Health Benefits:
An e-bike is a transportation option that can also serve as an exercise. Riding an e-bike to travel has very similar health benefits to riding a bike for exercise, except that the e-bike has the added benefit of being able to give the rider a short break. The e-bike can power itself when the rider gets tired so even novice bikers can use an e-bike as a viable transportation method.
There are many health benefits from biking generally that can also be obtained from using an e-bike. According to betterhealth.gov some of the health benefits of cycling regularly include “increased cardiovascular fitness, increased muscle strength/flexibility, improved joint mobility, decreased stress levels, improved posture and coordination, strengthened bones, decreased body fat levels, prevention of disease, and reduced anxiety.” [1]
Financial Benefits:
In addition to being beneficial for a person’s physical health, an e-bike can also be a worthwhile investment because it is less expensive than other forms of transportation. An e-bike doesn’t use gas and since it can be charged up by peddling. Unlike a motorcycle or car an e-bike doesn’t cost money or resources to charge/operate. This means that an e-bike is a very affordable form of transportation when compared to a car or motorcycle.
Environmental Benefits:
An e-bike is a zero emission form of transportation and therefore is much more environmentally friendly. If e-bikes were more widely used there would be a significant relief of the environmental impact that daily transportation has. Some e-bikes so in fact have to be charged before operation and thus contribute some environmental impact because of the effects of electricity generation. The disposal of e-bikes can be somewhat harmful to the environment if not done correctly, but overall e-bikes are very environmentally friendly in comparison to the most popular forms of transportation.
Some e-bike further enhance their environmental sustainability by charging through solar power. Solar power stations can be set up to charge an e-bike for little to no cost and they are already beginning to gain popularity in China. Some of the charging stations have charging spots that allow e-bikes to be parked and charged under a photo-voltaic panel [2]. A study of the environmental impact of e-bikes found that e-bikes are “18 times more energy efficient than an SUV, 13 times more energy efficient than a sedan, 6 times more energy efficient than rail transit and nearly equal to the environment impact of a traditional bike.” [3]
Traffic Impacts:
When a large percent of the population in a particular area use e-bikes as a consistent form of travel, there is a large relief on the road traffic conditions. Especially in urban areas where the traffic load for cars and buses is high an e-bike is very beneficial to the user because it can be more efficient, but is will also decrease the overall traffic issues for the community at large. E-bikes also have the impact of alleviating parking issues in urban areas particularly because they simply take up so much less space than cars.
[4] e-bike parking location
Overall e-bikes offer a variety of benefits to both the individual user and the society at large and they should be used more often for this reason.