The world's 280 million electric bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars

boem@lemmy.world to Technology@lemmy.world – 1081 points –
The world's 280 million electric bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars
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I have heard this for years now. This all fine. I also have an E-Bike. I really love using it. But I live in central Europe. Weather is really shitty here from October-March. I use my car then. And no, clothing for biking in bad weather is not an option for me. I really can't be bothered to change clothes on my job. I just won't do that.

And the issue is where? You can just fuel up your car with co2 neutral fuel (like many Europeans already do with HVO100 Diesel in Sweden, the Netherlands and many other countries) and do the rest with your ebike. You probably dropped your co2 footprint to less than 5 tonns. The fact that HVO100 Diesel right now is ~30 cents more expensive doesn't matter anymore. B33 gasoline is coming and 2025 it's expected to be ramped up to 100% sustainable.

And compared to a BEV that needs more than 10-15 tonns to be even produced, just driving an older or cheaper car longer still makes it less co2 overall.

I really can't be bothered to change clothes on my job. I just won't do that

I mean... you do you, but that gear generally amounts to a jacket, pants that go OVER your pants and different shoes. You're just fucking lazy. Own it

Yup. I invested in rain pants and a jacket, all I need now are shoe coverings. Get to work, strip it all off in 30 secs and put it in a waterproof bag. It's just a matter of adjusting expectations and habits.

To me it's way less complicated than driving. I don't have to worry about gas, traffic, parking, maintenance, break downs, and the stress of driving in the rain trying not to kill anyone. I understand why people are hesitant, but I think a lot of people just need to suck it up and give it a shot.

Also, public transportation is just straight up better than both driving/cycling when done right.

I went to dedicated rain/winter shoes and it was much better than overshoe booties.

You’re just fucking lazy.

Absolutely. Is there any context in which you can "I can't be bothered with..." interpret as anything else as lazy? But so what? I will not ride my bike in shitty weather. And most people will do the same thing.

You can also do you, but you kind of lose any sort of moral high ground in this argument by insisting that others solve the problem for you when you can't even do the bare fucking minimum

So... I go to work by e-bike 8 out of 12 months. Whenever I take my car, I take my BEV (MG4) that I charge with electricity from renewable sources.

And you? What do you actually do for the environment?

If you want to play the upstreaming game, where did the rare earth metals in your electric car come from?

Electric cars are here to save the car industry, not the environment.

Let's stay on topic: Environment. Human rights is a whole nother can of worms. What do you think the supply chain of whatever device you are using for lemmee right now looks like?

Back to environment: What are you doing for the environment except for judging others: I drive a car that has a very low carbon footprint regarding its whole lifespan. Also I ride to work on an E-Bike 8 out of 12 months. What are you doing?