Latest / Elon Musk Podcast / eBikes are taking over the streets!

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eBikes are taking over the streets! · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Elon Musk
• 0:04
  Podcast. This is a show where we discuss
• 0:07
  the critical crossroads that shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The
• 0:11
  Boring Company and Neurolink. I'm your host, Will Walden.
• 0:16
  So did you ever think that E bikes would become such a big
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  deal? It's kind of like Back to the
• 0:23
  Future when Marty McFly was awestruck by all the future
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  technology. Now, back in 2021, the House of
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  Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, including a
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  $4.1 billion provision in tax credits aimed at promoting
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  electric bikes. Now, this is a sector where even
• 0:44
  Elon Musk has not ventured yet. Now E bikes have rapidly
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  transitioned from a novelty to a mainstream mode of transport.
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  I see them all over the streets and they provide significant
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  benefits to delivery workers during the pandemic times and
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  commuters now who prefer not to arrive sweaty at their
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  destinations. They don't want to ride a
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  traditional bicycle, so now they have E bikes to zip around the
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  city. And despite some derision over
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  the supposed purity of cycling, with E bike riders accused of
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  taking shortcuts, these electric assists have been instrumental
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  in encouraging people to engage in healthy exercise.
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  This is particularly true for older or less practice cyclists
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  who might otherwise avoid biking due to dotting hills or long
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  distances. Or they're just out of shape.
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  And E bikes are helping to make cycling accessible and enjoyable
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  for a broader audience, pushing more people off the couch and
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  out of the streets. However, high-powered class 3E
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  bikes, which can reach speeds of over 40 mph, have caused
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  friction busy urban areas like New York City.
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  Now these models raise important discussions about the future of
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  urban mobility, suggesting that E bikes could free up St. space,
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  get the cars out of there, offer alternatives to cars, and reduce
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  energy consumption and emissions.
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  Now, California's Air Resources Board recently allocated about
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  $10 million in rebates for E bike purchases.
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  It's a small scale version of tax incentives offered for EVs,
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  like the $7500 government federal rebate for EVs at this
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  time. But the surgeon E bike
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  popularity has spread innovation with new tech ideas emerging
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  such as rain proof cargo bikes, pavement embedded wireless
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  charging and automated stabilization systems for senior
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  riders. City Q is taking pre-orders for
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  a four wheeled cargo bike marketing as providing a Tesla
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  feeling for cyclists. They've already started shipping
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  those by the way. This burst of creativity is
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  transforming the E bike industry and expanding its potential for
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  all users. So back in 2020, about 500,000 E
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  bikes were sold in the US compared to 210,000 plug in
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  cars, according to estimates. And market research firm NPD
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  Group reported that the pandemic led to a 145% increase in E bike
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  sales from 2019 to 2020, more than doubling the growth of
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  traditional bicycles. Now, industry analysts predict
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  this trend will continue, with global E bike market expected to
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  grow from 32.5 billion last year to $53 billion over the course
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  of 2025. Now that's a growth rate of over
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  10%. Now, even in Europe, known for
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  its cycling culture, E bikes sales increased by 23% in 2019.
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  Now, by 2023, there will be or there were over 300 million E
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  bikes on the roads. Now it's a significant shift
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  from the normal transportation trends of regular bikes, with E
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  bikes playing a crucial role in urban mobility and
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  sustainability efforts going forward.
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  Now there's two main types of E bikes though, hub motors and mid
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  drive motors. Now hub motors are built right
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  into the wheel center and are available in two types geared
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  hub motors, which use internal gears to operate efficiently at
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  high RPM, and gearless hub motors which link the motors
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  strata directly to the bike axle, reducing the mechanical
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  wear of the system. Now these motors are affordable,
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  low maintenance and widely produced, making them a popular
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  choice for E bike manufacturers. Now despite these benefits, hub
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  motors have limitations though, particularly when it comes to
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  hill climbs and handling. They typically offer a single
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  gear ratio which is not ideal for steep inclines and can make
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  a bike kind of feel unbalanced. Now, changing tires on hub motor
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  equipped bikes can also be challenging due to the wheel
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  mounted motor. Now mid drive motors on the
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  other hand, which are located inside the bike frame between
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  the pedals, offer a completely different approach.
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  These motors transfer power through the chain drive to the
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  rear wheel, providing significant torque for climbing
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  hills or starting from a standstill.
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  It allows for more efficient power delivery, although it can
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  put additional stress on the bike's chain of gears.
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  But it's not too bad. Now, the main advantage of mid
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  drive motors is their ability to deliver sustained power on long
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  climbs. However, this constant power can
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  wear off chains faster, not too fast, and E bikes with mid drive
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  motors are often equipped with stronger chains to handle the
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  increased load anyway. And if the chain breaks, the
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  bike becomes inoperable, much like a traditional bike.
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  Now, newer mid drive motors are smaller and lighter, often
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  integrated into the bike frame to maintain a sleek, stealthy
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  appearance. Now both hub and mid drive
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  motors use sensors to detect pedal force for wheel rotation,
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  activating the motor to assist the driver or the rider.
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  And mid drive motors typically use torque sensors for smoother
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  power delivery. With hub, motors often rely on
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  cadence sensors, which can lead to less consistent motor
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  assistance. Now, battery range is a
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  significant consideration for E bike users.
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  While some companies claim ranges of up to 100 miles, real
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  world conditions often resert in much lower figures.
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  Variables such as rider weight, wind resistance, and also the
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  terrain you're riding on can all impact battery for performance
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  just like any other electric vehicle.
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  But generally E bikes with about 750 Watt motors and 480 Watt
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  hour batteries can go about 20 miles on battery power alone and
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  up to about 32 miles with pedal assist.
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  So that's pretty good, 20 miles on a battery charge.
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  You just have to charge it up when you get there.
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  That's not too bad, it's good for zipping around town too.
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  Now the added weight of E bike battery is usually between 6 and
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  8 lbs. Not really heavy, but over time
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  it feels it and it also affects the handling and requires more
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  effect or more effort from the rider when the battery is
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  depleted. Battery placement also impacts
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  the bike's balance. Rear rack mounted batteries are
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  easy to access but can make the bike feel top heavy.
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  Down to mounted batteries are more balanced while integrated
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  down to batteries offer the best aesthetic and also handling.
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  Now the three class system promoted by people for bikes
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  categorizes E bikes based on the resist type and maximum speed.
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  Class 1E bikes providing pedal assist up to 20 mph.
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  Class 2 is 20 mph but include a throttle for motor only
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  propulsion. Class 3E bikes are pedal assist
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  only but can reach speeds of up to 20 mph.
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  Systems help. They help standardize the
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  regulations and guide consumers and choosing the right E bike
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  for their needs. Now class 3E bikes are the
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  fastest. They're typically restricted to
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  roadways and bike lanes, avoiding multi use pass shared
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  with pedestrians. In Europe E bike E mountain
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  bikes are EMT. BS are generally accepted on non
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  motorized trails, but in the US federal agencies like the Forest
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  Service and National Park Service classify EMT BS as
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  motorized vehicles, limiting their trail access.
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  Now E bike prices vary widely. You can get them for anywhere
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  from I've seen them for $400.00 on sale at Best Buy and Walmart.
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  Things like that. They could go up to ten, $15,000
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  too. So it depends on what you need
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  it for and also your price range.
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  So you want to be aware of how powerful your motor is, what
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  kind of connectivity you have, luxurious components like is the
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  seat really soft? Are you going to take a long
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  ride? What kind of seat do you want?
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  Does it have a a storage compartment?
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  Is it four wheels or two wheels or three wheels?
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  It's up to you. And of course paint.
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  And are you going to commute with it?
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  Is it going to be a a short commute where you go, you know,
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  5 minutes, 10 minutes, maybe 20 minutes?
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  Or are you going to take longer rides for 30 minutes to an hour?
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  That's all up the question and how much you going to pay for
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  it? So giant Trek, specialized in
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  Schwinn, they've all embraced E bikes and BMW has also made E
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  bikes. Porsche has a majority stake in
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  Gray, PA high end bike company powered or founded by electric
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  hypercar entrepreneur, signaling the automotive industry interest
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  in E bikes. I mean, I don't, I do understand
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  why they're doing it, but somebody like Porsche doesn't
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  really need an E bike. They have wonderful cars, so
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  they don't really need E bikes, but it's a good way to diversify
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  their portfolio I guess. Now, E bikes, of course, are
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  very popular now. You see them everywhere.
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  They're becoming an integral part of urban transportation
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  solutions. I see them all over the place
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  now. And as more people adopt E bikes
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  for commuting, recreation and delivery services, the benefits
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  of reduced emission, lower energy consumption and improved
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  accessibility are becoming increasingly evident.
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  Now remember there's three types of E bikes so far, the three
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  class systems. So 20 mph and that's for 1/2 is
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  20 mph for motor only propulsion in class three are pedaled
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  assist. So choose wisely when you go out
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  there and grab an E bike anywhere from 400 ish 4 to $500
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  to 10,000 you can get them really tricked out.
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  So yeah, that's it for E bikes today everybody.
• 10:37
  Thank you for listening. Hey, thank you so much for
• 10:46
  listening today. I really do appreciate your
• 10:48
  support. If you could take a second and
• 10:50
  hit the subscribe or the follow button on whatever podcast
• 10:53
  platform that you're listening on right now, I greatly
• 10:56
  appreciate it. It helps out the show
• 10:57
  tremendously and you'll never miss an episode.
• 11:00
  And each episode is about 10 minutes or less to get you
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  caught up quickly. And please, if you want to
• 11:06
  support the show even more, go to patreon.com/stage Zero.
• 11:12
  And please take care of yourselves and each other.
• 11:14
  And I'll see you tomorrow.