The Electric Cycle Blog

When does an electric cycle become an electric motorcycle?

Well that all depends on who is telling you. And the reason for that is marketing. To a great extent, the definition of categories for electrical powered two wheelers is somewhat vague. Although most of us can tell whether a two wheeler is an electric scooter, an electric cycle or an electric motorcycle, the edges of each category are blurred. Manufacturers and distributors of electric two wheelers are very much aware that the product description and its styling have a big impact on how well the product sells. For this reason be sure you know what the bike is classified as if there is any doubt about it.

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One of the main definitions is that an electric motorcycle will travel at speeds in excess of 30 mph. This level of speed will in most countries, mean that you will require a license to ride it. And here enters the importance of laws, regulations and insurance. It is these deciding bodies that really determine what is what. An electric motorcycle will normally not have any pedals, being completely propelled by the electric motor and it is this aspect that will mean that you will have to insure it, license it and possible even tax it.

If you have or are looking at converting an existing motorcycle to an electric one then you will need to inform the relevant offices about the change in propulsion system.

Although you will most likely experience a drop in acceleration and top end speed in an electric motorcycle as compared to its petrol engine equivalent, you will still be surprised by its performance.

Here’s a video I found that shows just how good an electric motorcycle can be…

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With the on going saga of the world wide credit crunch and banks failing left, right and centre, people are looking to cut their costs down significantly. Enter in the electric cycle.

An electric cycle is about the most economical method of powered transport that you can get. The only thing left after an electric bike would be to forget the motor and just buy a normal cycle. But that takes effort. By cutting down on unnecessary car journeys you’re going to not only save a large amount of money due to less fuel usage but also from the reduced wear and tear on your vehicle. And around town that is significant.

In town you will be surpriised how much time you will save by using an electric cycle. You can get right to the front of every set of trafic lights, use cycle lanes (so long as you pedal on those) oh, and also check your own local laws about that! That time saved can be used for more worthwhile activities like drinking tea, relaxing, chatting…or even working.

The cost of running an electric cycle is so low that it’s hardly worth mentioning. It’s literally just a few pennies a day worth of electricity. And if you have a kindly employer you can save most of that by charging it up at work.

So, it makes a lot of sense to reduce or even eliminate one of the major expenses in any household; that of transportation. If you find that your car use has reduced significantly, then why not entertain the idea of getting rid of the car all together. If you work out the annual expenses of keeping a car and compare that to usuing an electric cycle and hiring a car for the times when you really need one, you may be astonished at the amount of money you will save. You will wonder why you didn’t get rid of the car ages ago.

Last, and only last as this post is about saving money, the environmental impact of an electric cycle is a very positive one. Less CO2 emmisions, less heat generated, little noise pollution, saves space, abnd that’s just to sart with. I’mn sure you can think of more.

This could be you …

Technorati Tags: e-bike, electric bike, electric cycle, save money

The fact that I can't get one of these for the road:
http://www.killacycle.com/

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An introduction of the eZee Quando electric bike. The eZee Quando is one of the few electric folding bikes with Lithium batteries available today. The Quando is more fun the a scooter

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I really like the Schwinn electric bikes (Continental etc), but I was wondering if someone knew of a cheaper alternative. I don't think I want the SLA battery packs. I would like a smaller and lighter alternative and have a decent range (20 miles or more). I would even consider doing a bike conversion if I could have newer lighter equipment

Try just a regular bike. Electric bikes are harder to transport, maintain, and still cost money to operate. If you get into shape they aren't much faster than a regular bicycle.

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How to deal with wet weather to protect an electric bicycle. Ideas and tips on waterproofing the various components.

http://us.itselectric.ca/

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Okay, I do not know that much about electric scooters/bikes. However, with the raising cost of fuel I am looking into purchasing one. The ones that I have been looking at say they are electric but have peddles. How do these bikes work? Do you have the option to peddle or do you have to peddle? If anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it!!

There are loads of different types.

There are electric bicycles, which are basically a combination of an electric scooter and a bicycle. You can both pedal and use the electric motor at the same time or one at a a time. Some examples:

http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/category/electric-bicycles

I owned this one for a while, and reviewed it on this page:

http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/e-zip-mountan-trailz-elec-bike

Then there are the ones that are basically electric scooters which also have pedals. Like this one:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=200325603&R=200325603

On those the pedals aren't very helpful, but basically by pedalling you can make the battery last a little bit longer. Most of the time I don't think you pedal them.

The good thing about those is that at least in California, for a moped with a top speed of no more than 20 mph with pedals, you don't need a motorcycle (M class) license. If you have a moped without pedals, you need the license. Which is stupid, but that's the California law.

Moped laws by state: http://www.mopedarmy.com/wiki/Moped_laws

And then there are electric mopeds and motorcycles without pedals:

http://greenhome.huddler.com/products/category/scooters

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100% reliable downhill.

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thinking about starting up a company selling electric powered bikes for on and off road what do you think??

I bought an electric bicycle recently and really like it. I got this one made by Currie Tech. called the E-Zip Mountain Trailz bike:

http://www.currietech.com/html/07_ezip_main_prod.html

It only cost me $350 and it performs quite well. I generally go 16-17 mph (average about 15.5 mph including stops) whereas with my old road/mountain hybrid bike I'd only average 13.5 mph over my 13 mile commute to/from work. I got the bike to make the commute quicker (down from about 60 minutes to 50) and easier (electric motor assist makes it much less tiring). I've found that most electric bikes cost at least $500, and kits to convert a regular bike to electric are on the order of $300, so the E-Zip was an awesome deal.

An argument can be made that electric bikes actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions when compared to regular bikes. This is because you burn more calories on a regular bike, and producing and transporting the food to replace those calories has a greenhouse gas emission impact along with it. That's something you might want to examine as a potential marketing point.

The point that avid cyclists can go fast enough that electric bikes are of no use to them is a valid one. I get passed up by those hardcore guys with the multi-thousand dollar bikes and spandex and all that, but I go faster than the non-hardcore bikers and have an easier time of it. It's a very good commute option.

As for electric scooters, the only downside as has been mentioned is speed and range due to battery restrictions. Battery technology is rapidly advancing though, making them more appealing. Again, they're a good option for around town commuting. If you just need to make a quick trip to the store, why bother burning gas when you can just hop on your electric scooter? Again it's a great option for commuting too.

Good luck if you decide to start up this company. We need more like it! I couldn't find anybody selling electric bikes in my area and had to go online to buy one without having the option of trying it out beforehand.

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21st Century electric bikes perfect for the short commute. Environmentally friendly and efficient. Hundreds of miles for pennies worth of eletricity. The perfect solution for escalating gas prices.

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