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[QUOTE=sendler;530917
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Electric drivetrains beat the round trip energy consumption and carbon emissions of the best ICE engines by at least 2:1 and the only reason the latest Vetter challenge wasn't dominated by the three electric bikes was that the competition is based on cost per mile and gas is ridiculously cheap in the USA right now.
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Just because we have the technology to suck the oil out of the ground at an alarming rate, doesn't mean we should. And we need to increase the road tax back up to at least where it was 20 years ago so we can afford to fix our roads. And start phasing in a carbon tax at the source to spur new clean tech and raise the price of carbon based energy and get people to quit blowing so much of it needlessly up into the air with their new pick up truck.
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I don't disagree with your political assertions; I agree about the energy use advantage, and the price of oil should reflect the cost it takes to secure it's flow around the world, and fuel price should include enough tax to pay for the exhaust and production cleanup from pollution, maybe as a fuel tax. And I love electric motors. I think road tax should be enough to pay for roads, and heavier, more wheeled vehicles should pay more of the share, but that fuel type or emissions should have nothing to do with a pure road tax.
But the cheapest electric bike that can make my one-way commute is $17K and trips are out or would have to be modified. And so if my employer would let me recharge and double my pay, maybe I could buy one and commute on it. I'd love to be able to do that, but the FE challenges make me wonder if that $17K bike would make the 30 miles considering what they've got to do to make the trip.
Anyway, I'm absolutely not against what they're doing, but am somewhat put back and surprised by all the battery size and weight considering what Zero advertises on range..
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