A year on an e-bike

This story first appeared in the May issue of EVtalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

Will Hine has owned an electric bike for 12 months.

Here he answers all the questions he regularly gets asked about and explains why he wouldn’t be without his e-bike.

I’m not one for fads.

I view products that are suddenly popular with a healthy dose of cynicism, and my enthusiasm for things I like is usually measured rather than emphatic.

So, I’m mystified as to how I came to fall in love with an electric bicycle.

By all rights I should have denounced the technology as a momentary trend that would be gone as soon as it had arrived.

But, 4000 kilometres, 130 commutes and one puncture later, the honeymoon is far from over.

I bought my e-bike in May last year for about $3800.

My other half had suggested I wait until spring, offering predictions the bike would hibernate in our garage through the dark and cold of winter.

As someone seldom given to impulse purchases, I would normally have followed her advice.

But, I had already trialled an e-bike for several days (after discovering the technology while formerly working as a journalist) and my infatuation couldn’t be dampened.

I now use the bike for about 75 per cent of my commutes to my new workplace at Britomart, with the car or train accounting for the rest of the trips.

It’s about 15km each way between New Lynn and the office, with about 80% of the ride on bike paths or shared paths – I’m lucky that I live in a part of Auckland served by some pretty good infrastructure.

In the morning the journey time is about the same as a normal car commute, but much quicker when the city’s caught up in gridlock.

Returning home, I find the bike slightly slower than the car option, but infinitely more enjoyable – especially on a summer’s day when I often take a scenic detour.

I ride in my work clothes.
Sure, I get a bit sweaty riding home on the hottest of evenings, but the morning ride always has me arriving at work cool, comfortable and clear-headed.

In terms of raw speed on the flat, the e-bike has me cruising at about 30km/h– enough to push me along past mountain bikes and city bikes, but not enough to keep up with the lycra-clad warriors on road bikes.

And the best bit is that it’s only slightly slower – and no more strenuous – going uphill or into the wind, thanks to the electric motor.

To answer a common question, no, the e-bike doesn’t charge itself through regenerative braking.
Few do.
Instead, the battery plugs into the wall.

The overnight charge in my garage is enough to power the 36v 19Ah battery to and from my workplace.

A lot of people I talk to are curious about the cost of that charging.
The effect of my bike on my power bill has been negligible.
In fact, comparing a series of monthly power bills year on year, I was surprised to find our electricity use has somehow declined slightly – a pleasing mystery.

The bike also saves me $15 per day in car parking.
Let’s call it $20 a day when I include the cost of fuel, tyres and vehicle maintenance as well.
So, $100 a week if I manage to get on the bike five times.

Of course, against that I need to weigh up the occasional cost of a new set of bike tyres and the odd service, and the battery will need replacing one day down the track, at a cost of $1000 or so.

Still, a few back-of-the-envelope calculations show the bike works out far cheaper.

Of course, the environmental benefits are a no-brainer and were a significant attraction in buying the e-bike.

And my physical health has almost certainly improved, although not as much as if I’d opted for a regular bike.

But, probably the biggest factor in making the switch to an e-bike was my mental health.

I was fed up with the exasperating car commute and the constant idling in traffic and the rude drivers who find new and novel ways to be inconsiderate each and every day.

Twelve months on, whether in sun, rain or wind, my commute is now sometimes the highlight of my day.

I say, without exaggeration, that my e-bike is my favourite possession.