Re:The E-bike Is a Monstrosity
by unethical_ban on Saturday September 03, 2022 @03:20PM
(#32705144)
God, that was a rambling article. Overwrought prose that really doesn't strike at the real issue: The e-bike is a hack to avoid regulations. If you don't have a mechanism to power the bicycle with a human, then it is a scooter/moped and would require taxes, registration, and so on.
Furthermore, with motor and battery tech as good as it is, it would be nice to take the concept of e-bike (get places efficiently with a small vehicle that keeps me from sweating) and move it one step up: Some kind of vehicle with sun protection, perhaps some stability (add a wheel or two) , even a windscreen! But now, that's a "car" and that needs to weigh 3500 lbs and withstand and F-15 crashing into it at Mach 1.5.
Cities that want to court a more European, renewable, Gen-z WFH mindset should be building controlled infrastructure for such styles of transit.
Furthermore, with motor and battery tech as good as it is, it would be nice to take the concept of e-bike (get places efficiently with a small vehicle that keeps me from sweating) and move it one step up: Some kind of vehicle with sun protection, perhaps some stability (add a wheel or two) , even a windscreen! But now, that's a "car" and that needs to weigh 3500 lbs and withstand and F-15 crashing into it at Mach 1.5.
Cities that want to court a more European, renewable, Gen-z WFH mindset should be building controlled infrastructure for such styles of transit.