Electric cars

[Jacob]

Huh, didn't know it was an EU law. Thought it was British - I'm certain I heard in the free-EU a lot of places let you get bikes that allow engine alone running?

Pedantic point of order:

Electric bikes do not have engines (a machine with moving parts that converts power into motion) unless you consider the pedalling human the engine. They have motors (a machine that supplies motive power for a vehicle or for some other device with moving parts).

[Barrister]

I can't find it now but I remember reading about an "e-bike" that had detachable peddles and was all intents and purposes an electric motorcycle.

Government ruled it was in fact a motorcycle, with all the resulting regulatory requirements thereof.

[Jacob]

I can't find it now but I remember reading about an "e-bike" that had detachable peddles and was all intents and purposes an electric motorcycle.

Government ruled it was in fact a motorcycle, with all the resulting regulatory requirements thereof.

Yeah, there'll be companies and people trying to game the system I'm sure.

[grumbler]

That's my argument as well; that the costs of not having such coverage isn't worth the chilling effect it would have on bicycle use to require it, whether you think that there is some threshold for liability coverage or not.

So why not just agree with him.   

I did, though you couldn't comprehend that in your zeal to be contrarian. 

[crazy canuck]

That's my argument as well; that the costs of not having such coverage isn't worth the chilling effect it would have on bicycle use to require it, whether you think that there is some threshold for liability coverage or not.

So why not just agree with him.   

I did, though you couldn't comprehend that in your zeal to be contrarian. 

I don't know if you were laughing at yourself and being ironic or not.  I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

[Eddie Teach]

Grumbler is the best at making his agreements sound like arguments.

[Threviel]

After cleaning up the latest bicyclist from my car I sat down and looked for an electric car. I found a used VW ID.3 for 349.800 SEK, which fits my requirements.

https://svenstigs.se/sok-bilar/#/details/2a089a52-c0b0-461f-b0e1-5472ce56719f

The problem with that is that the car is 434.900 SEK new, meaning it has dropped 95.000 SEK or so in a year. The environmental bonus is 70K, so there's only a difference of 25k to buy a new car. Used car prices are insane.

As usual all SEKs can be divided by 10 to get dollars or euros.

[Josquius]

Though with conventional cars you're an idiot (and/or flash git) to buy new, I have heard it muttered that with electric this is far less clear cut considering battery capacity loss (albeit better than with eg phones).

[Tamas]

So whatevrr happened to mopeds then? Can't you pedal those if you were so inclined?

[mongers]

Though with conventional cars you're an idiot (and/or flash git) to buy new, I have heard it muttered that with electric this is far less clear cut considering battery capacity loss (albeit better than with eg phones).

Does that stack because most phones are used for much of the day, certainly on nearly all the time, whereas electric cars are still going to be used like other cars ie off and parked for the large majority of the time.

[Tamas]

Build proper cycle lanes and that problem will go away

Next to the main road I have there is a broad combined sidewalk-cycling lane easily wide enough for a pedestrian and a cyclist to pass each other. It is almost never used by cyclists, who prefer the road.

A friend of mine is an avid cyclists so I asked why is this so. Apparently -in Hungary at least- cycling lanes are more bumpy, and it is also inconvenient, apparently, to slow down because of other cyclists and/or pedestrians. 

My favourite is the main road toward Windsor from the south-east. It's super busy with a single lane each way, zero chance for reckless drivers to risk a 2-car-1-cyclist overtake. There is a cycle lane but admittedly it is shared by pedestrians so there is a non zero chance a cyclist would have to slow down occasionally. Which is clearly unacceptable to 90% of them so what happens is that the road clogs up and slows down to a crawl behind each cyclist as they toil away in their pro outfits. Which inevitably results in impatient drivers DO attempting to pass between the cyclist and the car coming the other way.

[Josquius]

Show me this cycle lane and I'm sure I'll be able to point out the problem with it. It's hard to say just off that description but there's a variety of typical issues e.g. Cars parking on cycle lanes, cycle lanes that run for a pointlessly short distance before dumping people on the road, crap signage that its a cycle lane, dangerously narrow cycle lanes, cycle lanes made of inappropriate materials, etc...
Shared pedestrian/cycle lanes in urban areas are dangerous and I'm not a fan at all. I usually stick to the road with them as its never clear where they end and cyclists on the pavement annoys a lot of people.
Don't forget that slowing down on a bike isn't the same as in a car either. You cant just speed up and slow down on a whim. Hills matter.

Though with conventional cars you're an idiot (and/or flash git) to buy new, I have heard it muttered that with electric this is far less clear cut considering battery capacity loss (albeit better than with eg phones).

Does that stack because most phones are used for much of the day, certainly on nearly all the time, whereas electric cars are still going to be used like other cars ie off and parked for the large majority of the time.

I won't pretend to understand the technology but I think it helps that car batteries are a collection of a bunch of batteries too?

[grumbler]

I don't know if you were laughing at yourself and being ironic or not.  I will give you the benefit of the doubt.

Like I said, comprehension has never been your strong suit when you burn to be contrarian.  This is exhibit C.

[Jacob]

Next to the main road I have there is a broad combined sidewalk-cycling lane easily wide enough for a pedestrian and a cyclist to pass each other. It is almost never used by cyclists, who prefer the road.

That is not my experience at all, as a car driver or a cyclist.

I'm guessing Tyr is right and you've mostly been around poorly designed and/or shittily maintained cycle lanes.

[Tamas]

The Windsor lane:
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4662563,-0.5933267,3a,75y,114.42h,92.48t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3TaTss0FwIoQyTHc0HF2iw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

The one on the main road not too far from me:
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5233688,-0.6952619,3a,75y,114.74h,71.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2R0MALMgTGB1bhppRkz8BQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192