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I wonder why is still anyone NOT using e-bikes for delivery. This is the lowest hanging fruit ever. No charging issues (just a normal wall socket is more than e

I wonder why is still anyone NOT using e-bikes for delivery. This is the lowest hanging fruit ever. No charging issues (just a normal wall socket is more than enough), no range issues - trips are short and battery can be swapped by a person in seconds to the one that was charging. Almost zero running costs compared to a two-stroke.

nemomarx 2y ago
up front costs compared to non powered bike maybe?
- anovikov 2y ago
  Compared to non powered bike maybe, but it's only practical in a very limited set of scenarios. I'm comparing to a two stroke moped that's still used by majority of deliverymen down here. These days a two-stroke moped costs about as much as an e-bike and is whole lot more expensive and difficult to maintain. Only force behind it seems to be the force of tradition. Creepy to see it holding so much control over even very young people who delivery drivers tend to be.
Gerard0 2y ago
Not the majority at all, but some people like me do it for fun :)
reaperman 2y ago
Not all cities are like yours - in Houston, it's reasonably common for a business to offer delivery "anywhere within the inner loop", which is just the smallest of three beltways which circumscribe the city. The inner loop is 100 sq. miles (260 sq. kilometers). Right now (4:30PM on a Monday) drive times and cycling times are comparable (close enough its not really a deciding factor). But bicycling 6-10 miles for each delivery is a good way to get injured. Very few drivers here have any habit of expecting bicycles. When I bicycled to work, I got hit by a car roughly every other week - and that was just one 2 mile ride per day, not multiple 2-10 mile rides per day.
- anovikov 2y ago
  Again i'm comparing with two-wheel two-stroke mopeds, not with cars... Using cars for delivery is all but impractical anyway because they stand in traffic ESPECIALLY in a city "not like mine", i'd hate to get my food ordered at 6pm, by 7.30, inedibly cold.
  - reaperman 2y ago
    Ah. Good comparison, I completely agree. And also, your description of long wait and cold food is reasonably accurate for Houston - it shocks me that food delivery apps are still so popular here; most people seem to talk about mainly bad experiences, but keep using it anyways.
euroderf 2y ago
> I wonder why is still anyone NOT using e-bikes for delivery. In Helsinki, delivery (of food) seems to be dominated by larger scooters with flat beds between yoke and seat post/rear fender. Maybe because the food delivery boxes are quite large, maybe because they have lots of insulation for winter use ? Maybe because the fat tires on the scooters are more stable on snow & ice ? Just guessing.
kh_hk 2y ago
When I was doing it, for rush, fun and sport. I guess it's a privileged take on it though.
Gigachad 2y ago
It pretty much is like that in Australia. Aus post utilises e-bikes and golf cart like things for a lot of deliveries. Most food delivery is done by e bikes. They still have the traditional vans though since they get loaded up once in the morning to deliver a ton of large packages.
numpad0 2y ago
I think it's because Uber Eats et al relies on social leniency for meatspace presence and not paying for parking lots and bikes themselves. E-bikes and EV vans are used successfully by couple large orgs globally albeit at small scales. Or maybe because EV transition is not low hanging fruits at all, idk.

nemomarx 2y ago

up front costs compared to non powered bike maybe?

anovikov 2y ago
Compared to non powered bike maybe, but it's only practical in a very limited set of scenarios. I'm comparing to a two stroke moped that's still used by majority of deliverymen down here. These days a two-stroke moped costs about as much as an e-bike and is whole lot more expensive and difficult to maintain. Only force behind it seems to be the force of tradition. Creepy to see it holding so much control over even very young people who delivery drivers tend to be.

Gerard0 2y ago

Not the majority at all, but some people like me do it for fun :)

reaperman 2y ago

Not all cities are like yours - in Houston, it's reasonably common for a business to offer delivery "anywhere within the inner loop", which is just the smallest of three beltways which circumscribe the city. The inner loop is 100 sq. miles (260 sq. kilometers). Right now (4:30PM on a Monday) drive times and cycling times are comparable (close enough its not really a deciding factor). But bicycling 6-10 miles for each delivery is a good way to get injured. Very few drivers here have any habit of expecting bicycles. When I bicycled to work, I got hit by a car roughly every other week - and that was just one 2 mile ride per day, not multiple 2-10 mile rides per day.

anovikov 2y ago
Again i'm comparing with two-wheel two-stroke mopeds, not with cars... Using cars for delivery is all but impractical anyway because they stand in traffic ESPECIALLY in a city "not like mine", i'd hate to get my food ordered at 6pm, by 7.30, inedibly cold.
- reaperman 2y ago
  Ah. Good comparison, I completely agree. And also, your description of long wait and cold food is reasonably accurate for Houston - it shocks me that food delivery apps are still so popular here; most people seem to talk about mainly bad experiences, but keep using it anyways.

euroderf 2y ago

> I wonder why is still anyone NOT using e-bikes for delivery. In Helsinki, delivery (of food) seems to be dominated by larger scooters with flat beds between yoke and seat post/rear fender. Maybe because the food delivery boxes are quite large, maybe because they have lots of insulation for winter use ? Maybe because the fat tires on the scooters are more stable on snow & ice ? Just guessing.

kh_hk 2y ago

When I was doing it, for rush, fun and sport. I guess it's a privileged take on it though.

Gigachad 2y ago

It pretty much is like that in Australia. Aus post utilises e-bikes and golf cart like things for a lot of deliveries. Most food delivery is done by e bikes. They still have the traditional vans though since they get loaded up once in the morning to deliver a ton of large packages.

numpad0 2y ago

I think it's because Uber Eats et al relies on social leniency for meatspace presence and not paying for parking lots and bikes themselves. E-bikes and EV vans are used successfully by couple large orgs globally albeit at small scales. Or maybe because EV transition is not low hanging fruits at all, idk.