How much can bikes and e-bikes reduce our impact on the environment? Well, every bike leaves a carbon footprint in manufacturing, but this carbon cost can be mitigated or entirely offset when it’s used to its potential, according to Trek’s sustainability report for 2021. If you ride about 430 miles you would have otherwise driven, you’ve saved the carbon equivalent of what it may have taken to make a bike.
he carbon emissions produced by bikes and e-bikes is considerably less than cars and electric cars. In fact, there’s no contest, according to data reported by The Guardian.
The European Cycling Federation says the manufacturing footprint of bicycles is 96kg of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Trek says the production of a basic entry-level mountain bike emits about 100kg of CO2e.
Today’s happiness and personal-finance gurus have no shortage of advice for living a good life. Meditate daily. Sleep for eight hours a night. Don’t forget to save for retirement. They’re not wrong, but few of these experts will tell you one of the best ways to improve your life: Ditch your car.
A year ago, my wife and I sold one of our cars and replaced it with an e-bike. As someone who writes about climate change, I knew that I was doing something good for the planet. I knew that passenger vehicles are responsible for much of our greenhouse-gas emissions—16 percent in the U.S., to be exact—and that the pollution spewing from gas-powered cars doesn’t just heat up the planet; it could increase the risk of premature death. I also knew that electric cars were an imperfect fix:
Electric cars are seen as a key way to reduce climate change causing emissions — but they are expensive. The average price paid for a new electric vehicle towards the end of 2022 was over $65,000, according to Kelley Blue Book.
While running costs are typically lower than a gas-powered vehicle, there are tax, insurance and parking costs.
While running costs are typically lower than a gas-powered vehicle, there are tax, insurance and parking costs.
Lelac Almagor thinks there’s a better way to ditch a fossil-fueled car.
“I just really hate driving. The sitting and the being stuck and the waiting is just really not for me,” said the mother of three from Washington D.C.
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