Looking for an affordable EV? Why not purchase an e-bike?
Electric car sales have tripled in Australia in 2023, with 65,743 electric cars registered between 1 January and 30 September. That’s a 202 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2022.
But electric cars are still less than 10 per cent of overall car sales, and new cars make up a small fraction of all cars on the road. Electric cars are still out of reach for many Australian households, based on price, access to charging or simply availability of stock.
In order to meet emissions targets we need to think beyond electric cars. For those looking to reduce their carbon footprint, or even just their petrol costs, electric bikes are also booming as an alternative transport option. Critics of electric cars often point to the environmental effects of mining materials for batteries. The average electric car battery is equivalent to about 200 e-bike batteries.
E-bikes are part of a growing movement that focuses on micro-mobility as a way to reduce congestion, air pollution and emissions. Micro-mobility refers to small, lightweight vehicles that travel at slower speeds than cars and are operated by individual users.
For Noosa, promoting micro-mobility must be a key part of our emissions reduction strategy. We can’t replace petrol-powered vehicles overnight, but we can reduce their footprint by encouraging alternatives wherever possible.
On a per-trip basis, you may be surprised to find how often an e-bike could replace the car. This still saves on petrol, and wear and tear. It may even be an alternative to having a second family car, or a moped. Costwise, you could buy a nice e-bike for about the cost of two years’ worth of car registration, with very little ongoing maintenance costs other than charging the battery and the occasional tune-up.
Even for transporting children, or large grocery hauls, cargo e-bikes are a great option.
In a recent ZEN survey more than 80 per cent of respondents said their school commute was less than five kilometres. Though it wouldn’t be much fun hauling cargo over Noosa’s hills on a regular bike, a bit of battery-powered assistance can make for an easy school run. Not only is this a more fun way to get the kids to school, but it will let you skip the drop-off and pick-up queues.
If you’re curious about e-bikes, try hiring one for the weekend and run a few errands, or explore Noosa’s many cycling trails. Some local shops even offer to deduct the cost of the hire from a subsequent purchase.
ZEN’s Seeds of Change project, funded by Noosa MP Sandy Bolton, recently produced an updated walking and cycling map available on our website at zeroemissionsnoosa.com.au/seeds-of-change
Are you interested in finding out more or joining Zero Emissions Noosa? Go to zeroemissionsnoosa.com.au
