this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2023
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I had a $400/mo gas bill. 37 miles' commute each way, in an SUV I got for cheap (just 10k, 87k miles on it, perfect condition). But it's not like I could just simply move, and this was the first job I got that paid more than $8/hr. So I kept at it for a few years.
Point is, that's not an entirely unrealistic figure. And while it's not something one should be doing, a lot still are doing so because it really is the only option they have commuting from suburbia to the city. (ESPECIALLY living in a county that has a history of being anti-public transit, like Cobb and Cherokee in Georgia)
You're right, I based the math off a week, not a month. My mistake. You're absolutely right though, witout a much stronger focus on public transit, many people are stuck living far away from work due to housing costs. An EV is better than an ICE. But WFH or integrated quality mass transit systems are far superior. I wish more Americans had that luxury.
For me, I live an hour away from my job. I have no interest in living in a city. The amount of land and size house I have would be double the cost if not more near my work. On top of that the city I work in is at times the murder capital of US.
Well assuming 70mph travel speed as an upper bound and a 1 hour commute, we can safely assume a 140mile e-bike range would be sufficient. Assuming you are willing to pay those savings forward to help others reduce their car use; collective investment in improving your situation would be mutually beneficial in the long run.
Would you ride an ebike twice a day, everyday, 30+ miles each way? Dunno about you, but that sounds positively exhausting. Get up early, get dressed in weather-appropriate clothing, put on helmet, sit on bike for the next two hours, then work for 7-9 hours, just to get right back on the bike for another 1-2 hours, maybe more? No thank you.
Yes, if that is what is needed to provide for my family. But my job isn't hard physical labor but more sitting in meetings and writing code.
Lol an ebike huh? You're freaking hilarious.
Well you didn't specify additional cargo or other reasons for limitation.
For example if the issue is travel time: electric motorcycle if the issue is cargo: electric bike with travel trailer if both travel time and cargo: gas to electric conversions are affordable (with the batteries being the highest cost [and the determining factor for range])
basically the less mass needing to be accelerated, the less energy required. The lower the acceleration acceptable, the less energy required.
Treat it as an engineering problem to solve or improve upon.
I'll stick to what I have thanks lol. I'm actually saving up for a motorcycle to go to work. Not an electric motorcycle though as they are still very expensive and have a lower range than I need. Sometimes looking at issues from a real world perspective can help. I work with engineers and unfortunately they cause issues at work not thinking in real world terms.