Are Electric Bikes the Answer to High Gas Prices?
By Delbert Laird

Picture the following scenario: You just arrived home from a hectic work day. At this point, all you really want to do is eat dinner and relax. Only one problem: you don’t have a particular item that you need to make the dinner. Suddenly, you’re dreading a drive to and from the store, and the time, traffic, and gas expenses that go with it.

Now consider this alternative: instead of hopping into the car and driving congested city streets to the market for just one or two items, you zip there quickly along sidewalks and other paths on which cars are prohibited, propelled by the quiet electric motor of your electric bicycle. With the money you’re saving on gas, you decide to pick up a bottle of wine to go with that dinner. It’s OK - the small trailer you’ve hitched to your electric bike lets you carry home your groceries easily and safely.

The next morning, after an overnight battery recharge, your electric bicycle is ready to carry you to work. The pedal-assisted electric motor takes the effort out of pedaling, meaning you’re not drenched in sweat. Meanwhile, that gas-guzzling, pollutant-belching car is still in the driveway. The days and weeks you’re on your electric bicycle add up to big savings at the fuel pump.

Like what you hear? You’re not alone. A growing number of men and women have found electric bicycles to be a fun, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective alternative to rising gasoline prices.

According to the League of American Bicyclists, more than a third of car trips are two miles or less. Think about all the short distances you drive over a period of days or weeks. Taken individually, those short car trips may not sound like much in terms of miles and fuel expenses. Over time, however, multiple short trips add up to a lot of gasoline consumed, meaning a fill-up that can cost $40, $50, or even more!

Compare that to the pennies it costs to recharge the battery of an electric bicycle. When you consider gas at $3 to $4 a gallon, an electric bike gets you far more miles on that dollar amount than even the best hybrid car.

Range and speeds vary widely among electric bicycles, but many can reach speeds of 15 to 20 miles per hour and can range from 10 to 40 miles before requiring a recharge.

Besides reducing fuel consumption and expenditure, using electric bicycles for transportation reduces an individual’s contribution to global warming pollution. The motor on an electric bicycle runs quietly and has no polluting emissions.

Owners of conventional bicycles can purchase a kit that will convert their bikes to electric. The kit will pay for itself quickly with what you save on fuel.

To learn more about Ultra Motor and it’s line of A2B electric bikes please visit their site.

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