Electric Bike Sharing in San Francisco!

New Electric Bike Sharing Program Coming Soon!

This is really cool! CityCarShare will begin adding electric bikes and electric cargo trailers to it’s current fleet of cars and trucks as a low cost option to easily rent an e-bike or e-trailer.

Zipcar and CityCarShare have proven that car sharing can work so now CityCarShare will be experimenting with electric bikes & trailers.  This is a great way to encourage people to think about whether they need a car for their errands or if an electric bike will work for their trip.

This program (which is funded by the Federal Highway Administration) will also involve the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, to study the use of e-bikes in the CityCarShare fleet.

The program will add e-bikes and e-trailers in the second half of  2012 and add more in 2013.

Speaking of Universities and e-bike sharing, the University of Tennessee is currently experimenting with their own electric bike sharing program.

Make sure you check out the full article on the CityCarShare program by the New York Times.

Electric bike sharing programs or traditional e-bike rentals are a great way for you to try an electric bike before you decide to buy one.  Electric bikes can be a significant financial commitment but if you get a chance to try an e-bike on some of your normal routes, you will see how they can replace small car trips and save on car expenses.

Question for you; would you rent an electric bike from a program like CityCarShare if it was easy and convenient?  Please leave your comments in the section below.

Thanks!

-Pete

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!