By David Dodge, GreenEnergyFutures.ca
A few years ago we did a story entitled “Why I ditched my car for an e-bike – Leon’s story” which really sums up the game changer that e-bikes are. They take the bicycle to a whole new level as transportation allowing cyclists of diverse abilities to go further, faster and have fun while they are doing it.
We did our first story on e-bikes in 2014 and I must confess I was sold on the idea soon after Sonny Shem offered me a chance to take his Pedego for a spin. “It makes you feel like you have bionic legs,” Shem told us then.
Then we produced a story on winter cycling a few years after that. It took me a few more years to bite the bullet, but eventually my wife and I picked up a pair of Townie Go Electric Bikes. These comfortable commuter bikes opened new possibilities for us. I was working downtown, and commuting was very pleasant. And then I made the decision to ride downtown through the winter.
Not only does the e-bike extend the distance I can commute on a bike it’s what made riding through the icy-cold winters of Edmonton, Alberta possible.
If you have ever tried cycling in winter, you quickly discover two things: first it’s hard pushing all that snow, slush and ice around and second studded tires are absolutely essential.
The only week I didn’t cycle downtown was when the temperature dipped below -30C. At -20C it’s no problem keeping your body warm and heated gloves are a godsend. Thanks to the studded tires I never wiped out once that winter, which is more than I can say for summer.
E-bikes are really starting to take off around the world.
Pedals with power: A guide
And that’s partly why Mehanaz Yakub a writer at Electric Autonomy Canada decided to write Pedals with power: A guide to e-bike rebates and bike-sharing solutions in Canada.
“E-bikes are an important piece in the effort towards transitioning to zero emission transportation,” says Yakub to Green Energy Futures.
And importantly they can be “leveraged with all the other forms of transportation, including electric vehicles as well as public transportation.”
Things have really come a long way since my introduction to e-bikes 10 years ago. E-bikes are now a favourite of bike sharing services across Canada.
“There are over 20 cities across Canada, including right in Alberta that offer bike sharing programs,” says Yakub. Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver even have their own publicly owned services. Montreal’s non-profit Bixi has a fleet of 2,395 electric bikes and another 7,270 regular bicycles.
The global market for e-bikes reached $35 billion US in 2021 and is expected to top $50 billion by 2030.
In her blog Yakub provides links to rebates available in some provinces and cities, she lists some of the e-bike manufacturers and much more.
Contrary to what you might think e-bikes help some people exercise more because even though it takes less effort they ride their e-bikes a lot more. Check out Yabub’s guide – who knows? Maybe this is the year you bit the bullet!