Ken Chung, owner of Power in Motion says bike buyers want to save cash and the environment
SUV and truck sales dropped 25 per cent in the first four months of 2008, food prices are on the rise and airlines are scrambling to become more efficient as a result of skyrocketing fuel prices. There are some businesses, however, that are thriving due to high fuel costs. Ken Chung, owner of Power in Motion, a local electric bike shop, is benefiting from a changing consumer mindset.
Sales at his Eau Claire store, which isn’t even listed in the phone book, have more than tripled this year. Chung says there are three types of people coming in to buy electric bikes: those who are looking for a cost savings for their work commute, those who are looking to reduce their environmental footprint and those who are recreational riders looking to extend the range they can travel.
Electric bikes, or e-bikes, look and ride like regular bicycles. The difference is they are equipped with an electric motor to provide assistance on demand. The rider determines whether to cruise with assistance for the whole trip, pedal normally or just use the motor to assist with hills or windy conditions.
Molly Dragland has permanently parked her car since converting her bike a couple months ago. She commutes from her home in the southwest community of Signal Hill along bike pathways all the way to her job in the northeast. She pedals and uses the power assist to get her to work in 40 minutes — the same time it used to take her to drive and find parking.
“I hated driving. It was a waste of money, and I used to get really stressed out from rush hour traffic.” Dragland continues, “I don’t have to do that anymore. Now, I get to enjoy pretty scenery.”
Dragland can ride her bike more than a roundtrip to work before she needs to charge the battery. Since she doesn’t have access to a shower at work, she says the power assistance up hills allows her to arrive at work sweat-free. The bikes are relatively silent during operation, making it hard to tell the difference between an e-bike and a conventional bike.
Dragland plans on riding during the winter and has already ridden through rain. She explains that it’s important to maintain the battery, keep it protected from water and keep it charged, but beyond that, it’s a stress-free, economical way to get around. The batteries can be easily removed and carried for security while parked and are best removed if leaving the bike outside during the winter.
E-bikes are making cycling a more realistic, less intimidating option for a lot of people. According to Statistics Canada, the average Calgary commuter travels close to 10 kilometres each way to work, and more than 75 per cent of us drive. Less than two per cent of Calgarians cycle, despite having access to almost 650 kilometres of pathways.
If sales at Power in Motion are any indication of what’s to come, though, this may be changing. Converting your bike can cost in the $650 range or more, but once complete, the cost of riding an e-bike is minimal. Chung has crunched the numbers to come up with five cents per 50 kilometres for operation of an e-bike. Compare that with licensing, registration, parking, insurance, maintenance, depreciation and gas at $1.30 per litre for operating a car. Cars are on the way out.
A new report by CIBC World Markets confirms fuel prices will trigger the greatest mass exodus of vehicles in history off America’s roads. The report predicts there will be 10 million fewer vehicles in the United States by 2012 than there are today.
“We stand at a turning point for U.S. transport,” say the report’s authors, CIBC economists Jeff Rubin and Benjamin Tal. “Real gasoline prices have already surpassed the peak levels that followed the second OPEC oil shocks, and even when adjusted for fuel-efficiency improvements, have increased to the point where they will dramatically change driving behaviour in America.”
Bike happy with the knowledge that:
• One car takes as much material to build as 100 bicycles.
• For every 500 kilometres an electric bike is used in place of a car, an average of 50 litres of fuel is saved while 1.6 pounds of hydrocarbons, 11.88 pounds of carbon monoxide and 0.83 pounds of nitrogen oxides are not emitted.
• Between six and 20 bicycles can be parked in the space a motor vehicle requires for parking.
• Bicycles also cause little, if any, wear and tear on roadways.
