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Two-wheeled electric vehicles have benefited from improvements in battery technology:
As car companies make strides toward expanding the reach of electric cars in the U.S., the same is happening in the world of two wheels. Outside the U.S., motorcycles, mopeds and scooters are vital, affordable forms of transportation that alleviate congestion. They also run on fossil fuels, and many of the smaller motors are more polluting than regular cars.
In the U.S., these smaller vehicles largely have been leisure devices. But as battery technology improves and cities get denser, some startups are seeking to produce cheaper and greener mopeds, scooters and motorized bikes. When John McChesney reported on e-bikes for NPR in 2008, they were pretty much a new thing in the U.S. Electric bikes have a long history but re-emerged after the turn of the century.
Meanwhile, dockless bikesharing programs, popular in China, have made their way to the U.S. The bicycles are located using GPS, unlocked using smartphones, and parked almost anywhere. Entrants such as LimeBike, Mobike, Spin, and Ofo are competing against existing bikeshare initiatives and public-private partnerships that use fixed docks. Dockless bicycles have made their way across the nation, sparking skepticism, 911 calls, and thefts.
Cycling gadgets: the invisible trackers and dockless bikes shaping 2018
Dockless bike-sharing startup LimeBike is working on creating virtual parking spots
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday December 30 2017, @12:29PM (2 children)
A lot of those ebikes look like toys. That is, they aren't fit to put on the highway, and ride at speeds up to 100 mph. In fact, some of them look like they might be unstable at 30 mph, considering that delivery boys are carrying a load on the bike. Ten pounds, a hundred pounds, possibly more. Assuming the bike weighs forty pounds, the rider weighs 150 pounds, and the load weighs 100 pounds, 30 mph amounts to a lot of kinetic energy. WTF are they doing riding on sidewalks? Why are they riding down one-way streets the wrong way? Running redlights?
Sounds to me like New York may have made the right call - just outlaw the damned things. If the riders don't have the sense that children are supposed to have when they learn to ride a bicycle, keep fining them.
Now, an electric MOTORCYCLE sounds appealing. Something at least comparable to a Honda 300, preferably a 500. My GL 500 will cruise at 100 mph for about 2 1/2 hours at a time, then it's time to stop for fuel. Nice comfortable ride, you can carry a lot of stuff in the various pockets, rear box, and panniers, plus the magnetic tank bag that sits on the fuel tank. Dry weight right at 500 pounds, fueled up, rider aboard, and whatever gear might be carried, there may be three quarter ton total mass. Yep, it's stable. And, properly licensed, because it meets ALL safety requirements at the federal and state level.
And, I would never ride down the sidewalk, or through a park, or down a bike trail.
Make a machine that equals that old 500, license it, then put it on the streets for deliveries.
Screw a whole bunch of ebikes. If they are made legal, the city streets will probably just degenerate into the same kind of messes shown in videos in China, India, Hong Kong, and other places.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a56VPFR3Qbo [youtube.com]
Maybe we should import some water buffalo to run throught the streets as well? Note that many of those machines are much older than my 1982 GL - some of them may be as old as I am! But, yeah, buffalo . . .
(Score: 4, Informative) by tonyPick on Saturday December 30 2017, @01:00PM
Are you supplying drugs to Lance Armstrong here? e-bikes like these will be pedal cycle replacements limited to 20mph which allows them to skip around most of the regulations related to motor vehicles. Faster than that and you get into "proper" regulation: e.g. States will typically define e-mopeds in the 1000W range (1.5 hp) and speeds attainable to 30mph, and include a few requirements such as a helmet, eye protection, and a driver’s license. States may also require title, registration, and insurance for mopeds: https://electricbikereview.com/guides/ebike-laws-usa/ [electricbikereview.com]
Breaking the law. IMO Arrest them and take the vehicle is the solution to that. Police the world over don't seem to care enough to do that though.
(Score: 4, Informative) by iwoloschin on Saturday December 30 2017, @01:01PM
You're completely right, these guys shouldn't be on sidewalks, but given that the speed limit in NYC is 25 MPH (unless otherwise posted) I don't think you really want, or need, a vehicle capable of 100 MPH.