We get in the car to do the shopping or take the kids to school. But although the car is comfortable, these short trips involve a lot of emissions, pollution and gasoline consumption.
In Australia, for example, almost half (44%) of citizens’ daily trips are by car, and are less than 10 km. This is common in richer countries. In the United States, a staggering 60% of all car trips cover less than 10 km.
So what is the best solution? We might think that the natural step is to switch to an electric vehicle. In fact, for short journeys, an electric bicycle or moped may be better for us and the planet. This is because these forms of transport – collectively known as electric micromobility – are cheaper to purchase and use.
But not only that: they are displacing four times more oil demand than all the electric cars in the world today, due to their astonishing acceptance in China and other countries where mopeds are a common means of transportation.
Last year alone, more than 20 million electric cars and 1.3 million commercial electric vehicles, such as buses, delivery vans and trucks, were on roads around the world.
But these figures are totally eclipsed by the electric two- and three-wheeled vehicles that circulated in the same period: more than 280 million mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, etc. Its sheer popularity is already reducing oil demand by a million barrels a day, about 1% of the world’s total oil demand, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates.
And electric cars? Are they really a panacea to reduce car emissions and air pollution in cities, since their tailpipe emissions are zero? Considering them an indisputable good is a mistake. They are cleaner cars, but they are still cars, they take up space on the roads and need a lot of electricity to run. Their batteries make them heavier than a traditional car and they rely heavily on the extraction of rare earth elements.
And while electric vehicles are generally much greener than internal combustion engine cars, especially if charged with renewable energy, battery manufacturing can undermine some of the gains.
On the positive side, gasoline cars cost about 0.084 euros per kilometer in fuel, or about 1,091 euros in fuel per year for the average car traveling 12,000 km. Maintenance amounts to an average of 546 euros per year, which makes a total of 1,637 euros for a gasoline car.
On the other hand, charging an electric car would cost about 288 euros for that distance. With 144 euros of maintenance, the annual cost is 432 euros. Electric cars are much cheaper. But they are expensive to buy.
The electric transportation revolution is a great opportunity to rethink how we move around our cities and whether we need a car.
After all, cars usually have only one occupant, who uses a lot of energy to move. On the other hand, mopeds and electric bicycles consume much less energy to transport one or two people. They are also much cheaper to buy and use than electric cars.
If we travel 20 km a day on an electric bicycle, five days a week, the recharging cost would be about 12 euros per year.
Of course, mopeds or electric bicycles are unlikely to be used for intercity trips. Its true value is in short trips – to school, buying milk and bread or even commuting to work –, which take the same or less time than by car.
Smaller electric options, such as scooters and skateboards, also offer a way to overcome the last mile problem that plagues public transportation systems. It is, in short, the uncomfortable distance between our house and the station or bus stop. Traveling this distance quickly can be a game-changer for public transportation.
Electric micromobility can reduce urban emissions. A study of electric scooter users in the UK found that these trips produced up to 45% less carbon dioxide than alternatives.
American researchers estimate that if electric bicycle trips reached 11% of total vehicle trips, transport emissions would be reduced by around 7%.
As gasoline prices rise and battery prices fall, the cheaper running costs of electric vehicles, but especially electric mopeds, bicycles and scooters, will continue to reduce demand for oil.
According to the International Energy Agency, global oil demand will peak in 2028, at 105.7 million barrels per day, and will begin to decline thereafter. Electric cars will contribute to that decline, but electric micromobility will likely reduce demand more quickly, given how quickly these cheaper and more abundant options are being adopted.
If you want to opt for electric mobility, you should analyze your transportation needs. If you live in the suburbs or regional cities, you may be better off with the greater range and capacity of an electric car.
But most likely, many people have several options. You could have an electric car for longer trips or group trips, as well as an electric bike for commuting or shopping.
This article was originally published by The Conversation.
Muhammad Rizwan Azhar is a collaborator at Edith Cowan University and Waqas Uzair is a research associate at the same university.
