7 environmental benefits of riding an e-bike

Here, we've pulled together seven ways in which e-bikes are environmentally friendly, encourage sustainable travel, and help make the planet a little bit greener.

1) Zero emissions

Unlike other powered forms of transportation, e-bikes don't require petrol or diesel to run. That means there aren't any carbon emissions released, and they're powered instead by human pedalling and electric energy propelling the bike forward.

If you opted to charge the battery with clean and green solar power, then every use of an e-bike would be 100% environmentally friendly. If that wasn't enough, a passenger vehicle produces six metric tons of carbon dioxide in a year, whereas an e-bike uses none.

2) Long-lasting batteries

Even if you can’t find a way to power your e-bike with solar energy, the long-lasting batteries mean you’ll be kinder to the environment. Batteries can last anywhere from a few hours to several days, giving you plenty of juice and the sockets a well-earned rest.

E-bikes can usually be charged overnight, meaning their environmental impact is lower as nighttime charging happens during off-peak hours for electric grid usage. The money spent on electricity when charging an e-bike is also much smaller than monthly car fuel expenses, making them eco-friendly and cheaper to run.

3) Less waste to worry about

Another plus point with e-bike batteries is their durability. They don't need fuel and produce a minimal amount of waste as a result. The accumulator's long-lasting life, coupled with its ease of use and renewable energy, means any waste is entirely minimised.

When the battery does eventually need replacing, some parts of the accumulator may also be recyclable. As a result, the impact of recyclable parts on the environment is positive, again showing the benefits of riding an e-bike.

4) Don’t contribute to environmental pollution

An e-bike doesn’t release any toxic gases or smog into the environment. This means they don’t contribute to the pollution in the air, reducing the chance of respiratory and other health problems in the process – great for urban environments.

There’s also very little sound that comes out of an e-bike, which reduces noise pollution and is friendlier to nearby pedestrians. Overall, e-bikes are just much more friendly to the environment and cause less disruption on the roads.

5) Less damage to roads

E-bikes offer more power than regular cycles, but they’re still friendly to the roads. This is opposed to vehicles like cars and motorbikes, which are much heavier and can cause damage to roads when overused.

Damaged roads need repairing and usually require even heavier vehicles like trucks to relay the road and fill potholes. This causes even more damage to the environment, as the vehicles need to be driven to and from the repair site and are often left running throughout the duration of the work.

6) Sustainable energy

The world continues to look at ways in which it can switch to sustainable options. With e-bikes, one of the answers is staring it right in the face: they can consume or operate on solar energy. This makes them a sustainable option and a genuine alternative to other vehicles.

As an increasing number of cars on the road are electric, it's not impossible to envisage a future where the vehicles driving around our cities and rural areas move away from petrol and diesel entirely, leading to fewer emissions and cleaner air for everyone.

7) Eco-friendly travel

Riding an e-bike isn't just friendlier to the environment than cars and motorbikes. An electric cycle is as much as six times more efficient than riding a train, and there are none of the scheduling issues involved with train times when on a bike.

There's also a health benefit, which Covid-19 has only magnified. Trains, buses and other forms of public transport are busy and crowded with people. On an e-bike, however, you don't have to mix with other passengers and are also outside in the fresh air.

Conclusion: e-bikes for a better future

Hopping on an e-bike is not only a great way to get around, but it's also friendly to the environment. As the world becomes more eco-conscious, e-bikes will already have cemented their place as a sustainable way to travel, a method of transport that is road-friendly and an all-around solution to a zero-emissions future.