Can e-bikes be a real alternative to the car?

Can pedal-assisted bicycles become so central to everyday life that they replace the use, or even ownership, of a car?

The World Health Organization has identified minimum weekly physical activity parameters, corresponding to 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity aerobic activity.

A study commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Transport, aimed at understanding how the home-work commute influenced users' habits and sedentary lifestyle, indicates that only the 8% of motorists meets the minimum requirements, compared to the 87% of urban cyclists.

5,323 Dutch people were monitored for a year and those who travel by bicycle tend to meet the guidelines much more easily than motorists.

This can translate into a general improvement in well-being as well as a reduction in the risk of contracting diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or heart problems.

At this point we have to ask ourselves: Can the e-bike have the same benefits and the same effort as a muscle bicycle?

A Norwegian study helps us answer this question.

Some eRiders were monitored for some time and physiological parameters of aerobic capacity and strength were evaluated. According to the processing of the collected data, subjects using an e-bike show the same improvements of those who use a traditional bicycle.

The use of a traditional bicycle translates on average to a MET (unit of measurement of the intensity of physical activity) of 6.4-8.2. Switching to an e-bike, for the same route, results in a MET of 4.1-6.1.

For this reason we can absolutely affirm that the use of an e-bike in everyday life allows you to enjoy the same physical well-being, therefore, switching from an e-bike to a car can only benefit your health.

A deterrent can concern the time necessary to reach the desired goal.

It is obvious that this is more of an excuse than a deterrent, because there is numerous evidence that shows that the bicycle is the most functional means of transportation in the city within a 10 km radius.

Often the speed of reaching the destination by car is more a mental construct than the reality of the facts, as people often consider themselves "arrived" when they reach the workplace, even if they have not yet parked the car .

In this way, all the time wasted finding parking and the mandatory walking distance to actually reach the desired destination are not taken into account, which would not happen with an e-bike as it leads directly to the destination.

A further deterrent to purchasing an ebike for home-work travel lies in the fear of arriving at the office sweaty and tired.

If this may be a limit for users of traditional bikes, it certainly is not for eRiders as, thanks to the assistance, it is possible to modulate the intensity of the pedaling and, consequently, the body's thermoregulation, limiting sweating.

Last among the benefits, in addition to time and health, is the wallet.

According to a Car Cost Index report, owning a car costs around €761 a month, almost €9,000 a year. An estimate that can only increase given that the research reveals that for the 95% the car remains stationary over time, therefore taking less into consideration wear and petrol costs.

If we instead take the cost of an e-bike, which can vary from €1,100 for a good city bike up to €5/6,000 for a top of the range one, adding the cost of ordinary maintenance and battery charging costs, which are practically irrelevant, it would be around €30-40 per month.

In conclusion, the use of an ebike, instead of a car, brings many more benefits in physical, mental and economic terms.