As governments have invested in electric cars to make the world greener, a related industry has quietly been doing more to reduce carbon emissions around the world: e-bikes.
Electric cars are cleaner than internal combustion engine vehicles over their lifetime. However, since they are so big and expensive, it will take a long time – and a lot of convincing in between – for the world’s fleet to change over to all-electric power. More affordable to more of the world, e-bikes are being adopted much faster.
Whereas there were 20 million electric cars and 1.3 million electric buses, delivery vans, and trucks operating around the world last year, The Conversation reports that there were more than 280 million electric mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, and three-wheelers in operation.
Read: You Can Now Buy A Honda Motocompacto Foldable Electric Scooter For $995
E-bikes have cut daily oil demand by 1 million barrels
That’s because the more affordable mobility solution is being picked up in regions of the world where bikes and scooters are already popular. Cumulatively, their popularity has already cut oil demand by about a million barrels per day, or roughly 1 percent of global demand. That’s four times more than electric cars displaced.
Electric micromobility, if widely adopted, can significantly reduce urban emissions. According to a UCL Energy Institute study cited by The Conversation, e-scooter rides produce up to 45% less carbon dioxide than alternatives. Researchers in the United States have calculated that if e-bike journeys constituted 11% of all vehicle trips, transportation-related emissions could decrease by around 7%.
And there’s room for e-bikes to cut even more pollution. Smaller electric mobility devices, such as scooters and skateboards, could help solve public transit’s last-mile solution. With greater adoption, the tech could make it easier for commuters to use trains and buses by getting them to and from stops.
The rise of e-bikes also presents an opportunity for people who want to go green in richer parts of the world, such as the U.S. The reality is that 60 percent of all car trips in the country are less than 6.2 miles (10 km) long, and that’s a distance many e-bikes can easily cover – plus, it does not require owners to get rid of their ICE vehicles completely. Even for drivers with an electric car, an e-bike might be a good idea.
Of course, there are weather-related concerns for some drivers, and e-bikes aren’t the best option for everyone. But, since they have already proven to be a good solution for millions of people around the world, this might encourage North Americans to reexamine their dependence on cars.
