Got Bored, Calculated eBike savings

[bert11]

 

[bert11]

2 years until I see any money back !

 

[overlander]

Yes done similar calculations and it was about 2 years as well. You really should not buy an electric bike to save money it really does not stack up too good. I bought the bike to get fit so any savings are a bonus.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

I've done the same calculation for my main bike and got similar results, except that I bought another bike and another. Now I'm about £2500 down. I'm sure some people will get monetry payback, but most won't. It's still money well spent though. It might be prolonging your life and it's a great hobby. How much is that worth?

 

[bert11]

Agreed, certainly not a quick way to save money. I was just interested really, as I knew I would eventually see some sort of payback but wasn't sure how long it would take.

There are some other things I could say which would make it sound alot more attractive. For example I would still want to own a bike by default, even if the electric project never happened. In addition it would almost certainly have cost more than £160 if I was going non-electric.

The electric project has been, and is still a bit of a hobby, so it is almost certainly displacing another hobby which could be more costly. For example I love the remote control car hobby, but have not spent a penny since the bike project. There's an RC car for £500 which had me dribbling recently, but i've not even been close to buying it since the bike thing.

Gym membership saving? although I would never pay for exercise, what a stupid waste of money it would be to pay someone for the privilege of getting a sweat on ...

 

[Scottyf]

despends how much you spend really.

I brought a bike for 150, kit for 280, after that i brought another kit for 150, plus other bits like multi meters and soldering irons and bolts an washers.

All in all i.ve spent £650. This will take me about 9months to break even riding 5 times a week. Inc electric. Vs the car.

Still need to sell the car and then i'm on the up plus savings

Oh and i'm sure i could sell the bike for a 100 and sell the kit if i wanted to make the money back.

 

[bert11]

depends how much you spend really.

I think I may have spent too much on accessories!

Rain gear, pump, lock, lights really do all add up

 

[OTH]

bert11,

And after two years you'll have had more maintenance costs, bought more cycle clothes and ....you'll need a new battery.

(By the way, d8veh, you are being a little too kind to fools, I think. )

 

[bert11]

please change title to "Got Disappointed, Calculated eBike Costs"

 

[shep]

The whole point is that it is fun and very good for you, and what price do you put on that ? I love my E Bike, and really have no interest in what it costs

 

[HarryB]

Depends on what you are comparing costs with. Here in London my travel costs are about £40 a week (it would be less monthly) so it is not difficult to make a bike a pay for itself in just over a year. You have rather gone for the high end of accessories too but a low end ebike so it all balances out. After that you are into battery replacement costs every two years or so.

 

[eclectic_bike]

Looks like a good exercise. However I think your assessment of car running costs is way too low. Many years ago when I was into programming I wrote a program that assessed the total costs of running my car, taking into account tax, insurance, MOT, AA and actual repair and maintenance costs and converting it to costs per mile. This was 15 years ago and I was paying more than 20p per mile then. This calculator may be useful: Total cost of ownership of your car, fuel and other costs

On the bike side I suspect the biggest cost factor will be battery replacement, probably working out to more than the electricity costs overall.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

There are some other things I could say which would make it sound alot more attractive. For example I would still want to own a bike by default, even if the electric project never happened. In addition it would almost certainly have cost more than £160 if I was going non-electric.

The electric project has been, and is still a bit of a hobby, so it is almost certainly displacing another hobby which could be more costly. For example I love the remote control car hobby, but have not spent a penny since the bike project. There's an RC car for £500 which had me dribbling recently, but i've not even been close to buying it since the bike thing.

Gym membership saving? although I would never pay for exercise, what a stupid waste of money it would be to pay someone for the privilege of getting a sweat on ...

I think these are really important points. Also, you shouldn't be using the whole cost of the bike because it still has residual value, i.e. you could sell it at any time and get something for it. When I calculate savings on the car, I use the cost of fuel plus 50% to cover other direct running costs - tyres, brakes, servicing, etc. You shouldn't include tax, insurance and MOT because you'd be paying for them regardless. Perhaps I should reduce that to 40% now because the cost of fuel is disproportionally high.

Like you, my spending on other hobbies has gone down to near zero, so I might actually already be in profit. Buying a new (or more expensive used) car is probably one of the most costly (read that as wasting money) things you can do, so, if buying an ebike stops you from doing that, you're probably a lot better off.

 

[PennyFarthing]

Y I bought the bike to get fit so any savings are a bonus.

and did you? Get fit?

(That is my aim when I eventually buy one and am wondering how many do manage to go from unfit to fit)

 

[Synthman]

A while ago I worked out the costs of running my bike, and it would take over 2 years to get the money back. But the time saved using the bike is worth more.

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/7565-one-year.html#post95327

 

[lemmy]

However I think your assessment of car running costs is way too low.

The cost savings (or otherwise ) of an electric bike vis a vis a car are only appropriate if you have an electric bike instead of a car.

If you buy a eBike extra to a car, your savings on the ebike are only on fuel for the car which even now is a minor part of the running and ownership costs.

In general you won't save anything on servicing costs because modern cars require servicing every year or 12,000 miles or similar so cutting the annual mileage on the car makes no saving there in most people's cases. Small savings on tyres, brakes, maybe but insurance, VED et all remain the same.

What I'm saying is, the economics of an eBike are even worse than they are generally painted. If I buy a new battery at £400 later this year, I will have covered 3000 miles on my Kalkhoff. That's 13p per mile. My small diesel saloon averages 55mpg overall and with diesel at 140p per litre, that costs 11p per mile...2p less. I know that this is a simplification, of course but it is a valid point.

I wouldn't attempt to argue the economic validity in the end, though. As Oscar Wilde said, that is for people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

My Kalkhoff enables me to travel with more ease, pleasure and freedom than any other form of transport I can think of. So long as I can afford it, I'll do it

 

[funkylyn]

Hm.....just had a similar conversation with my daughter last night as she was horrified at the price of new batteries, let alone the cost of the bikes and couldnt understand why anyone would pay those prices.........( she's not really a cyclist and has never paid more than £100 for one ! ).so I had to try to educate her and point out that for a large majority of people they are recreational and for pleasure,and get people like me who are unfit OUT ON OUR BIKES which I certainly wouldnt ever have done on an ordinary bike, so its not really a case for a lot of us that it saves any money....its a hobby......and I think its not THAT expensive a one even if you replaced your bike every, say 2 or 3 years......I've got other MUCH more expensive hobbies

My brother is also a keen e cyclist and his way of thinking is as technology/battery sizes/weight etc moves on, then he's quite prepared to pay for that, if you dont support the new ideas/technology as it arrives manufacturers would stop manufacturing !!

Lynda

 

[steveindenmark]

It all depends on what you are using your electric bike for.

If it is just to go down to the corner shop to get your milk, then it will not be a money saveer.

However if like me you are going to use it instead of the car for my round trip 40km commute every day, then it will not be long before the savings are seen.

Disregarding the cost of tyres, wear and tear to the car etc. I will be making a big saving in the petrol cost alone.

My ride to work starts at 4.30 in the morning and I almost never see any other vehicles for my entire journey. I pass by beautiful beaches and wonderful countryside for the whole trip. At the moment I am doing it on my road Trek bike and it takes about an hour. I have just ordered a Torano Enduro and am looking forward to comparing the two.

I am getting the Enduro because although I am fit and can manage the hills I must ride to work, I want to arrive at work without feeling I have just had to do another training session.

I love my ride to work at this time of the year and I really cannot put a price on it.

I look on an electric bike as a long term investment, but I am sure I will see the dividends, in more ways than one, quite quickly.

Steve

Steve

 

[Deleted member 4366]

If I buy a new battery at £400 later this year, I will have covered 3000 miles on my Kalkhoff. That's 13p per mile.

I would say that's terrible. I've already done over 2000 miles on my bike and the battery is fine. Replacement costs about £190. I'm counting on it lasting at least another 2000 miles. Thats about 5p per mile - a huge difference.

 

[Scottyf]

The point is that this technology is the future - doesn't matter in what application it will have to be used.
Espcially when petrol reaches a critical cost when its just simply not cost effective to buy one.

I have two friends at work that won't get a car becasue its to expensive to run / buy / service.

Again I use mine for commuting and although I do have a car its just sitting there gathering dust. I refuse to use it, Its cheaper to use public transport than run it - Insurance / tax and its a cheap car, does 44mpg average and doesn't cost much to service as I do it.

Ebikes are even cheaper still - ok not as convient esp in winter. I think battery costs are being blown out of proportion here. £400? You can get 36v 10ah ones for £200.

Its also tech that is improving as we go forward, becoming cheaper and more widly avaliable. Thus bringing costs down. Where as petrol / diesel will continue to rise.