Thanksgiving

For much of the last year I’ve been researching the development of ebikes here in the U.S. Yes, I’m grateful for ebikes, but that’s not where this is going. The development of ebikes here in the U.S. took an entirely different trajectory than anywhere else in the world. We had regulatory issues that no place else had, because unlike countries like the Netherlands, where the motor vehicle code is a matter of federal government, here in the States, it’s regulated by the aforementioned states. 

Our ebikes go faster than those in Europe and Asia. Our Class 1 and Class 2 ebikes go 20 mph, max, while standard ebikes elsewhere only do 15 mph. And while you can purchase a Class 3 “pedelec” ebike in many European countries, in Europe you need a license, registration and insurance. Not the case here in the U.S. Anyone can buy a Class 3 ebike. 

We already know that cycling is much more popular in Europe than it is here, so getting ebikes to catch on was going to be an uphill battle no matter what. And yet, they are catching on. People who haven’t been on a bike in 20 years are buying ebikes and getting outside and using them. 

Here’s where I take a left turn that I bet you won’t have seen coming: The real secret to the success of ebikes here in the U.S. owes to Class 2 ebikes. Class 2 ebikes have a maximum speed of 20 mph, but also include a throttle that allows a rider to hit 20 mph without ever pedaling. 

Of all the ebikes on the planet, these are the ones that cyclists complain about most frequently. Even I have grumbled when I have been passed with inches to spare by someone throttling along at 20 mph while I was spinning in an easy gear. The thing is, the vast majority of all ebikes sold here in the U.S. are Class 2. Without Class 2 ebikes, the ebike as a whole would barely be a category here in the U.S.

The practical import of this is that without Class 2 ebikes, all those rebate and incentive programs that states, counties and cities have offered would never have happened. Every time a city decides to add cycling infrastructure, a notable chunk of the cycling population they are counting comes from people riding Class 2 ebikes. 

As I’ve asked around about who really made a difference in this effort, you might think that the significant people came from outside the cycling world, and while one did, one did not. Based on what I’ve learned in my interviews, one of the leaders in this effort was Don DiCostanzo of Pedego, and Ed Benjamin, of the Light Electric Vehicle Association. Ed is an industry consultant who started out as bike racer and was district champion in 1973 in Kentucky, went on to work in his family’s bike shop, ended up becoming a huge Schwinn retailer and found himself somewhat accidentally becoming one of the most knowledgeable Americans on the subject of ebikes as far back as 30 years ago. Without the two of them, Class 2 ebikes would never have happened. I’m told things got pretty heated when it was being discussed for model legislation, but Ed and Don stuck to their guns and they have been proven right many times over.

I would describe my interest in owning and riding a Class 2 ebike as asymptotic—approaching zero. But I know that getting people out on Class 2 ebikes increases their activity level, even when they start out using nothing but the throttle. So they are good for public health. They are good for government because they cut down on public health expenditures. They are good for us because without them, there would be no rebate or incentive programs—the numbers simply would not be there. And, finally, they are good for communities because they are helping to justify spending on cycling infrastructure. From bike paths to bike lanes to bike racks, there are more facilities for cyclists today, thanks to ebikes being on the road.

Here’s the part that I find most intriguing: I’m a cyclist because it makes me happier. Every cyclist I know does it because it contributes to their happiness. What are the chances that all these new ebike owners would tell you that it hasn’t made them happier. I submit that they are contributing to more happiness in the world. Hell yeah.