Building Electrification Resources
Ebikes
Emissions from burning gas to move us and our stuff around are the biggest contributors to the climate crisis[1]. Lots of good work is going into electric cars. But we can't solve the climate crisis fast enough with electric cars alone. Ebikes (electric bicycles) can give us big climate gains that we need fast while we work on the longer project of trading gas cars in for electrics.
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Add a small electric motor to a bicycle to help you pedal and you get an amazing machine that is:
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Great at climbing hills, beating headwinds, tackling long commutes, hauling kids & loads. Keep up with your more athletic friends.
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Safer in traffic thanks to the extra power boost.
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Cheap to ride - less than a penny a mile to charge the battery & no parking fees.
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Easy to park - up to 10 regular e-bikes fit into one car parking slot.
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Doesn't get stuck in traffic jams - just slip around or through them.
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Impressively efficient - from 1000 to 4000 MPGe Compare to a gas car at 10-30 mpg. Over 20 times more energy efficient than electric cars & 30-100 times more miles per pound of battery - see our study.
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Climate friendly - over 70 times as far as a gas fueled car per pound of CO2 emissions.
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Good for your health - but won't make you sweat (unless you want to).
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Easy on cranky joints
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and lots of fun - feel bionic!
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Thumb your nose at Putin & ignore rising prices at the pump.
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LEARN: Curious about what an ebike is? Check out Ebike 101 to understand how they work.
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BUY: Considering buying an ebike? Or recently bought one? Check out our Buyer's Guides & Reviews to help you select & outfit ebike.
Live in the San Francisco Bay area? Check out the San Francisco Bay Area ebike info for dealers, bikeshares, where you can ride, how to take your bike on transit, get potholes fixed, & more.
Curious about how an ebike would fit in your life? Read Bike Stories & Blogs to learn from other riders experience.
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​CUT COSTS: Think ebikes are too expensive? Check out these Incentive Programs to help people buy or borrow ebikes.
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RIDE, CARE & STOP THEFT: Already own an ebike? Check the Owner's Guide to find out how to ride & take care of your ebike, plus how to keep it safe from theft.
If you live around San Francisco, check out the San Francisco Bay Area ebike info for classes, where you can ride, secure parking, bikes on transit & more.
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RECRUIT: Are you a happy ebike rider? Encourage others! Tell your friends about how much fun it is to ride your ebike and how it helps fight the climate crisis. Download wallet sized cards about e-bikes to hand out to your friends & others who are curious at Spread the Joy
ACT: Want to take action to support ebikes? Act now to support (and make more equitable) policies and Legislation in US, state, and federal legislatures to help people afford ebikes.
Take a look also at the Incentive Programs If there is one in your area, see how you can help promote its use. If not, use these as models to design one for your city or state.
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FLEETS & DELIVERY: Converting a government or corporate fleet to electric vehicles? Learn how cities and companies are using ebike Fleets as a no-sweat way for employees to get to meetings and inspections, deliver equipment, do maintenance and much more, with large reductions in climate emissions per mile, while saving big on capital and operating expenses.
How about reducing congestion and road damage from delivery trucks? Many cities and package delivery companies are using ebike Delivery hubs and fleets to get the big trucks off the road.
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POLICY/PROGRAMS: Are you a planner, legislator, business owner or advocate looking for better ways to reduce car usage and save the climate? Learn about why ebike programs are effective and get ideas from the range of Policy Options & Program Designs being used to help people get out of their cars on to two (or three) electric assisted wheels, including subsidies, lending libraries, secure bike parking and much more.
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THE SCIENCE: Curious about how much difference ebikes make? How efficient are ebikes? Do people actually replace their cars? And what happens to stores when you replace car parking with bike lanes? Find out what the Studies say.
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BRAG: Already own an e-bike and want to find out how efficient yours is? Get bragging rights about your bike's high efficiency and contribute to our knowledge about ebikes by joining the citizen science E-Bike Monitoring Project
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NEWS: See headlines, insight, and analysis about e-bikes from all over the world in Ebike News
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SAFETY: Find out about Safety Certifications that ensure that ebikes and their batteries are designed to be safe from fire and get guidelines for safe charging.
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WHAT IS NEW ON THIS WEBSITE: Return visitor? You can get a quick look at what we have added since your last visit at the Website Updates Log page.
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ABOUT US: Who is behind this website? Check out the Walk Bike Berkeley Ebike Project and who builds the Climate Action Center website.
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EVERY OTHER QUESTION: Got ebike questions not answered elsewhere in this website?
Check the FAQ and if you don't find it answered there, ask us through the Contact form below
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[1]​​ 29% of total US 2019 greenhouse gas emissions came directly from transportation and 40% of California's emissions - primarily from burning fossil fuel for our cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes. USEPA, Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, accessed 8/12/2021 and California Air Resources Board, California Greenhouse Gas 2000-2019 Emissions Trends and Indicators Report, July 28, 2021 Figure 4. 2019 GHG Emissions by Scoping Plan Sector and Sub-Sector Category, accessed 8/12/2021 from Current California GHG Emission Inventory Data.
Including the entire lifecycle of the gas and diesel burned - emissions from extraction, processing and refining - transportation is responsible for over 50% of California's climate emissions. 2020 Integrated Energy Policy Report Update Vol 1, Figure 1: More Than Half of the State's GHG Emissions Come from Transportation, accessed 10/25/21
The e-bike section of this website is part of the E-Bike 1000 MPG Project - a project of Walk Bike Berkeley
which in turn is fiscally sponsored by Bike East Bay.
