Charge!

The future of electric mobility is so much more than passenger cars and trucks.

I had a chance to attend and speak at a renewable energy conference last week and a smart cities conference this week. I’ll share more about both events soon, but both have me thinking a lot about e-mobility.

Electric bikes have the power to transform urban and suburban transportation.

These mobility marvels come with a hefty price tag to purchase outright, but that’s not stopping consumers. In a year during COVID, e-bikes sold twice as many units as electric cars.

Electric bikes are appealing to a diverse group of people who would otherwise not get on a bicycle. Bike advocates often refer to the “interested but concerned” population who would use bicycles for transportation if some barriers were removed.

It’s not the same level of exercise as a traditional pedal bike, but it is replacing a car trip. E-bikes are great for people who haven’t ridden in years, or who feel out of shape.

E-bikes will play an important role in the retrofitting of suburbia by connecting land uses previously considered “not bikeable.” Don’t fall for “e-bikes are cheating” claim by cycling purists. These machines will get more butts out of cars and onto bikes.

Steve Neel is a 78-year old who has an irregular heart rate, poor blood flow, and trouble breathing. He has this to say about his e-bike:

I love it because it gets me around where I could not go otherwise. Even down roads I could never go with a car. It gives me a freedom that I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s definitely not just for the young.

For crying out loud, please stop banning e-scooters!

There is ongoing debate among cycling advocates as to whether e-scooters are friend or foe. It’s true that standing on a platform that zips along at 15 mph doesn’t burn the same calories as pedaling a lightweight machine. However, access to e-scooters does encourage people to leave their car parked and walk more.

This UK study (where the fight against scooters rages) showed a third of scooter trips would have otherwise been in cars.

The common ground among advocates of bike share, active lifestyles, sustainability, and urban planning is this: reduce single occupant vehicles. The extent of the impact on bike share remains to be seen, but e-scooters are a welcome addition to the mobility world.

Politicians need your help with this issue, because their motivation to get reelected leaves them vulnerable to yelps about banning scooters. They need perspective.

The future of electric vehicles.

Bicycles will outlive all other micromobility options. I like e-scooters in the sense that I like garlic. Each has its good application, and neither will be ubiquitous. Bikes, on the other hand, should be welcomed in every urbanized environment for their versatility and ease of use. Bikes are bacon.

Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is on-demand transportation that combines trip and route planning, vehicle type, and payment collection. It’s evolving, but MaaS focuses on the customer by simplifying and streamlining trips. Households will have the option to reduce the number of owned vehicles because of the ease of use and cost savings of fleet-based transport.

Netflix famously recognized the developing subscription culture. They offered increased access, convenience, and affordability while removing the burdens of ownership (Movies-as-a-Service). Mobility operations built on historic ownership trends will become the Blockbuster Videos of the transportation industry.

Mobility will soon be integrated with other X-as-a-Service options like groceries, clothing, pet care, gaming, education, and cleaning.

Property managers of all sizes have been offering mobility as an amenity, which is in the same innovative family as MaaS. A boutique hotel offers an e-car and a bicycle with basket, and a university offers unlimited bike share for students. As time goes on, we the consumer will have more access to various forms of e-mobility.

A logical follow-up question: are power grids ready for the coming surge?