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Electric is generally a lot better than driving a scooter with an ice around.

• lm28469 5y ago
  But a "dumb" bike is miles better than an electric one in term of ecology. Replacing a ICE scooter is an electric bike is positive, replacing a regular bike with an electric one is a net negative. The argument only works if it replaces a more polluting option. Just like a Tesla can be a net negative depending on what it replaces
  • samatman 5y ago
    It depends on how you do your accounting. The electric bike is more efficient than the pushbike, just as the pushbike + human is more efficient than the pushbike alone. The carbon cost of a joule of food is higher than a joule of electricity, and joules are what get you where you're going. You can make a case that it's nice exercise you needed anyway; I like bikes as well. But the claim you're making isn't obviously correct and I would say it's more false than true.
    • Tostino 5y ago
      It also doesn't account for reduced car use due to having a more convenient mode of transportation than a standard pushbike.
  • maxerickson 5y ago
    The net effect of ebikes isn't going to be for existing cyclists to buy batteries. Like what is your point? That we aren't on a path to a perfect society? Do you think complaining is going to change that?
  • infecto 5y ago
    Thats fair, I tend to approach this problem as the way out is to innovate more. Unless we hit total disaster and civilization collapses there is no way to coordinate humanity to think about net impact at scale. So when I see an electric bike I see it as one possible less car on the road which to me is in the right direction.