Buy (or try out) an electric scooter or E-Bike
Cars are one of the biggest personal sources of emissions, but getting an EV is a huge investment. However, you can get smaller vehicles for much cheaper for getting around closeby. They are also great for kids if you are tired of driving them every.single.place.
How much driving is too much? Many of us drive our cars everywhere, even to places only a mile or two away. But these short trips can be more trouble than they are worth, especially when you consider traffic, parking, or gas prices. Smaller, cheaper EVs, such as an electric scooter or e-bike, can take you on short trips, too, at a fraction of the cost and with near-zero emissions.
Electric scooters and e-bikes have more range than you might think. Modern e-bikes, for example, can go 25 to 75 miles on just one charge. That is enough for almost any errand and getting around close by. Additionally, riding an e-bike instead of driving can save you more than $1 every 10 miles in fuel, parking, and maintenance. That is nearly $1,000 in savings (and far less time searching for a place to park) every year if you ride it only a few times a week.
Electric scooters start as low as $150 to $300 for basic models. E-bikes, on the other hand, go for $800 to $3,500. Both are a fraction of the cost of a new or even a used car.
Ebikes use about 10x less energy than a car per mile Riding an Ebike vs Driving: How Much Money Can You Save?
Here is how e-bikes hold up against cars:
- Cheaper to maintain: Costs about 1¢ per mile vs. 13¢ per mile for a car.
- Lower emissions: E-bikes emit up to 93% less CO₂ per mile than cars.
- Lower upkeep: E-bike maintenance and electricity cost about $200 to $300 yearly, compared to more than $3,700 for gas and car upkeep.
- Skip gridlock: The average American loses 63 hours a year sitting in traffic. E-bike and electric scooter riders can skip the congestion entirely.
Check out this deep dive video on electric bikes if you are curious on the details of their relative climate impact.
Electric scooters and e-bikes are not just for adults. Teenagers can ride them around nearby neighborhoods and even to school, which takes the load off parents who are tired of driving their kids everywhere. Just plug them in overnight, and they are ready to go.
You don’t have to start out by buying an electric scooter or e-bike straight away. If you want to give it a try, services like Lime, Bird, Veo, Uber, and local bike-share programs allow you to rent them for as long as you need.
Learn more:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X21003401https://www.circooter.com/blogs/news/how-much-is-an-electric-scooter
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