3 ms·

Energy goes with speed squared, so you have only 75kg at double the speed. A fully loaded moped with passenger (we're comparing apples to apples, right?) would

Energy goes with speed squared, so you have only 75kg at double the speed. A fully loaded moped with passenger (we're comparing apples to apples, right?) would be at around 250kg (75+75+100). Also at 25kph both the vehicle and the passengers have more time to react. So yeah, fully loaded the driver/rider would have to pay more attention, but that's true for anything that's fully loaded. Given the shape of the problem, this solution is pretty damn good: green, quiet, small, good looking and reasonably safe. Possibly very safe, if its auto braking works well enough.

IshKebab 5y ago
Yeah he said momentum, not energy.
carlob 5y ago
Energy goes with speed squared, that's why I said momentum, which doesn't. Also a 50 cc moped with a single passenger would be closer to 150 kg. Pedantics aside, probably the most annoying thing about having this on a bike lane would be the 1 m width, especially considering that some two way bike lanes are just 2 m wide.
- radu_floricica 5y ago
  I doubt we'll be seeing them behind every bike. And if by any chance we will, most of them will be a lot smaller. I'm big on having this kind of small e-vehicles on the roads, because I think they're the best chance we have on having truly nice, open, clean cities. Using a half-ton monstrosity to go buy a loaf of bread is a horrible waste of, not just resources, but commons. As you said, the worst thing is their size, and that is by necessity limited in urban areas. So if we're going to have this kind of things replace cars, we'll have to be open to a larger ecology of e-vehicles, for various use cases. Including larger ones for cargo, and also the sick grandma that can't ride a bike. Probably the biggest difference of opinion between us is that I see them as replacement for traffic, and so I want them scaled up and separate them from pedestrians as much as practically possible.
- petre 5y ago
  Mountain bikes are close to 1 m now with all the 80+ cm handlebars. 1 m is rather insufficient for a bike lane, it would be like <2.5 m lanes for cars.

IshKebab 5y ago

Yeah he said momentum, not energy.

carlob 5y ago

Energy goes with speed squared, that's why I said momentum, which doesn't. Also a 50 cc moped with a single passenger would be closer to 150 kg. Pedantics aside, probably the most annoying thing about having this on a bike lane would be the 1 m width, especially considering that some two way bike lanes are just 2 m wide.

radu_floricica 5y ago
I doubt we'll be seeing them behind every bike. And if by any chance we will, most of them will be a lot smaller. I'm big on having this kind of small e-vehicles on the roads, because I think they're the best chance we have on having truly nice, open, clean cities. Using a half-ton monstrosity to go buy a loaf of bread is a horrible waste of, not just resources, but commons. As you said, the worst thing is their size, and that is by necessity limited in urban areas. So if we're going to have this kind of things replace cars, we'll have to be open to a larger ecology of e-vehicles, for various use cases. Including larger ones for cargo, and also the sick grandma that can't ride a bike. Probably the biggest difference of opinion between us is that I see them as replacement for traffic, and so I want them scaled up and separate them from pedestrians as much as practically possible.
petre 5y ago
Mountain bikes are close to 1 m now with all the 80+ cm handlebars. 1 m is rather insufficient for a bike lane, it would be like <2.5 m lanes for cars.