In/Adequacy of Bicycles as an Alternative to Cars

Thanks for the clarification Peter, I fully appreciate the inadequacy of bicycles for shopping trips, with maybe just a wicker shopping basket on the handlebars or a pair of rear rack-mounted panniers to carry all your food and supplies, when you do a large shop once a week. My wife and I, both now retired, have also tried to limit our food shopping trips to once a week since the Covid-19 ‘Lock down’ here in UK, choosing to shop at quieter times initially, in March/April, but now with the wearing of masks being compulsory, in all stores, we have found no crowding at any time in our local supermarkets. Fortunately our local Sainsbury's is within walking distance, which is fine in good weather, but frequently involves walking less than 1 to 2 metres besides lines of near stationary/gridlocked traffic in what is a built up area. My wife typically steers me 'all around the houses' to avoid the heavy traffic congestion and fumes, if we need to walk further to our local bank branch or alternative food shopping venues. Even then, we cannot avoid commenting on how many of the cars have only the driver in and often wonder why we see so few other pedestrians or cyclists. It's simply human nature I guess and a natural reaction to the easing of travel restrictions. One of our weekly 'treats' is to cycle about 4 miles to our favourite Italian ice cream shop near an ancient fishing village on the Thames Estuary, and then return via a deli styled super market, on the way home. Simple pleasures in challenging times!

Reduced Car Use during the Pandemic

We do have a car (a 5 door hatchback, 4 metres in length and approx 1140 kg curb weight) and have recently begun to use it to visit our relatives, for a day in the garden with them, some 50 miles away in North Essex and it is always interesting to see how much better the cumulative indicated fuel economy is (e.g. 64 mpg) on this 'longish' run and return journey, than if the car is used solely for local short journeys. (45mpg). The accuracy of these figures has been validated by proper 'brim to brim' measurements. I must admit that a small electric car would also suffice for these journeys.

What will the New Normal Trends Be ?

It remains to be seen whether there will be widespread permanent adoption of 'remote working' and less traffic on the roads as the course of the Pandemic reveals itself. So far the indications are not good as far as traffic density and congestion is concerned. Additionally, our Prime Minister is urging every one to 'get back to work' as the Governments' Furlough Payments Scheme of 80% salary come to an end from 1st October 2020 and as all our children all go back to school.

It rather looks as though my personal 'dream' of a brave new world with at least 40% of workers working remotely, not commuting for an hour each way in their motor cars, cycling to work, getting healthy, 40% less traffic pollution and large corporations setting up fully equipped, air conditioned, remote working ‘communications hubs’ in rural centres, to facilitate the above, is not going to be kick started, not even by the advent of Covid-19. So I am off to my drawing board now, to try to sketch out a design for a lightweight, two seater, weather protected, battery electric car, and to attempt to estimate what the benefits of such might be. Maybe I should action the latter before the former!

Malcolm Davies:

 

 

So I am off to my drawing board now, to try to sketch out a design for a lightweight, two seater, weather protected, battery electric car, and to attempt to estimate what the benefits of such might be.

   

It's called a Renault Twizy.  You can already buy it.  There was one on the cover of E&T magazine August/September 2020.

Peter Brooks:

Good morning:


I had to look up details of the Renault Twizy as I have never seen one up close. They may not be sold in the US.


Seems the batteries are not included in the purchase price. You have to lease them for about 45 pound per month.


The standard model does not have doors and the maximum speed is about 45 mph and the range is about 50 miles. It is effectively a 4 wheel covered electric motorcycle. The information said that  because of the external body you don't have to wear a helmet.


Just as a piece of information when you drive a motorcycle in Florida you do not have to wear a helmet. A few years ago when I visited a Florida heart transplant hospital  I was told that they get a lot of donor hearts from people who had accidents when driving motorcycles. 


Peter Brooks MIET

Palm Bay Florida USA

Renault have now abandoned their battery leasing, as it was so unpopular.  It made little difference to anybody leasing a car, or buying on credit, but it substantially depressed the value on the used car market.  The doors are an optional extra.  If you want windows in the doors, that's another optional extra.


In France, they are treated like mopeds and teenagers can drive them.  Here in the UK, you need a full car licence.  I have seen one or two, but they are quite rare in this country.

Thank you both Peter and Simon, I knew about the Renault Twizy, introduced to the UK in 2012 and I had dismissed it as little more than a failed 'concept car'. However it is still on sale in the UK, priced at £11,540 including the 'flip up' side doors. It is indeed classed as a Quadricycle and so does not qualify for the UK Government 25% discount (up to £3000) 'plug-in electric car' grant. When, at the time of writing, you can still buy a 'proper small car', admittedly a rather basic one, namely a Dacia Sandero, 5 door hatchback (with a 75 bhp, 999cc Renault engine) for as little as £6,995 - not many customers are going to opt for the £11,540 Renault Twizy.


I think this just goes to show that we have to pay a very heavy premium for any conventional 'heavy' battery electric vehicle - presumably due to the costly high technology 'electrics' necessary to realise anything like a practical electric car. Taking the MRRP of two Small 5 door hatchbacks (one ICE and one BEV) with similar engine powers and identical 0 to 60 mph times of around 12 seconds, namely the Renault Clio Play TCe 100 (100 PS) at £15,995 and the Renault Zoe Play Z.E 50/R110 (110 PS) at £26,495 + £3,000 = £29,495 we have a MRRP ratio of BEV/ICE = 1.84. Thus there is an 84% premium to pay for the Zoe.


The Canyon Bikes 'concept pedal car' is very interesting and certainly more likely to attract a more reasonable selling price than the Renault Twizy. Let's be honest, it is not until you 'return to cycling', on a 'push bike' that you appreciate how much you need to use all those gears and how much your average journey speed is governed/limited by the gravitational impact of uphill gradients on your total mass (bike plus rider) and wind resistance increasing as the square of your speed on the level or on down grades. For over a century, we have been 'spoiled rotten' by our lovely fossil fuelled motor cars. Maybe it is now time to take the lead that Covid-19 has shown us and adopt a radical change of direction, if we are to succeed in 'greening' the planet.