Electric Bike

 Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving - Albert Einstein

For medical reasons, I decided a few weeks ago that I would have to give up my Brompton folding bike and upgrade to an electric bike. The Brompton has served me well for fifteen or more years: initially, carrying me between the railway station and home/work when I used to commute betwixt Hereford & London. More recently it has been my mobile laboratory for citizen science water testing ...

Photo 1: Mobile Water Testing Laboratory

There are a number of cycle shops in Hereford and I was keen to buy local - supports the local economy and, hopefully, provides better customer service. I was keen to avoid cheap imports that compromise on battery safety and are therefore a fire & safety risk.

I finally decided on a Volt Burlington costing a tad over £2000. British-made with plenty of positive reviews and supplied through a local cycle shop.

Photo 2: Volt Burlington Electric Bike

A few features were essential. Step-through frame making it suitable for both Mary and I. Mudguards, pannier rack, built-in front and rear lights and suspension on front forks and seat post for a more comfortable ride. The battery can be charged in situ or removed and charged elsewhere. Security is also important: Volt bikes come with integrated frame lock (standard in Holland) with incorporated chain lock (an extra £30) for securing to bike stands, etc plus a special fob to activate the electric motor.

Importantly, I needed the bike to be able to carry my water testing kit. To be honest, the Burlington is not as convenient as the Brompton for this purpose. I now carry my testing kit in a rucksack and affix my sampling pole to the pannier rack with bungee cords. Not perfect but manageable if I slide the sampling pole backwards to mount the cycle and then slide it forward when I'm ready to push off ...

Photo 3: Electric Bike with Sampling Pole Attached

The Burlington has a typical range of around 60 miles (or 95 kilometres). Currently, my water testing requires only about 14 miles (26 kilometres) travel per week. During the summer months I'm charging the bike off my single 185W solar panel located on the bike shed. This was installed in 2021 and includes an inverter to provide a single 240V standard UK plug socket. The solar panel charges a 12V wet lead acid battery and the power is drawn off this battery.

Photo 4: 185W Solar Panel on the Bike Shed

When the Burlington battery gets down to about 60% capacity, it takes about 2 hours to recharge the battery up to 100%.  How well this charging system will work in the winter months is uncertain; I may have to plug the bike battery into a conventional house socket.

Electric bikes are one of the most efficient low carbon means of getting around. Even better than a normal pedal-powered bicycle if the electricity you use to charge your battery is zero carbon. This is predominantly down to the carbon intensiveness of agriculture, especially if you get most of your calories from eating meat and dairy products.

It is quite a complicated calculation to work out which form of transport has the lowest carbon footprint. Some studies will just include the manufacture of the bike itself (pedal cycle lower than electric bike) but this misses the biggest factor over the lifetime of the bike which is the energy needed to power the bike. Whether it is bananas or beefburgers (the latter far worse than the former), growing and transporting food has a high carbon intensity. Solar PV panels are much more efficient (15-26%) than photosynthesis (0.1-2%) which makes electric bikes the lower carbon option when used with renewable energy sources.

There are a number of other issues which are important; it is not just about the carbon footprint! This YouTube video addresses some of these issues and, hopefully, puts your mind at rest ...

Video 1: How Bad are Electric Bikes for the Environment - Simon Clark

Most of all, riding an electric bike is fun even when travelling uphill or into a head wind. Give it a try - most bike shops offer a try before you buy option. The only downside I have found is that the e-bikes are heavier than conventional cycles so you don't want to be picking them up very often.