Re: electric-bicycle: a euphemism for motorcycle

oops, point 1. should have been CANNOT instead of CAN

2010/6/1 Miguel Atanásio Carvalho <[email protected]>:
> I don't know the legislation in other countries, but in Portugal there
> is a precise definition for bikes with an engine (be it e-bike or
> gasnot) that differentiates them from a motorcycle:
>
> 1. continuous power can be higher than 0,25kW
> 2. the power is reduced as the speed increases
> 3. power is cut if the bike reaches 25km/h
> 4. power is cut if the cyclist is no pedaling.
>
> I guess the other European Union countries have similar legislations.
>
> In this sense I would say that an e-bike is not a motorcycle.
> Moreover in hilly cities, they are a good alternative to motorcycles
> and not-so-popular bicycles.
>
> Miguel
>
>
>
> 2010/6/1 K. Tsourlakis <ktsourl-cl+VPiYnx/0Cep0kKqy/[email protected]>:
>> It seems you consider speed as a wanted feature (you write "they're often faster and more convenient"), but you say that they "are not even capable of surpassing the speed of an ordinary cyclist on a bicycle with gears". Then why not use ordinary (i.e. real) bicycles? What about the argument we throw on the face of car users - that bicycles promote exercise and health? What about the energy issue - electricity comes mostly from non renewable energy sources (in China in particular a large proportion comes from coal, emitting large quantities of greenhouse gases and claiming the life of many miners).
>>
>> Unfortunately, I am very familiar with this kind of argumentation to defend the position "An e-bike is not a motorcycle": it is exactly the same, usually used to defend the position "A motorcycle is not a car". They "take far less road and parking space than do cars" - usually take different space than cars do: they take pedestrian space (on sidewalks etc). They are "always cheaper than taking a taxi" - this is how they are promoted and marketed. "It's not uncommon to see an entire family" on them - that's too bad and dangerous (this distinguishes them from real bicycles and connects them with motorcycles). "Because of their weight, are less likely to get stolen" - and for this reason they can park easily on pedestrian spaces. This is also the reason they can not used ordinarily like bicycles - a bicycle must be light (it can be raised by on hand) in order to be used efficiently, because it is moved by human power. "And they cost about as much as a decent, geared bicycle" - yes, they are cheap, and low quality as every cheap product (for a more extended discussion about motorcycles you may have also a look at http://pezosgr.weebly.com/moto.html)
>>
>> I am also very familiar with this hypocrisy about speed limits. Mopped are supposed to have (by definition) a speed capacity up to 45 km/h (this is supposed to be the reason they are allowed to be used without motorcycle license, even by 16yo youngsters) - but in fact most of them can run at least at double this speed. In my country (and the situation is similar in most countries) the absolute upper limit is 130 km/h. Motorcycles with engines over 1000cc are allowed to circulate legally - the only reason someone would pay for such a monstrous capacity is to break the speed limits (actually you may see them often running on freeways at speeds exceeding 250 or 300 km/h).
>>
>> I know very well, the last thing governments (and magazines like "The Economist") wish, is to impose regulations to such lucrative activities. And when they start thinking to do so, there must be a really serious reason. It is indeed quite difficult to hide 2.500 cadavers under the carpet - and we may reasonably guess that there must be thousands others maimed, crippled, injured etc (not to mention the millions escaped terrorized). So, I have no reason to deny credence to "The Economist" article. I have also no reason to treat a motorized device differently because it has been baptized as "bicycle" by the corporate newspeek. Would you change your mind about cars if they were renamed as "green 4 wheels electric bicycles" (if it is, lets say, electric or hybrid)? (wow, "green 4WE-bikes", what a sexy name - I am thinking to patent this term and earn some money!!).
>>
>> My vision about the ideal city includes also people "unfamiliar with the rules (or lack thereof) of the road" - in this city, even people with Alzheimer disease, small children, visual impaired, idiots etc. have the right to walk and be safe. I remember few years ago we voted unanimously to include every motorized personal device to the notion of cars - has something changed since then? I thought our position is that walking, biking and public transit (for larger distances) is more than enough to provide the necessary mobility to the cities, preserving at the same time their environment and humanity. And that improvements in the cities functionality and quality of life is not a matter of lack of technology (if something has to do with technology, it is rather the excess of it) but of proper use of it and of limiting it to the absolutely necessary. If this is not true, then there is a whole series of technofixes waiting us around the corner, ready to "help" us "to address all of those conflicting factors": smart cars, segways, PRTs, e-bikes and many others. And last in the row (if you haven't yet guessed) "green 4WE-bikes"!
>>
>> ---------------------
>>
>>
>> jane. wrote:
>> In defense of e-bikes: An e-bike is not a motorcycle. Most that I see on the streets are not even capable of surpassing the speed of an ordinary cyclist on a bicycle with gears; on my single-speed city cruiser I pass many a slower e-bike. I don't know which pedestrians the writer of this article thinks the e-bikes "terrorize." Perhaps if you're a visitor unfamiliar with the rules (or lack thereof) of the road in China, you might unwittingly step into the path of an e-bike. But the vast majority of accidents I see involve at least one car.
>>
>> I find e-bikes provide an excellent alternative for people who do not want to bike and would otherwise be taking cabs or driving a car. They're still much smaller and take far less road and parking space than do cars, they're often faster and more convenient, and always cheaper than taking a taxi, and, compared to traditional bicycles, can carry heavy loads or several passengers (it's not uncommon to see an entire family on one e-bike), and, because of their weight, are less likely to get stolen than a traditional bicycle--a pressing concern in Chinese cities. And they cost about as much as a decent, geared bicycle. China's cities are becoming more congested on a daily basis, and at the same time, their boundaries are expanding ever outward. When all's said and done, the e-bike, I think, is one of the top modes of transportation to address all of those conflicting factors.
>>
>> Jane (Chengdu, China)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> From: K. Tsourlakis <ktsourl-cl+VPiYnx/0Cep0kKqy/[email protected]>
>> To: carfree_network-/[email protected]
>> Sent: Sat, May 22, 2010 8:31:09 PM
>> Subject: [carfree_network] electric-bicycle: a euphimism for motorcycle
>>
>> This is not exactly what we mean by "carfree", is this? Shall I assume that there is a typo on page 22 of the last Carbusters magazine issue (no 41)?
>>
>> -----------------------------
>>
>> May 13th 2010 | From The Economist print edition
>> Pedestrians beware
>>
>> PEDESTRIANS in China are often terrorised by electric bicycles zipping along the country's pavements. China's authorities, too, seem to have been caught unawares by an industry that, like the bikes themselves, has emerged speedily and stealthily from the shadows: local output grew from a few thousand bikes a year less than a decade ago to more than 22m last year, along with millions of kits to turn ordinary bicycles into electric ones. Annual sales have reached about $11 billion. The government is suddenly paying attention--but its urge to regulate is pulling it in two different directions.
>>
>> More and more Chinese cyclists, it seems, would like a battery and motor to turn the wheels for them. Production of ordinary bicycles, which peaked in 2006 at nearly 80m units, has since fallen by more than 25%.
>>
>> .............................
>>
>> But the government is threatening to put a legislative spoke in the industry's wheels. Until recently there were few laws regulating electric bikes: they do not need to be registered, nor do their drivers need a licence. Unsurprisingly, the 120m bikes in use are involved in a growing number of accidents. Almost 2,500 electric-bike-related deaths were recorded in 2007. At night pedestrians are at particular risk, because many e-cyclists drive without lights to save power. More than a dozen cities have introduced restrictions of one sort or another. In theory, the government has limited electric bikes' top speed to 20kph (12mph), but in practice most can go much faster.
>>
>> .............................
>>
>> whole article:
>> http://www.economist.com/business-finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=16117106
>>
>>
>>
>>
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