Yes, it’s actually National E-bike Day. Here’s how an electric bike can benefit you
I know it feels like there’s a National Anything Day just about every day. And believe it or not, it’s National E-bike Day today. As we celebrate this fun new holiday, it’s important to remember the impact our daily choices has on the environment. One of the most significant ways to reduce our carbon footprint is to reevaluate our means of transportation. In recent years, electric bicycles have emerged as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cars and personal vehicles.
First of all, why is it National E-bike Day? Apparently the never-resting team over at Lectric E-bikes was able to make it official. As they explained:
To celebrate the 4-year anniversary of Lectric eBikes, our company has officially registered May 30th as National E-Bike Day! Yep, you heard that right. Look it up if you don’t believe us! The goal for this holiday is to encourage riders everywhere to celebrate the many benefits of eBiking and opt into electric transportation.
That makes today as good a time as any to take a deeper look into the many benefits of electric bikes, some of which may even surprise you.
Electric bikes help reduce carbon emissions
One of the most compelling reasons to switch to e-bikes is the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), transportation accounts for 29% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Most of these emissions come from personal vehicles like cars and light trucks.
E-bikes produce significantly lower emissions than traditional cars. They run on electricity, which can come from renewable sources like solar or wind power, which is now overtaking fossil fuel-powered electric generation in many areas. You can even charge an e-bike on solar energy that you generate at home, off the grid.
As more countries transition to renewable energy sources, the carbon footprint of e-bikes will decrease further. When used for short trips and commuting, e-bikes can effectively replace cars, resulting in a substantial reduction in emissions.
Electric bikes are much more energy efficient
E-bikes are much more energy-efficient than conventional cars, using a fraction of the energy to travel the same distance. An average e-bike uses about 0.025 kWh per mile, whereas a traditional car consumes around 0.34 kWh per mile. This means that e-bikes are over 10 times more energy-efficient than cars.
By switching to e-bikes, we can drastically reduce energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels, promoting sustainability.
Electric bikes help reduce traffic congestion (for everyone)
As urban populations continue to grow, traffic congestion has become a significant issue in many cities worldwide. By replacing cars with e-bikes, we can alleviate this problem.
E-bikes are smaller and more maneuverable than cars, allowing for more efficient use of road space. Additionally, e-bikes can often utilize bike lanes and paths, further reducing traffic congestion. By switching more car drivers to e-bikes, we can create more livable, less congested cities. Even if you don’t personally swap your car for an e-bike, everyone who does so helps to reduce traffic for everyone!
So many health benefits
Cycling, even on an electric bicycle, provides numerous health benefits.
Riding an e-bike can help improve cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, flexibility, and overall well-being.
Even riding a throttle-controlled e-bike without pedaling provides a marginal upper body workout and helps improve balance, not to mention engaging more areas of the brain associated with fine motor controls.
By incorporating e-bikes into our daily routines, we can not only reduce our environmental impact but also improve our health and quality of life.
E-bikes can save you some serious money!
E-bikes are more cost-effective than cars when considering purchase price, maintenance, fuel expenses, parking, and basically every single other associated cost.
Electric bicycles generally cost less to purchase than cars and have lower operating costs because they require so many fewer resources to manufacture. An electric car battery, which is the most expensive part of most electric vehicles, has enough battery cells to produce 100 or more e-bike batteries.
With no need for gasoline, e-bikes eliminate fuel expenses, and their simpler design requires less maintenance. Moreover, electricity is often cheaper than gasoline, making e-bikes a more affordable option for daily commuting and transportation.
Many quality e-bikes are now available for under $1,500, with many good models now reaching the under $1,000 category. We have an entire list of the best e-bikes for every budget here.
E-bikes increase accessibility and inclusivity
E-bikes offer an accessible and inclusive mode of transportation for people of various ages and physical abilities.
The electric assistance provided by e-bikes enables riders to travel longer distances and tackle more challenging terrain without excessive physical exertion. This makes e-bikes an excellent option for older individuals, people with mobility issues, and those who are new to cycling.
By making cycling more accessible, e-bikes can encourage a broader range of people to adopt this sustainable mode of transportation.
Supporting local economies
Switching to e-bikes can also have a positive impact on local economies. By reducing our reliance on cars, we can decrease the demand for imported oil and support local businesses that provide e-bikes and related services.
Furthermore, as more people adopt e-bikes, there is potential for growth in the e-bike industry, creating new job opportunities and stimulating economic development.
E-bike specific bike shops have begun springing up in many areas, focusing on specialties such as hub motor lacing, battery repair, and other new e-bike related maintenance jobs, creating more employment in local communities.
Urban planning and livable cities
The rise of e-bikes presents an opportunity for urban planners to rethink the design of our cities.
By prioritizing cycling infrastructure, such as bike lanes and bike parking, cities can become more sustainable, livable, and people-centric. This shift in urban design can also encourage more people to adopt e-bikes and other sustainable modes of transportation, further reducing our collective environmental impact.
While cycling always offered this benefit, the huge increase in two-wheeled commuters created by the influx of easy-to-ride e-bikes has jumpstarted this effect in US cities.
Environmental justice
The benefits of e-bikes extend beyond individual users and can contribute to broader environmental justice.
Communities that disproportionately suffer from the negative impacts of air pollution, often lower-income and minority neighborhoods, stand to gain from a reduction in vehicle emissions.
By promoting e-bikes and improving cycling infrastructure, we can work toward more equitable and healthy urban environments for all.
As we celebrate National E-bike Day and consider the future of our planet, the case for switching to electric bicycles becomes increasingly clear. E-bikes offer a sustainable, cost-effective, and inclusive alternative to traditional cars and personal vehicles, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, alleviating traffic congestion, and promoting public health. By embracing e-bikes, we can create more livable cities, support local economies, and advance environmental justice.
The transition to electric bicycles is not only an individual choice but also a collective responsibility. By advocating for better cycling infrastructure and supporting policies that promote e-bike adoption, we can accelerate the transition to a greener, more sustainable future. On National E-bike Day and beyond, let’s commit to making e-bikes a central part of our journey toward a cleaner, healthier, and more equitable world.
They may not be for everybody, but they are for many. And each person who replaces car miles with e-bike miles is having a positive effect on our cities, our society, and our world.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Over the next two years, homebuilder Lennar is outfitting more than 1,500 new Colorado homes with Dandelion Energy’s geothermal systems in one of the largest residential geothermal rollouts in the US.
The big draw for homeowners is lower energy bills and cleaner heating and cooling. Dandelion claims Lennar homeowners with geothermal systems will collectively save around $30 million over the next 20 years compared to using air-source heat pumps. Geothermal heat pumps don’t need outdoor AC units or conventional heating systems, either.
Geothermal systems use the sustained temperature of the ground to heat or cool a home. A ground loop system absorbs heat energy (BTUs) from the earth so that it can be transferred to a heat pump and efficiently converted into warmth for a home. Dandelion says its ground loop systems are built to last for over 50 years and should require no maintenance.
Dandelion’s geothermal system uses a vertical ground closed-loop system that is installed using well-boring equipment and trenched back into the house to connect to a heat pump. The pipes circulate a mixture of water and propylene glycol, a food-grade antifreeze, that absorbs the ground’s temperature. A ground source heat pump circulates the liquid through the ground loops and it exchanges its heat energy in the heat pump with liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant is converted to vapor, compressed to increase its temperature, then passed through a heat exchanger to transfer heat to the air, which is circulated through a home’s HVAC ductwork.
Daniel Yates, Dandelion Energy’s CEO, called the partnership with Lennar a “new benchmark for affordable, energy-efficient, and high-quality home heating and cooling.” By streamlining its installation process, Dandelion is making geothermal systems simpler and cheaper for homebuilders and homeowners to adopt.
This collaboration is happening at a time when Colorado is pushing hard to meet its clean energy targets. Governor Jared Polis is excited about the move, calling it a win for Coloradans’ wallets, air quality, and the state’s leadership on geothermal energy. Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, said that “ensuring affordable access to geothermal heating and cooling is essential to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and we’re excited to be part of such a huge effort to bring this technology to so many new Colorado homes.”
And it’s not just about cutting emissions – geothermal heat pumps help reduce peak electric demand. Analysis from the Department of Energy found that widespread adoption of these systems could save the US from needing 24,500 miles of new transmission lines. That’s like crossing the continental US eight times.
Colorado is making this transition a lot more attractive through state tax credits and Xcel Energy’s rebate programs. These incentives slash upfront costs for builders like Lennar, making geothermal installations more financially viable. The utility’s Clean Heat Plan and electrification strategy are working to keep energy bills low while meeting climate goals.
Read more: This will be the first geothermal energy storage system on the Texas grid
Now is a great time to begin your solar journey so your system is installed in time for those sunny spring days. If you want to make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate partner
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Polestar has removed the Polestar 2 from its US website header in an early sign of how new tariffs will restrict choice and competition for American consumers, thus increasing prices.
The Polestar 2 is Polestar’s first full EV – the original Polestar 1 was a limited-edition plug-in hybrid.
It started production in 2020 in Luqiao, Zhejiang, China, where Polestar and Volvo’s parent corporation, Geely, was founded.
And there’s the rub: while Polestar’s newer EV, the 3 (which we just drove the new single motor version of last week), is built in South Carolina, the 2 is not.
Unfortunately, that interacts with some news that has been getting a lot of play lately: tariffs.
The US has been gradually getting stupider and stupider on the issue of tariffs, apparently determined to increase prices for Americans and decrease the competitiveness of American manufacturing in a time of change for the auto industry.
It is widely acknowledged (by anyone who has given it a few seconds of thought) that tariffs increase prices and that trade barriers tend to reduce competition, leading to less innovation.
It started with 25% tariffs on various products from China, implemented in the 2018-2020 timeframe. Then, in 2024, President Biden implemented a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs, effectively stopping their sale in the US. These tariffs included some exceptions and credits based on Volvo’s other US manufacturing, which Polestar had used to keep the most expensive versions of the 2 on sale in the US, while restricting the lower-priced versions from sale. Nevertheless, they were a bad idea.
Now, in yet another step to make America less competitive and inflate the prices of goods more for Americans, we got more tariff announcements today from a senile ex-reality TV host who wandered into the White House rose garden (which he does not belong in). These tariffs do not include the same exceptions as the previously-announced Biden tariffs.
Apparently this has all been enough for Polestar, as even in advance of today’s tariff announcements, the company suddenly removed its Polestar 2 from its website header today.
The change can be seen at polestar.com/us, where only the Polestar 3 and 4 are listed in the header area. On other sites, like the company’s Norwegian website or British website, the car is still there. The Polestar 2 page is still up on the US website, but it isn’t linked to elsewhere on the site (we’ll see how long it stays up).
We reached out to Polestar for comment, but didn’t hear anything back before publication. We’ll update if we do.
It makes sense that the Polestar 2 would still be for sale elsewhere, as it only started production in 2020. Most car models are available for at least 7 years, so this is an earlier exit than expected.
So it’s likely that all of the tariff news is what had an effect in killing the Polestar 2.
Then again, this is also just the second day of a new fiscal quarter. Perhaps the timing offers Polestar an opportunity to make a clean break – especially now that the lower-priced version of its Polestar 3 is available.
Despite the lower $67.5k base price of the new Polestar 3 variant, that represents a big increase in price for the brand, which had sold the base model Polestar 2 for around $50k originally, before all of these tariffs.
Update: Polestar got back to us with comment, but understandably, it doesn’t say much:
Polestar is a three-car company and Polestar 2 is available for customers now. There are a select number of Polestar 2s in stock at retailers that can be found on Polestar.com, but Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 will be the priority in the North American market.
Electrek’s Take
This isn’t the first car that America has been deprived of due to tariffs. The Volvo EX30, one of our most anticipated vehicles, and Electrek’s Vehicle of the Year for 2024, had its American availability pushed back due to tariffs.
Volvo decided to build the car in Belgium and export it to the US, but now that new tariffs apply to the EU as well, maybe that low-priced, awesome, fast, small EV will instead stay in Europe instead of being shipped overseas.
This shows how mercurial tariff fiats from an ignoramus are bad for manufacturing, as they mean that companies can’t make plans – and if they can’t make plans, eventually, they’ll probably just write the country making the random decisions out of their plans so they don’t have to deal with the nonsense.
And we’ve heard this from every businessperson or manufacturer representative we’ve talked to at any level of the automotive industry. Nobody thinks any of this is a good idea, because it objectively is not. All it does is make business harder, make the US less trustworthy, make things more expensive, and overall just harm America.
Yet another way that Americans are getting screwed by this stupid nonsense. 49% of you voted for inflation, and 100% of Americans are now getting it. Happy Inflation Day, everyone.
Charge your electric vehicle at home using rooftop solar panels. Find a reliable and competitively priced solar installer near you on EnergySage, for free. They have pre-vetted installers competing for your business, ensuring high-quality solutions and 20-30% savings. It’s free, with no sales calls until you choose an installer. Compare personalized solar quotes online and receive guidance from unbiased Energy Advisers. Get started here. – ad*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Lucid Motors (LCID) has now had six straight quarters with higher deliveries. The delivery record comes just as Lucid prepares to begin delivering its first electric SUV, the Gravity, to customers by the end of this month.
Lucid sets sixth straight delivery record in Q1 2025
Lucid delivered 3,109 vehicles in the first quarter, up 58% from last year and topping its previous record of 3,099 set in Q4 2024.
The company also produced 2,213 vehicles at its Casa Grande, Arizona, plant in the first three months of 2025, an increase of 28% from last year. Another 600 vehicles were in transit to Saudi Arabia, where they will be assembled at its new AMP-2 plant, Lucid’s first international manufacturing facility.
At this pace, Lucid will easily top the roughly 10,200 vehicles it delivered last year in 2025 at around 12,500. Lucid will likely see even more growth this year, with customer deliveries of its first electric SUV starting soon.
During the Gravity SUV’s “celestial arrival” last week in NYC, Lucid’s interim CEO Marc Winterhoff said the EV maker is “nearly finished building all the vehicles that we wanted to build to put them into our studio and for test drives.”
| Q4 2022 | Q1 2023 | Q2 2023 | Q3 2023 | Q4 2023 | Full-year 2023 | Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 | Q4 2024 | Full-year 2024 | Q1 2025 | |
| Lucid EV deliveries by quarter | 1,932 | 1,406 | 1,404 | 1,457 | 1,734 | 6,001 | 1,967 | 2,394 | 2,781 | 3,099 | 10,241 | 3,109 |
Winterhoff added, “by the end of April, we will resume customer deliveries of the Gravity.” Lucid delivered the first models in December, but they were for employees, friends, and family.
Lucid calls the Gravity a “no compromise” SUV with a range of up to 450 miles, 120 cubic feet of interior space, advanced technology, and sports car-like performance. The Gravity Grand Touring starts at $94,900, while the Touring model will arrive later this year at $79,900.
The new delivery record comes after Winterhoff told Fox Business last week that Lucid has seen a “dramatic uptick over the past two months” in orders from former Tesla drivers.
Currently, “50% of all the orders we have are from former Tesla owners,” Lucid’s CEO said. Winterhoff added that many are “looking for an option to not continue having a Tesla.”
Will we see the trend continue? Tesla announced earlier today that it delivered 336,681 vehicles in the first quarter, far less than the 390,000 Wall Street analysts expected.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports12 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway