Urban Mover is without doubt one the world's most innovative dedicated electric vehicle (EV) companies and is fast becoming one of the most respected brands in its sector.
Urban Mover is not about marketing fads and theme invention just for arts sake. In all its products there is a real sense of purpose, practicality and usability. In the design, there is a purity and legitimacy to the process and a dogged sense of conviction to the finished product.
The main benefits of electric bikes
1. Greater distance for the same effort
This is the main advantage. A quality electric bike effectively flattens hills, increasing your average speed and eliminating the stress factor when a hill aproaches. So long as you supply a reasonable amount of effort, you can expect to climb hills of up to 14% on an Urban Mover electric bike with ease and more.
2. Safety
Pulling away from a busy intersection in heavy traffic on a normal bike can be extremely daunting. But with the extra assistance that you get from an Urban Mover electric bike, you can zoom ahead with little effort and increased safety by keeping up with the average car speed in a busy urban environment.
3. Fitness
Of course a conventional bike will generally keep you much fitter, but that of course depends on how much, if at all , it is used. Research form the Transport Research Laboratory in the UK (Davis and Hartley 1998) has shown that 46% of conventional bikes are only used twice a week, with a further 30% of bikes used for only once a fortnight or less. However, a report from Leeds University (Neil Guthrie 2001) reveals that in a survey of electric bike owners, a third of respondents used their bikes typically at least once a day and 81% used their electric bikes at least once a week. Therefore an electric bike typically gets used at least twice as often as a conventional bicycle.
Moreover, riding an electric bicycle is more enjoyable in mountainous terrain and in windy conditions and users tend to make better use of them because the motor can provide half the normal effort of cycling taking the sting out of long runs. Therefore more regular use equals the same amount of physical effort required for a conventional bike due to more regular
4. A to B - No Sweat!
Persperation may not be a serious issue when you're out for a leisurely ride, but it's more important if you're cycling to work. Although some businesses are providing showers and other facilities for cyclists under duress, the great majority have little intention of doing so. An Urnan Mover electric bike eliminates the problem at source. In hot weather, it's possible to maintain a steady ride as if cycling a convetional bicycle on level ground, by letting the electric power stystem take the strain. If you feel in need of exercise or in colder weather - our bikes are so light that you can just pedal without battery assistance.
5. Clean & Green
The amount of energy used by one of our bikes is very small compared to a petrol motorcycle or car. Aside from the obvious need for electricity to charge the battery, the only consumables are the batteries, and these can all be recycled when they come to the end of their life. As for energy use, electric bikes typically consume fuel at an average rate of 100 to 150 watts of electrical energy, against 15,000 or more for a car (albeit travelling much faster). Regarding fuel consumption, an Urban Mover electric bike achieves about 1500mpg. There is no other commercially available vehicle that can match this all round performance.
6. Sustainable
There's a lot of hype surrounding sustainability in transport, but an Urban Mover electric bicycle can be made wholly sustainableif you generate your own power with a wind generator or solar panels or buy your electricity from a 'green' supplier. Of course a normal bicycle already does that, but only if you grow the food you consume whilst riding it. However, most modern food production and distribution is so carbon-intensive that the consumption of a typical cyclist is not terribly good.
7. Speedier travel
The average speed in most urban city environments averages about 8mph. Congestion is the main problem. An electric bike can maintain a higher average speed than a traditional bicycle whilst taking advantage of the same network of cycle facilities (that a motorcycle can't do), gaining access to routes that cars and motorcycles cannot reach. The result is usually a faster door-to-door journey time than any other mode. And by taking advantage of the uncongested cycle network - eliminating hills and headwinds - electric bikes are normally the most consistent mode of travel.
8. Great residuals
Electric bikes are in the evolving new technology sector at the moment, but all the evidence points to a much better resale value (residual) than say a conventional bike. Although a quality electric bike generally costs more to buy, at £600-£1,000, you should get most of that back if you sell the electric bike on.
9. Powered motoring - without the hassle
No MOT, no log book, no Tax disc, no congestion charges, no parking charges (normally) no compulsory insurance (although we strongly recommend it) and no rising carbon fuel costs. Urban Mover Electric bikes are classed as a normal bike by law (although power assisted) therefore there's absolutely no registration or paperwork to worry about.
Long term cost savings
Electricity to power an electric bike costs roughly 4% of the fuel costs for a car. maintenance and repair costs are also much less. So every mile you ride saves money. If you combine an Urban Mover with public transport, you can go almost anywhere.
