By Constance Beutel
“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” — H.G. Wells
THE ACACIA BEHIND BENICIA LUTHERAN CHURCH ARE IN BLOOM, and so is the almond tree in my neighbor’s yard. Along with the migrating cedar waxwings and robins, these blossoms are sure signs of imminent spring. And with spring in the air, my thoughts are turning to bicycles — and specifically, electric bicycles.
A recent Google search on the subject turned up almost 16 million references. I’m a bit sorry I didn’t keep a Google search count when I first started to become interested in electric bicycles about six years ago. “Way back then” I found only two nearby sources of electric bikes. One was in San Francisco and the other was in Marin.
Today, a search of Bay Area electric bicycle dealers finds about a dozen dealers and companies that will either sell you an electric bicycle or convert your existing bicycle to electric. Our own Benician Doug Snyder launched California eBike (california-ebike.com) last year and I am one happy beneficiary of his skill in converting my beloved recumbent bicycle to electric.
Benicia is perfect for ebikes
With our fairly level downtown and Industrial Park areas and hilly residential areas, Benicia is a perfect place to enjoy the benefits of electric bicycles! It’s easy to coast downtown but the return trip is daunting. With an electric bicycle, as Doug Snyder’s wonderful animation states, “Big Hill in your way . . . Get over it!”
To be legal as an electric bicycle, an ebike motor can go no faster than 20 mph. Going faster than 20 mph, the vehicle leaves the legal and conventional electric bicycle sphere. There is no doubt that a motorized electric bicycle can go faster than 20 mph, but not legally as an unlicensed vehicle. And while bicycles, both electric and standard, can certainly go a lot faster than 20 mph, on electrics the motor cuts out at 20 mph. And that’s OK because to get up the steepest hill we have, it isn’t about speed, it’s about the motor.
The distances you want to travel and the battery size required to get you around are a different matter. Doug has put together something I haven’t seen anywhere else, a totally useful graphing model that lets you estimate the grade of the steepest hill you need to conquer and the distances you want to ride on a single battery charge. With grade and distance calculated, his graph estimates the motor and battery you need on your bicycle. Take a look above.
Most electric bicycles have three modes: No electric assist; pedal assist that gives you a boost each time you pedal; and throttle. Using the throttle allows you to stop pedaling and let the motor do all the work. You can also use the throttle along with pedaling.
What is so exciting about recent developments in electric bicycles are the new design concepts and features. I saw the Pi Bicycle (above) at the AutoDesk Gallery in San Francisco (this is a must-visit experience if you like design and emerging technology concepts!). A gallery of ebikes would include the Pi Bicycle, an electric tricycle, an electric cargo or utility bike, and an electric trailer that you attach to the back of your bicycle and it pushes you!
Market
In watching the prices for ebikes and conversion kits over the years, the entry point can be as low as $389 for an ebicycle at Wal-Mart, or as much as many thousands of dollars. The average conversion of a bicycle to electric runs just under $1,000 and a good, reliable electric bicycle can be had for about the same amount. I consider my electric bicycles as my first mode of transportation (in good weather) around town.
So I am willing to pay a little more for electric transportation. When you consider it costs about 5 cents to charge the battery for a 30-mile trip, life cycle averaging for the cost of the vehicle starts to make sense — especially if you are considering buying a bicycle but have the feeling that a non-electric might end up parked or hanging in the garage for lack of use after tackling a few of our Benicia hills.
The Pike Research market forecast for electric bicycles worldwide expects a market of between $12 billion to $13 billion by 2018. That would mean the sale of 47-51 million ebikes, with most of the sales in China. How I would love to see the USA — especially Benicia, California, USA — exporting bicycles to China! But first let’s enjoy the pleasures and benefits of this wonderful clean technology right here in Benicia.
Learn more
Benicia’s very own California-ebike.com
Constance Beutel is a member of Benicia’s Community Sustainability Commission. She is a university professor and videographer and holds a doctorate from the University of San Francisco.
Sharing is caring!
Complete waste of newspaper space. I assume it is very interesting to the bike riders. They do other publications that fill that need. That is were this belongs. I do not understand why the Space Cadet continues on her persuit of happyness on renewable energy when there are big things about to happen in the energy field. Constance why not inform the readers about the Monterey Shale Oil Field here in California. The importance of Silicon Valley and their involvement in this issue to make it extract, manufacture and burn cleaner. All along working with California Regulations. How about an article on hydrogen pipeline in Texas. There is many exciting things happening in the energy field that I do believe someone with the knowledge that Constance has could contribute to bring the local folks up to date with very positive info. Give it a try Constance.
Going to have to disagree with you here Bob. Constance’s excellent, well-researched articles may not be what you find interesting, but they are interesting to plenty of our readers and anything but a “complete waste of newspaper space.” Remember, a community newspaper is not a monolith — it contains views and information that reflect a wide spectrum of interests — just like Benicia itself! Ed.
Good comment.
What you are saying may be true. But at the same time the items I mentioned could also be something of wide spread interest that are not talked about by the energy interested folks. Who better to comment on it than Constance. That is all I was saying. Maybe the term waste of space was over stated.
Agreed! And if Constance has other matters on her plate, The Herald invites anyone interested — and, ideally, well informed — to tackle the issue of the Monterey Shale Oil Field. Ed.
Here is a link to a you tube video on a very interesting concept out of Germany:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8iK8wnuTYQ
However, as you indicated in your column, if it ever found its way over to the US, it would probably not qualify as a street legal bicycle.
Nonetheless, who in their right mind would not want to zoom around on this?
As an an aside, how dare you write a column that certain people might find uninteresting, yet ironically, still find it important enough to comment on.
Bob Livesay, since you have such specific opinions about what should be discussed, perhaps you could post the link to your blog here, which publicizes the Energy topics you feel are important.
I think this article is important, and I don’t think you realize how radically improved the intersection at the top of First St. would be improved if more Benicians rode bikes on errands in town.
This article is not for bike riders because they already know about Ebikes. It’s for people like you, who may not be aware of the technology, but might consider it to improve the quality of life in Benicia.
Over the years I’ve watched First St. slowly choke itself out with the car traffic congestion in that intersection. Road width is maxed out, so the only solution now is to reduce the number of cars.
And there is nothing about a Shale Oil field that is going to solve that problem.