirely different and super important issue, and its relevant in how we address this going forward, but shouldn't keep us from pursuing much lighter weight vehicle choices.
There are so many more choices of vehicle form factors, weights, propulsion systems, etc., and yet we allow 'big oil' and the 'tiny 3' to essentially dominate what occurs. Their lobbyists remain too powerful, and influential, while their design engineers are heavily limited by organizational bureaucracy. They are not able to be very creative nor innovative. And our woeful transportation infrastructure, largely designed for these archaic behemoths, basically pushes out 90% of the other choices we could really consider, including much lighter weight, less toxic, less wasteful from a material use standpoint, type of vehicle.
The above is in part why you have to LOVE an ebike from an overall sustainability standpoint. It uses human energy (so humans can gain the benefit exercise), while also using machinery and less polluting propulsion, to achieve MPGe (equivalents) of as much as 1340 MPGe. I've posted elsewhere about how you get to that math, courtesy of a really cool TedX talk done by a gentleman far smarter than I am in that particular area.
We need to evolve, and we need to PUSH back, on these big corporations, that really don't have your interest at heart. Neither do politicians in DC, as we all know, and neither do the globalists who are all about political 'power.' You may not be buying an ebike for this purpose, but it IS a pushback, and the more people engaging in it, is going to force politicians and these corps to respond.
For some short background, my LLC is Sustainability Innovations, named for certain specific goals that I have for the rest of my life, going beyond the 35 + years I have worked mostly with energy technology. I'm not out to change the world, but certain I want to have a role in enabling some of these changes that need to occur for our society to prosper well into the future, for generations to come. Even if they are small and 'baby steps' toward what is possible. I don't define myself as an 'ebike dealer' nor a 'business owner' or even any kind of 'specialist'. I am more about possibilities, and pushing forward, and not going back. What I accomplish is not relevant either... it's simply about doing and action, always moving forward. So when I post here, its about ideas and staying true to core principals. And if something is detrimental to the overall well being of an industry like ebikes, I am not going to be shy about pointing it out. You know me for that, and it ain't going to change, no matter what any of you respond with. (Admonish away or make fun of it all you want. lol)
Anyway, sharing this next link is about possibilities.... you can critique it all you want, and yes its about baby steps, but I really love the fact that there are ideas and firms implementing them heading toward more sustainable technology, including lighter weight, and purpose built. Including electric, yes, but the way we get that electric may likely change drastically from batteries to something beyond.
I mentioned in a post a couple years back, that this 'electric assist' stuff and ebikes, are going to open up the possibilities of what is possible for transportation, that does not need to involve 'behemoths' or big hunks of metal, that take massive 1200 lb battery packs to get one or two people around. That's frankly archaic folks. And thats how we may need to think of all this related to transportation, and not necessarily be so impressed or so in awe with what a Tesla comes out with, or Porsche, or any other EV firm. Certainly, what is being accomplished is interesting, and yet still VERY expensive. But does it have to be that way, and cost so much, and do we really need to have such heavy vehicles to get around, that still use up way too much of this planet's raw materials and energy resources ? Ask yourself if any of that is sustainable in the long term ? This is about a lot more than recycling paper, or using solar PV, or energy efficient appliances, or doing things like work 'virtually' to reduce transportation needs. Sustainable living is also about saving time, not wasting time. (wasting time usually means also a waste of energy. Both human and raw.)
Key Excerpt... "One recent study in Seattle found that delivery drivers spend at least 28% of their time looking for parking. When they don’t find it, they often end up blocking traffic. A separate study from Texas A&M found that while trucks make up around 7% of traffic, they account for 28% of congestion. And, like other larger vehicles, they get stuck in heavy traffic themselves. While a large Mercedes van has four times as much space for boxes, the e-bikes can compete by moving quickly and refilling at hubs, where a new cargo container can be loaded on the back of the bike in roughly a minute."
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