wphamilton

The only way you'll get close to that is to only use the mid-range of the capacity. Don't charge more than around 70%, don't discharge it lower than about 30%. Your batteries, bosch batteries, ALL e-bike batteries of any repute, all use name brand 18650 cells. Those cells last for 300-500 full charge cycles.

That's going to come to roughly 10 cents a mile. Four cents for the unrealistic "best case" marketing claims. A scooter costs maybe 5 cents per mile, and I'm told it's really less than that.

"If you could afford it", as in the topic title, implies to me that the cost isn't an issue and I'd be fine with the e-bike on that basis. But when you start in with the unrealistic low cost per mile, ignoring an inevitable and significant expense like battery replacement, that's an issue.

ggolds5

Numerous companies repack batteries for $250-300. They last 5 to 8 years. There are no emissions, no loud noise, no oil changes, no filter changes, no spark plug changes, no messy toxic gasses or oils, no tuneups, no rebuilds or carb problems. Mopeds- gas machines are far more expensive and problematic to run. They are a waist of time and an inevitable mess. There is no comparison to electric bikes that are quite simply superior in every way to these messy gas machines. It's even a silly and futile to have a conversation comparing the 2. Electric bikes are light years ahead of those things I had as a child 40 plus years ago and are disappearing by the thousands. Dinosaurs of the past. Just no comparison.

spinnanz

OK I'll tone it back just for you. I'll let you have 300 cycles of the battery.

That's 900x 1/3rd charges, that will cost me $180 in power and I'll get about 16,000km of travel which is almost 4 years (3.9 actual) of my home to work commute.

By comparison, 4 years of moped road registration cost will be $128x 4 which is $512. 16,000km/4 years worth of fuel will be roughly $1800.

So assuming after the 4 years on the ebike, I need to replace the battery and I've paid for power, I am $2132 up. For that much I could buy a whole new ebike let alone just the battery...

I await your counter argument.

ggolds5

Your argument is full of faults. Charging the battery- unless you are in Saudi Arabia is roughly $40 over 5 years at 300 or more cycles. The batteries last FAR longer then 300 charges, closer to 800 so you are way off there. Your 300 cycle number has no accuracy at all. Not even close. You get 0- ZERO exercise on your moped, cannot go on bike trails or anywhere else gas motors can go which is most places other then city streets. That motor will have all of the various faults I already mentioned from gas fumes, to oil changes, to filter changes, to noise, spark plug and tuneups, to engine rebuilds since they last about 2 years if you are lucky, to leaky dirty motors, to emissions- poisoning the earth, and a few more. Gas and oil refills are constant and become expensive fast. There is no comparison to a bike that you can become healthy just riding to a heavy ugly moped that is the definition of lazy and dirty. It can't ride on bike trails and therefor must be on roads with automobiles which makes it dangerous since it cant keep up with traffic, you might as well get a motorcycle to keep up with traffic. Then you can spend nearly as much as a car or SUV like I did with all my past Harley's and take your life in your own hands. This moped discussion is a waist of time already and is comparing Apples to pecans. .

sweeks

Back to the original question...
I'm a dentist and I've been commuting to work by bike for almost 18 years. On hot summer days, I can arrive sweating and have to take measures to be presentable for my first patient. An e-bike would be an asset to me. Unfortunately, part of my commute is by rail, and I'd have to lift the bike onto and off of the train. At almost 70 years old, this would sooner or later be a problem. So I'll probably ride a little slower in the summer.

Darth Lefty 

At 70 years old you could probably retire, man

skidder

I'
ll jump in here without reading the previous 350+ posts. I probably would not use an e-bike even if I could afford it. My usual commute is about 4 miles each way , but during the longer evenings of summer/daylight savings time, I like to 'take the long way home' and put in some extra miles for a good workout (10-15 miles wouldn't be unusual). I don't think an e-bike would be too good for that.

wphamilton

no need for that tone - I'm presenting facts, not arguments.

Your 10,000 miles per battery pack is over 8 cents per mile, using the example someone offered here. I think it should actually be somewhere less than 8 cents, Whatever arguments you want to make, cost per mile includes the cost of the battery, period.

spinnanz

thats $800 for a battery? That's a about a 3rd more than what they cost. If you are including the cost of the battery replacment per mile, why are you not including the same for a moped upkeep? At 10,000miles a 50cc a moped engine is getting a bit tired. Irrelevant of me including or not including the cost per mile of the battery, assuming you were correct with 300 full charge cycles and the battery DID need replacing, I'm still over $2100 better off. Take your overpriced $800 battery off that and I'm still way in the green.

I'm by no means anti mo-ped, I have a one, and if I need to get somewhere that's over 10km away I will usually use that over the ebike. My examples above are what's best for me, other parts of the world may have cheaper fuel, no road tax etc. Others have expensive or compulsory insurance. No one thing will fit everyone.

sweeks

Hahaha... I got a late start. Plus, I'm a state employee. I won't get a decent pension until I'm 74. Riding the bike keeps me young!

wphamilton

A Bosch battery battery pack that someone mentioned is $884 https://shop.scooteretti.com/product...-ebike-battery and that's low for battery pack in general. Probably because the capacity is in the low end (only 400 watt-hours). Is your 12-mile threshold for e-bike round trip because of the diminished battery capacity? If so, that will continue to degrade until you replace it, and I sincerely hope that you find a cheap, low capacity replacement for it.

spinnanz

My 12 mile threshold is because that's the distance to my work and back. This is on an 8 year old 10ah (360wh). My 12mile/18km uses around 1/3rd of the battery. A new 20ah is under $500 here.

squirtdad

personally I have no interest in using an e-bike for my commute. That could change in 10 or 20 years

I see people commuting on e-bike/pedelec who I am pretty sure would not commute on a regular bike. Overall I think that is good thing

some of these commuters seen to think there speed gives them priority, immunity from rules and courtesy, especially guys on the MUP who seem t think they don't have to slow down for anyone or wait and pass only when no one is is in the way.

I think the biggest problem for future is regulation of and use depending on type. Pedal assist is cool, ones you don't have to pedal, just use throttle on are motorcycles even if they have pedals

go commute

allroader

I have been an avid cyclist in my younger years. Stopped for 20 odd years and now I'm 64 and feeling I need a new vocation. Recently decided to purchase an ebike. So I looked in depth the different types like a full susp, mid drive, front hub and rear hub. I decided on the hard tail rear hub with an entry model by M2S. My budget was 1500. So I settled on their Sport R500 Commuter being 6'2" and long legged.
I'm loving it so much that in the past three weeks I have racked up 240 miles. I have to say it's a pleasure to ride. It comes with many upgraded parts you'll likely see on other higher priced ebikes I refined my ride by adding a few bits. Swapped out the Kenda slants for Schwalbe Marathon Plus because they're fast, silent and flatless, 702 hand grips for my sore hands, adj stem as I hated the crouching position, a softer seat by c9, Abus lock, a rear basket w/ net, mirror and helmet. What should I add to make it MY ride.

preetpaul

Well when you put it like that... might have to bring this up when there's an n+1 discussion

Notso_fastLane

If I get an e-assist, it will probably be this:

https://store.bicycle-evolution.com/...3.html?cat=119

denada

na, i'm still young for a cyclists (not for a runner) and chicago's flat. there have been times that i've been crying on the inside because i'm still miles and miles from home while it's 5 degrees (fahrenheit) out plus windchill off the lake. but that builds character.

also i gotta carry my bike up narrow, old construction apartment stairs everyday, sometimes twice a day. those ebikes don't look light.

along with chicago being flat, you can't leave 4 $digit bikes out or they'll be gone by the end of the day. i love sidewalk parking. my fx 4 is pushing it. i have the perfect method of locking it; it doesn't trump a grinder.

i hear they're still a good workout.

Archwhorides 

WAW 399 has racing stripes.....WAW 399

ChrisWagner

Notso_fastLane

It's not an e-WAW.

LeoBoon

What 10 year of research has discovered that for commuting purpose an e-bike works great especially if your daily commute is 30+ kilometers. The new wave of e-bike sales come from people who are not cyclists but long time motorists that want to take advantage of doing their 25+ km daily commute in a less stressful, time saving way. In North America the uptake is a bit slower because bikes are still thought off a recreational vehicle and not a transportation vehicle. Hence the slow built of bike specific infrastructure. Once you have the infrastructure the e-bike is out of the barn.

Joey21

And on a car forum an ebike thread would be rejected as well. I figure anything that gets people on two wheels is a good thing. There is a required fitness and a required lifestyle change to bike to work or across town to do shopping and if an ebike assists regular people to make that change then GOOD. I live in a hilly place and nobody but the road bike guys ride much here on a limited number of routes. I ride back and forth to work some and its about 10 very hilly miles each way. I would be physically unable to do that trip on a normal pedal bike. I have an older Schwinn steel road bike from the 1980s that I ride unassisted on bike paths but my DIY Bafang ebike (former entry level Trek mtn bike) is my go-to bike for everything else. It is truly a tool that I can use to get around town, do shopping with, etc.

Get people out of their cars first, help the existing infrastructure be adapted, and change regular people's minds. Once that happens then we'll see more unassisted bikes getting life done. Meanwhile let's not be tribal about what kind of gear people use.

rhm

I agree! But doesn't your reference to "the road bike guys" bespeak a certain kind of tribalism?. I don't want to speak for anyone but myself; I'm a cyclist, but I don't see myself as a member of a 'cyclist tribe.'

Let's not forget that the question posed was "If you could afford an e-bike, would it be your "go to" commuter?" Well, I can. And it would not. But it always comes down to this: if things were different, things would be different. If I had been born with a different body, or if I lived in a hilly area, or [insert whatever hypothetical situation you like] then perhaps an ebike would be just the thing. If there are people to whom an ebike is a life-changing improvement, I'm entirely in favor. I can approve of them without being one of them. And while I do indeed approve of them, I'm under no delusion that they need my approval.

Joey21

I paid about $400 for my 48V 13.5AH (675WH) battery from Lunacycle several years ago. I think this will be my fourth season. Approaching 3000 miles. We live in a very hilly area. I usually manage 30+ miles per charge but usually only use about 15-20 at a time. As much as I like the Bosch system, its pretty expensive. I prefer the more generic "Made in China" parts which are easier to mix and match. My family has two ebikes. Mine is a DIY Bafang/Lunacycle mtn bike made over to be a commuter. The other is a $1200 Jueshuai mtn bike made over to a commuter with Samsung 18650 cells (48V 12AH). I store the batteries of each in 40mm ammo boxes but so far no problems after several years. I know where to buy complete batteries, individual cells or battery repairs if I need them. These proprietary brands might leave me looking for a dealer purchased solution at a much higher price tag.

PollyS8

It's better to ride a regular one, don't you think? (even if you're retired)