Banned! Why 2023 saw more e-bike and e-scooter bans than ever before
Electric bicycle ridership grew to never-before-seen levels in 2023. But despite the increased ridership, or perhaps even because of it, this year has seen an increase in the number of limits and bans placed on electric bicycles and e-scooters. Here’s a look back at some of the most infamous bans and what led to them.
NYC wants e-bikes stopped at the border
Earlier this year, NYC announced an upcoming ban on the sale of electric bikes that don’t have UL-compliant batteries. Companies were given a six-month grace period, then the ban kicked in a few months ago.
The underlying issue was that several dangerous fires have begun in NYC buildings, some turning lethal, after poorly constructed e-bike batteries caught fire.
Many leading electric bicycle manufacturers such as Rad Power Bikes rolled out UL-compliant batteries in response, ensuring that their models would still be allowed to be sold in the city.
Paris bans shared electric scooters, then something surprising happened
When Parisians took to the polls to vote on a referendum banning shared electric scooters, the results were fairly one-sided. Reports put the tally at around 90% in favor of banning shared e-scooters, though extremely low voter turnout meant that roughly 7% of registered voters actually voted in favor.
Regardless of the small number of votes, shared e-scooters were banned from the city.
Interestingly though, that wasn’t the end of the story. Within a year, shared dockless electric bike ridership had skyrocketed to over twice the levels previously seen before the shared e-scooter ban.
I guess it just goes to show, if you vilify shared e-scooters, the villains will just ride e-bikes. Or something like that?
Burning man may begin banning electric bikes
Bikes and other two-wheelers have always been a popular way to get around Burning Man. In fact, with cars banned, bikes are perhaps second only to walking as the preferred method of transportation.
There’s a 5 mph (8 km/h) speed limit around the entire desert encampment, which during the festival balloons to house tens of thousands of people. But even so, electric bike riders have been criticized for riding much faster, often startling festival goers and sometimes causing collisions.
Burning Man organizers, who normally avoid blanket bans as part of their policy of radical inclusion, took the dramatic step this year of pre-warning participants that if e-bike behavior didn’t improve, electric bikes would be added to the banned shortlist. It’s likely a case of a few bad apples ruining it for everybody, but it still underscores the importance of safe riding around pedestrians.
More college campuses banning e-bikes and e-scooters
This Fall when students returned to campus, many colleges and universities announced that their e-bikes and e-scooters weren’t welcome back with them.
The issue is similar to that facing NYC, with fears of fires related to poor-quality batteries. Unlike in NYC though, where steps were taken to regulate that only batteries with proper safety certifications would be allowed, many campuses announced outright bans on e-bikes.
The issue was particularly troubling because for many students, e-bikes and e-scooters are their only form of transportation. Cars can be expensive to store on campus due to limited parking permits, and many young adults have embraced car-free lifestyles enabled by electric bikes.
Despite the increasing number of bans, electric bicycles have continued to grow into a main form of transportation around the world.
As we head into 2024, the number of riders is only expected to grow even higher. With more e-bikes on the roads than ever before and no sign of the trend stopping, perhaps we should be asking how we can better and more safely incorporate e-bikes into our cities, communities, and campuses, instead of simply attempting to ban them.
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Leading electric vehicle analyst, author, and industry thought leaders Loren McDonald and Bill Ferro stop by Quick Charge to discuss EV Adoption’s acquisition by Paren, the “crisis” of EV charging reliability, and the real state of the EV market.
Depending on who you listen, EVs are either driving brands to record growth and are about cross that critical 10% of the overall market nationwide, or the future is bleak, the market is down, and EVs just aren’t selling. What’s really going on? Loren and Bill (probably) have some answers.
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Read more: All my favorite EVs, racecars, and robots from Electrify Expo Austin.
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Chevy EV owners in Texas who have Reliant as their electric utility can now charge for free at night with renewable energy.
Over 150 Chevrolet dealerships across Texas are now offering the Reliant Free Charge Nights plan to new EV buyers. With Free Charge Nights, customers can offset their charging costs by receiving credits for electricity used between 11 pm and 6 am. The plan is powered entirely by renewable energy, thanks to the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Rasesh Patel, president of NRG Consumer, says the plan is about making power personal: “We’re excited to help Chevrolet EV drivers offset the cost of charging their vehicle all while having access to a renewable electricity plan.”
This collaboration aims to make EV adoption more appealing by making charging cheaper and greener. GM Energy’s chief revenue officer, Aseem Kapur, emphasized that partnerships like this help build the ecosystem needed to support an all-electric future: “The Reliant Free Charge Nights plan is a great example of how an automaker and an energy company can work together to make EV adoption an easy decision.”
Existing Reliant customers can also sign up for the Free Charge Nights plan. To get started, Chevrolet EV owners need to designate their vehicle on the GM Energy Smart Charging Portal before enrolling in the plan.
Reliant Energy, a subsidiary of NRG Energy, serves over 1.5 million customers in Texas, making it one of the largest electricity providers in the state.
Read more: Texas to get 1 GW AI-powered virtual power plant, enough to power 200,000 homes
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Texas is about to get a major power boost – a new AI-powered virtual power plant (VPP) delivering capacity equivalent to 200,000 homes during peak demand.
NRG Energy is teaming up with Renew Home to bring nearly 1 gigawatt (GW) of capacity to the Texas grid by 2035, aiming to make it more resilient while helping residents save on energy costs.
The new VPP will rely on hundreds of thousands of smart thermostats and other connected home devices, making use of AI technology provided by Google Cloud. These devices, like Vivint and Nest smart thermostats, will be offered to eligible customers at no cost. By automating HVAC adjustments, they help shift energy use to when electricity is cheaper, cleaner, and less strained.
NRG and Renew Home have big plans for the VPP. Starting in spring 2025, the companies plan to roll out the program across Texas, installing these smart thermostats in homes served by NRG’s retail electricity providers. Eventually, they plan to add home battery storage and EVs to expand the power plant’s capabilities.
Texas has faced record-breaking energy demands, with peak usage hitting 85 GW in 2023. As the state’s population grows and extreme weather becomes more frequent, VPPs like this one could play a key role in stabilizing the grid. VPPs aggregate a lot of small-scale energy resources, from smart thermostats to home batteries, and use them to help balance supply and demand during times of high stress on the grid.
This nearly 1 GW VPP will be one of the largest of its kind in Texas. NRG’s president of consumer operations, Rasesh Patel, calls it a “pivotal step” for improving customer experience while making Texas’ energy infrastructure more sustainable and resilient.
In addition to Renew Home, NRG is working with Google Cloud to maximize the power plant’s effectiveness. Google Cloud’s AI and analytics tools will help predict weather conditions, forecast renewable generation, and optimize energy usage, all of which will help make energy management smoother for both customers and the grid.
Ben Brown, CEO of Renew Home, said:
NRG’s commitment to creating a more resilient and sustainable energy future while also making electricity bills more affordable makes them an ideal partner for co-developing this unique VPP program.
This initiative raises the bar for future-proofing our electricity infrastructure and delivering cost savings to customers.
Read: Chinese solar giant Trina sells its Texas factory a week after it opens
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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*
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