You’re thinking about buying an electric car and toting up all the various cost savings and lifestyle change pros and cons. But wait – before you make such a large financial commitment, have you stopped to consider whether a car is even necessary?
Pros of Ebikes
Range Issues Will be Less of a Problem When They Happen
Many electric vehicles have become far more effective at dealing with range issues now that we have entered the second generation.
But it’s well known that earlier model electric cars (I’m thinking of the first generation Nissan Leaf) had major range problems. To the extent that reasonably recent vehicle purchasers were scared to drive more than 60km before recharging.
If you run out of range on an electric vehicle it’s a serious problem. Even at a fairly light weight compared to other cars, I still don’t fancy pushing a 1.5 tonne vehicle the last 15 km to home. (Or even worse, paying for a tow.)
Ebikes don’t have this problem. If you run out of range… You cycle. Lord knows you will get some additional exercise at least.
Lower Capital Cost
As well as using far fewer materials in the production of an ebike, you also have a vehicle that has a far lower capital cost than an electric car. The newer generation electric car models generally cost between $26,000 to $31,000 NZD, while the first generation range (with all its problems) is selling for around $11,000 on TradeMe. With a cost per ebike of between $1,500 to an absolute upper maximum of $10,000, instead of getting an electric car you could afford bikes for the whole family.
No Risk Of Road User Charges
This is the sword of Damocles hanging over the head of all electric vehicles anywhere in NZ.
While the return on investment for buying an electric vehicle is reasonably easy to calculate, nobody yet knows with any degree of certainty whether the government will have to apply Road User Charges at some point in the future.
The biggest argument against electric vehicles is that they pick the pocket of the government. Each driver who converts to electric costs the government thousands in reduced excise taxes to the National Land Transport Fund each year.
My theory is that the government will eventually catch on to this and find a way to tax electric vehicles. This will throw out the calculations of all businesses and individuals who invest in electric vehicles between now and then.
Ebikes, on the other hand, are very unlikely to be touched by this tax. The only way the government could do so would be to extend the Road User Charges to all bicycles as well as light vehicles, which would be very hard to enforce since bikes are all unregistered anyway.
Lower Maintenance Expense
To service an ebike it’s just a trip to your local bike shop. To service an electric vehicle it’s a trip to a specialised mechanic. Guess which one is going to cost you more for each year of operation? Mechanics love to suss out people who have extra bucks and a person who invests money in low return eco technology won’t always be dealt with ethically.
Not to mention the cost and complexity of replacing parts will likely be much lower with an ebike than with a electric vehicle.
Less Electricity Required to Charge
I first looked at ebikes to see whether I could tie it in with my solar power consumption plan and get more use out of my solar panels – but I was quickly dismayed to learn that ebikes use practically no power, requiring only around 300-400W to fully recharge. Electric vehicles, by comparison, often gobble up as much as 20 kWh per recharge.
No Requirement to Install an Outside Charger
A relatively minor additional cost associated with EVs is the installation and setup of a charging point. This can add cost to switching to electric, as well as a time delay before you get up and running.
By comparison, most ebike batteries are super-easy to recharge. My one just needs a basic indoor power outlet – it’s as simple as recharging a phone.
Higher Return on Investment if Used Regularly
As a result of the lower capital costs, an absence of hidden costs, and roughly the same level of fuel savings if used actively, ebikes produce a far higher return on investment provided you use them regularly (or virtually use them at all). The fuel saving alone, if you cycle 25 km to and from work each day on an ebike, would be $1,390 per year, or roughly 46% ROI on a $3,000 ebike. By comparison, driving an electric car to work each day would save the save amount, being only a 5.1% ROI on a new $27,000 EV. Not to mention the parking costs you might accrue!
No Need for Vehicle Registration
An ebike is a low powered vehicle and unless it has a motor output rated above 300W (VERY unlikely) it does not need to be registered in NZ. Think of the hassle you are going to save from that! When switching to electric, people only think of the fuel savings – when other essential vehicle expense reductions are entirely possible if they broaden their spectrum of considerations to include ebikes as well.
It is your responsibility however to read up on the rules and regulations pertaining to your vehicle, which you can easily do here.
Lower Dependence on Highly Variable Energy Costs
In a previous article I addressed how retail energy costs go up by around 3.2% per year on average. The increase in any given year can be more or less substantial and retailers think nothing of basing price changes on perceived changes to the energy supply, which the introduction of electric vehicles will almost certainly create.
While both vehicle types rely on electricity, the demands of an electric car vastly outstrip those of the electric bike. A Nissan Leaf uses approximately 0.2113 kWh per kilometre – roughly 2-3 Nissan Leaf kilometres could therefore charge an entire ebike battery. An ebike might require about 400 to 700 Wh for a full charge, at a cost of around 9-12c + GST if powered during daytime peak consumption, and less if powered at night on favourable rates.
If an ebike can travel 72 km (power assisted) off a 700 kWh charge, then you are paying $0.00972 per kilometre – energy usage for the same distance that is more than 21 times as efficient as a Nissan Leaf. And that says something.
Cons of Ebikes
Very Difficult to Transport More Than One Passenger
If you drop your child off to school, then an ebike will be an awkward and uncomfortable ride. Far better to use your petrol or electric car for the purpose of transporting passengers.
Harder to Carry Stuff
If you’ve got a sports bag full of cricket bats for your cricket team, don’t try to carry them on an ebike. Carrying stuff on an ebike is a science in itself and you have to be realistic about the load you can bare.
Won’t Wow the Neighbours
You’ll be one of those slippery little environmentalists who slips under the radar, rather than one of those people who buys prestige big ticket items in the mistaken hopes of impressing people.
That being said though, I have to say, getting to a social function on an ebike can be a real ice breaker. So many people are curious about the devices and would love nothing more than to have a play for themselves.
Takes Longer to Get Anywhere
This is the biggie – the time cost of travel will generally (but not always) be greater on an ebike than in an electric car.
You should weigh this one up based on your own time valuation. I’ve done a rough one here. The way I justify it to myself is that by biking 3.75 hours per week to and from work, I save myself the cost of a gym membership and 4.5 hours going to and from the gym each week.
There are a lot of variables when it comes to electric cars, but one that the majority of people seemed to have overlooked is in reducing the mass of the actual vehicle and hence the energy required to move it.
While you need to take into account your own usage pattern and the needs of your household (as you do when investing in just about any environmental tech), ebikes present a cost effective starting point that I hope more households will consider.
