Want to reduce your carbon footprint while traveling? Try switching to e-bikes

Feb 3, 2021

3 MIN READ

The pandemic and the resultant lockdowns forced the world to take a step back and stay largely within the confines of their homes. Soon after, despite the gloom of Covid-19, social media was filled with posts on how the world looked with lesser pollution – vehicular or otherwise. Skies were bluer, waters were cleaner, the air fresher and animals began to venture into our habitats, believing perhaps that the humans have disappeared.

The environment seemed to heal and rejuvenate, and the call for a more sustainable way of living and travel that was around even before the pandemic, got louder. With the travel industry gradually opening up, e-bikes are increasingly on the radar of folks looking for a sustainable means of transport for commuting and even exploration.

What is an e-bike?

Just imagine a regular bicycle souped up with a battery, a motor and a controller/accelerator, all built into a strong design. The interesting part is that e-bikes don’t take away the human element of pedaling, instead, they augment it, with the controller giving you better pull when going uphill, or on slightly challenging terrain. E-bikes also don’t require registration or a license to ride, and are suitable for all age groups.

“The biggest benefits of all e-vehicles are their eco-friendliness and their role in reducing individual carbon footprint. The added advantage with e-bikes is that it also keeps the average person physically fit and caters to all age groups. Svitch e-bikes have the USP of being foldable, making for easy portability,” says Varun Srikanth, Managing Director, Escape Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd, the exclusive showroom for Svitch e-bikes. Their network is currently spread over four distribution partners, 80 dealerships across 22 plus states and 4 exclusive showrooms.

Other general features of e-bikes include, quick charging batteries, mileage going up to 120 kms on a single charge, baggage carriers, assist modes that help with navigating various terrains, GPS for safety, and USB ports to charge your personal technology and more. Some brands you can explore are Hero Lectra Kinza, Swagtron EB-6 T Bandit Electric Bike, BattREÂ Electric Cycles, LightSpeed, Omobikes Model E.0 Electric Cycle, Gozero Mobility Mile, Toutche Heileo H200 and Elektron Cycles.

No emission, more impact

Besides being ready to use almost as soon as the e-bike is out of the showroom or the box, these vehicles bring down carbon emissions significantly. The Air Transport Action Group says that in 2019, flights worldwide produce 915 million tonnes of CO2. The Transport-related CO2 Emissions of the Tourism Sector report of the UNWTO, 2019 says that the global average CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre traveled between 2016 and 2030 stands at a 0.0680 kg, per passenger across transport modes of cars, buses, rail and air. E-bikes give you a chance to reduce your CO2 emissions when traveling.

BLive is India’s first EV tourism initiative and conducts immersive experiences on electric cycles. BLive is present in 9 states across 18 locations and has conducted over 10000 tours. “As a result of all our tours, we have saved approximately 9.5 tons of CO2 which would have been emitted if done on a petrol two-wheeler. The environmental impact is equal to CO2 absorbed by 428 trees. Around 70 customers who did our tours have gone on to buy e-bikes for their personal use”, says Samarth Kholkar, CEO and Co-Founder, BLive.

Recent research reveals that travellers are increasingly seeking out sustainable travel options and activities, and are willing to pay more for it. E-bikes not only help in reducing carbon footprint when compared to conventional transport modes but, also promote cycling as an activity. It also allows for an immersive experience of local art, history and the community as a whole. E-bikes open opportunities for all this and more.

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