Electric Bike Research? Your Input Can Help Improve E-Biking in the US!
Mar 09, 2013
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John MacArthur and his team from Portland State University are currently researching e-bike use and they want to hear from you about your e-biking experience!
This project aims to gain greater understanding of how e-bikes can be integrated into a sustainable transportation system in the US. The project has two primary objectives: (1) Understand people’s perceptions and attitudes of e-bikes; and (2) Evaluate the use of e-bikes by potential users to determine if these bikes could encourage new bike users.
Mr. MacArthur “The research on the topic of e-bikes is small and so is the awareness of people about the bikes, especially at the local agency level. The purpose of the survey is to determine the profile of the type of people that have purchased e-bikes, why they purchased an ebike and how they use it.
Further research will be on how can these bikes be used to increase the levels of biking. In addition to this project, we are about to launch an e-bike trail in the Portland region. PSU has 30 e-bikes and will be giving them to 120 people to test ride for a month. We are hoping to learn their perceptions of e-bikes, how they will use the bikes and why.”
So, if you are an e-biker in the US and have experience purchasing and/or riding e-bikes please share your experiences in this online survey.
The online survey will ask questions about your e-bike purchase and your use of e-bikes to better understand the barriers to wider electric bike use.
You have valuable information that can contribute to exciting research on e-bikes!
Please follow the link to the online survey:
https://tinyurl.com/e-bike-
Thanks!
Please pass on the link to the survey to your fellow e-bikers!
P.S. Don’t forget to join the Electric Bike Report community for updates from the electric bike world, plus ebike riding and maintenance tips!
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Ebiking needs to just blend in with regular cycling. We use the same bike lanes to get to work. The industry also needs to stay within legal standards and not make ebikes too powerful that go above 20mph.
This will make riders stand out and ruin blending in with other regular bikes. The ebike industry needs to keep prices on ebikes around $1500 in order to attract enough customers be profitable and stay in business.
..just my 2 cents
I wish the speed limitation was set at 25 mph. That would allow me to blend better with other bicyclists, who are traveling faster, and with cars.
I totally agree, electric bikes should stay blended in with regular bikes otherwise it would lead to lots of regulations for them.
I think e-bikes need to be able to travel a greater distance. Thirty miles is simply too little. Once e-bikes can travel at least 50 miles a trip then we may see a greater use of them. Therefore, e-bike makers need to develop a battery that has that distance in them.
Greater/longer battery life would indeed be wonderful. Hopefully that will happen sometime soon. But in addition to that, we also need a battery-exchange system that allows riders to swap out worn batteries for fully-charged ones. And I’m not just talking at electric bike stores but at grocery stores, gas stations, regular bike stores, roadside/trailside stands, etc. Then even a thirty mile battery would be sufficient.
That was a long survey, but it’s nice to provide some input. I hope they’ll put the information to good use. My only suggestion is that they focus on more than just regular bikes & electric bikes. There are many other body-powered and electric personal transportation vehicles out there that need to be considered in the mix.