The hidden costs of using an electric bike
Whether you love them or hate them, electric bikes are becoming increasingly popular on streets and trails around the US. First embraced across Asia and storming their way across Europe for the last decade, e-bikes are now exploding in popularity in North America.
But while you’ll see plenty of people espousing the supposed advantages of electric bikes, it’s important to keep in mind some of the hidden costs of owning and using these two-wheeled electric vehicles.
The physical exertion of e-bikes
A lot of people think of electric bikes as effortless since there’s an electric motor and battery to assist you. But in actuality, you’ll likely be getting more exercise than you expected.
Pedal-assist e-bikes (the ones without a hand throttle) require to you to pedal in order to active the motor. And even on throttle-controlled e-bikes, most riders end up pedaling some portion of the time as well, whether to help the motor on hills, ride even faster, or just because they ultimately find it fun to pedal when they aren’t forced to do all of the hard work themselves.
This could mean that you have a higher calorie expenditure each day and increase your cardiovascular fitness. Studies have shown that you may even lose weight if you start using an e-bike. If you don’t already have smaller holes in your belt, you’ll probably have to buy a new one.
Plus, you might find that your gym membership goes unused. We all know that the great thing about gym memberships is that when you sign up for one, you definitely always use it. Well, when people get an electric bike, they often get increased exercise without even realizing it, meaning they could end up making their gym membership redundant. What a waste!
E-bikes can really impact your wallet
You might not have known this going in, but you’d be well advised to take a second look at your finances if you’re considering getting an electric bike. A lot of people don’t realize how much of an effect on their bank account an e-bike can have.
If you’re leaving your car in the garage more often and using an e-bike for shorter trips around town such as meeting friends or light grocery shopping, you’re going to end up with a lot of extra gas money savings. There’s also the reduced wear and tear on your car to consider, plus savings from the reduced car maintenance. And before you start thinking that charging your e-bike might make up for the difference, you should know that most e-bikes can travel between 250-500 miles (400-800 km) on just US $1.00 of electricity.
If you’re replacing public transit, then you won’t be spending money on daily, weekly, or monthly bus passes or subway fares. And don’t even get me started on saving money on those expensive Uber and Lyft rides.
When it comes to parking, forget about it! You’ll almost never need to pay for parking. Be prepared to have your pockets always weighed down by extra quarters since you won’t be feeding parking meters any more.
And with all of that extra moderate-intensity exercise you’ll be getting – the exact kind that doctors say you should be getting at least three times a week – you’ll end up saving money on healthcare as well. What’s the point of being one of the lucky Americans with health insurance if you don’t even get a chance to use it?
When it comes to these savings, we aren’t talking about chump change. It’s more than just a few bucks of gas money you could be saving. Some people have literally saved tens of thousands of dollars over the years by switching to an e-bike. If you’re not careful, that could be you.
You’re going to have some serious homework to do when your monthly budget is thrown so out of whack by all of those savings. Better go get some extra batteries for that calculator.
Consider the effect of outdoor exposure
Instead of being held in the climate-controlled cocoon of a typical passenger car, an electric bike is going to force you to get a lot more fresh air than you’re used to. Unlike the recirculated air you breath all day in the office and in your car, fresh air is going to smack you in the face like a rude awakening.
Add to that the sudden shock of seeing the scenery around you, listening to the sounds of nature or your vibrant city, and feeling the wind in your hair, and you’re likely in for a bolt from the blue.
Sure, there’s mountains of scientific evidence that increased outdoor time is linked to improved mental and physical health, but at what cost? At what cost?
E-bikes are going to make you change your schedule
You might not have realized this, but riding an electric bike in a city is usually much faster than traveling by car or public transit. If you’ve got your daily commute already planned out, then an e-bike is going to send you back to the drawing board.
E-bikes have the advantage of traveling either in the road or in bike lanes, and so they have many more routes to slice through city traffic. And when cars or buses get held up in congestion, e-bikes slip on by. If you don’t account for this, you could very well find yourself arriving on time or even embarrassingly early.
One possible solution could be to just sleep in longer in the mornings before work. But the problem with that is obvious to anyone who has ever read an airport self-help book: All the best life coach gurus say the key common trait among successful people is that they wake up early. That’s right, you’re screwed with all that extra sleeping in you’ll get.
Don’t forget about forced interactions
Here’s another one you probably didn’t consider: forced friendliness. When you ride an e-bike, you usually see other cyclists on the trails or in the bike lane. The thing about people on bikes is that for some reason they tend to be measurably friendlier and more outgoing than the average person. There’s just something about riding a bike that puts that annoying little skip in people’s step and brightens their day.
That means you’re going to have more little waves, more smile-and-nods, and more “how’s it going?”s than you’ve probably ever seen before.
We all know that humans are inherently non-social beings that achieve their peak mental health levels when devoid of interaction. So if the thought of having several brief yet pleasant encounters with nice people throughout your day scares you, then think twice about riding an electric bike.
Yeah, you’re welcome.
A lack of crushing guilt about global emissions
(Sarcasm aside for the next couple paragraphs.) Here’s the thing. I don’t know if you’ve looked around at the world lately, but give it a try real quick. Really look. Check the world news. Hell, check the weather.
That’s right, every day is slightly worse than the day before. Global problems aren’t getting better. In fact, they’re slowly but perceptively getting more severe each day. Literally every summer is a bit hotter than the one before. Every storm season is a bit more intense and lethal. Every wildfire burns a bit more of the state. And every one of us is contributing at some level to those global changes, each in our ways.
The thing is that if you switch to riding an e-bike, you’ll be having a considerably lower impact on that collective destructive effort. If the weight of crushing guilt is something motivates you, then you’re going to have to find something else to get you moving. That’s because electric bike riders contribute to such extreme reductions in transportation-based emissions that it’s almost as if they’re not even playing a role in the destruction of our climate at all.
Ugh, freakin’ freeloaders…
Think twice about riding an electric bike
This article isn’t meant to scare anyone; it’s just that there are a lot of hidden costs to riding an e-bike that many people don’t initially realize. It may feel like fun the first time you throw your leg over an electric bike, and the second time and third time, but these devices can have a serious impact on not just your wallet, but also your life.
It’s an important personal decision to make, and far be it for me to tell anyone how to live.
So I’ll just leave you with this: Riding an e-bike is going to result in some serious changes for you. It’s impossible to escape the impacts. Think long and hard about whether you want those changes in your life.
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Volvo Penta will debut its latest modular and scalable battery energy storage system (BESS) platform for the off-grid construction and mining industries at the bauma equipment show – here’s what you can expect.
Best-known for its marine engines and gensets, Volvo Penta is the power production arm of the Volvo Group, specializing in putting energy to work. Operating under the tagline, ‘Made to Move You’, Volvo Penta is headed to bauma 2025 with a plan to keep construction, port shipping, and mining operations moving productively and competitively throughout their transitions to battery and (in theory, at least) hydrogen power.
To that end, the company will show off a job site ready version of the scalable and modular BESS subsystem concept shown last year.
Volvo says its new, modular BESS subsystem will enable other OEMs and third party system integrators to seamlessly deploy electric power to meet the ever-exceeding energy needs in construction and mining.
“Our modular and scalable battery-electric platform is designed to support the electrification ecosystem—combining high-performance drivelines with the crucial energy storage subsystems for efficient charging and operation in construction and mining,” says Hannes Norrgren, President of Volvo Penta Industrial. “We want to meaningfully collaborate with our customers on value-added customization that will enable them to stay productive, efficient, and future-ready.”
The Penta substation at bauma will be built around the company’s “Cube” battery pack, an energy-dense solution with a favorable C-rate designed to make it easy for BESS manufacturers to offer more compact job site solutions capable of charging and discharging energy with high levels of speed and efficiency, enabling both stationary and mobile BESS configurations that can change and grow to meet the evolving needs of a given asset fleet or project.
A Volvo Penta-developed DC/DC unit converts the voltage from the Cube battery packs (600 V) into lower voltage (24 V) for powering auxiliaries and portable offices.
Electrek’s Take
Volvo Penta has always provided power. Historically that’s been from combustion, but the company is looking ahead, developing products that will bring energy to job sites, tractors, and more long after the last ICE engine shuts down.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo Penta.
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Just days after Rivian announced that it would be making its iconic electric delivery vans available to anyone willing to pay for one, the company launched the new Rivian Upfit Program, offering a “one-stop shop” to help fleet managers put its EVs to work.
Launched in partnership with commercial vehicle heavyweights Ranger Design, Sortimo of North America, Bush Specialty Vehicles, Holman, LEGEND, and EV Sportline, the Rivian Upfit Program helps fleet buyers make the switch to electric by simplifying the ordering process and delivering an experience that more closely reflects the experience fleet managers get at dealerships.
Despite partnering with leading brands and launching into a well-establish market, however, the program’s web page seems largely aimed at people outside the space – even kicking off with an explanation of what upfitting is:
Upfitting is the process of customizing a vehicle in order to meet fleet, business, or individual consumer needs to tackle the job at hand. This work is done after the vehicle has been built and released from the factory, and can include everything from shelving modifications, flooring options, to sirens and flashers and much more.
The program was announced on LinkedIn with a number of photos indicating upfit options for Rivian’s R1T and R1S vehicles focused on lifeguard and roadside assistance duty, and Rivian’s van upfit with a HVAC/telecom style toolbox arrangement.
No word on pricing or turnaround time.
Electrek’s Take
The general consensus around the Electrek water cooler is that the direct-to-consumer model offered by Rivian, Tesla, and even CarMax deliver a superior customer experience, I’ve consistently drunk the franchise dealer Kool-Aid, arguing that the industry-leading margins enjoyed by these companies actually indicate they’re giving consumers an objectively worse deal than they’d get in a more competitive dealer landscape.
That same competitiveness has led to talented fleet managers at those franchise dealers putting in the effort to get to know the needs of the businesses and buyers in their regions, to understand what upfit options makes sense for their local markets, and – crucially – what to stock for quick turnaround when their customers need it.
Rivian is hoping its upfit partners will do a lot of that heavy lifting for them, but my two cents is that if building cars is hard, building relationships is harder, and Rivian isn’t going to make a good first impression by talking down to its customers. If you think differently, let me know how I got it wrong in the comments.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Rivian, via LinkedIn.
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For 2025, the Ram ProMaster EV commercial van gets up to 180 miles range from its 110 kWh battery pack, new 12- and 13-foot cargo configurations to meet more fleets’ needs, and a starting price of “just” $56,495. All of which sounds … kind of familiar, right?
When Ram rolled out its ProMaster EV electric cargo van last year, the company promised a huge range of customizable features, 12- and 13- configurations, a “super high roof” variant, and more – even touting a heated windshield. Which is almost exactly what you’ll find hyped up in the latest Stellantis press release for the “All-new 2025 Ram ProMaster EV Cargo Van.”
So, if it’s basically the same van, what’s the story here?
Glad you asked – see, the 2024 announcement for the ProMaster EV made lots of promises, but anecdotal conversations revealed that the vast majority of ProMaster EVs that made it customers last year were the step van version, with its “pocket” side door and roll-up rear door.
That makes sense, considering that’s how Stellantis’ prime customers for the Ram ProMaster EV, Merchants Fleet …
The Ram Truck brand has announced that Merchants Fleet will become a key commercial customer of the all-new Ram ProMaster electric van (EV) that debuts later this year. The agreement calls for the purchase of 12,500 Ram ProMaster EVs.
STELLANTIS; JUN2023.
… and Amazon …
Stellantis, with input from Amazon, designed the vehicle with unique last mile delivery features and Amazon will deploy the vehicles to routes across the United States. Building on the current relationship and as part of the long-term agreement, Stellantis and Amazon will be putting thousands of BEV ProMasters on the road every year.
STELLANTIS; JAN2022.
Spec’ed them out.
Co-developed with Amazon
The story here, then, is that the conventional cargo variants (sliding van door, split-opening rear doors, etc.) are finally available for smaller fleets and van-lifers to order, production capacity apparently having caught up to demand. It’s that van, when ordered in a 12-foot cargo/low roof spec, that pushes that range estimate up to 180 miles. The high-roof version gets a claimed 164 miles of range.
“Our freedom of choice approach with powertrain extends to the Ram Professional lineup with an appropriate solution for last-mile delivery in the Ram ProMaster EV,” says Tim Kuniskis, Ram brand CEO. “With front-wheel drive and a low step-in height, the ProMaster is a solid player and continues to perform well in a wide variety of business sectors, such as the growing home delivery environment, construction services wholesale and IT services among others.”
For 2025, Stellantis has “repositioned” the ProMaster EV step van with a new, lower starting price to match its improved availability. The van can now be had for $69,995 plus $1,995 destination fee. That’s down significantly from the $79,990 starting price for 2024 – proving once again that old adage: good things come to those who wait.
For that money, you get the “All-new” Ram that’s so All-new, in fact, that Stellantis issued almost the exact same press photos they used at the 2024 launch. The order books for the 2025 ProMaster EV officially opened last week.
Electrek’s Take
Commercial vans for regional fleets are a no-brainer. Why? Because fleet managers are focused on the bottom line costs of operating their fleets – and, regardless of their political leanings, EVs cost less to own and operate than comparable ICE models. Until that fact changes, converting whatever assets to they can to electric will remain a priority.
If the “All-new” 2025 model is so similar, the specs so close, the photos so indistinguishable from the 2024 model that it takes your humble author nearly a week to figure if there’s even a story here at all hardly matters for a $10,000 price cut.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Stellantis.
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