World's Most Energy Efficient Vehicle? A Bicycle
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 2.06
We are always on about how efficient bicycles are as a means of mobility. See our early Eco-Tip on the topic. More recently the WorldWatch Institute published some intriguing figures on cycling. Comparing energy used per passenger-mile (calories), they found that a bicycle needed only 35 calories, whereas a car expended a whopping 1,860. Bus and trains fell about midway between, and walking still took 3 times as many calories as riding a bike the same distance. They also looked at a measurement called: ‘Persons per hour that one meter-width-equivalent right-of-way can carry’. In this case Rail scored tops with 4,000 persons, but ‘autos in mixed traffic’ still managed the worse rating with only 170 people. Bikes did pretty well, relative to cars, achieving 1,500 persons per hour. This is the sort of impact that Critical Mass rides around the planet try to demonstrate on a regular basis. The stats also inferred that cycling contributes to a nation’s health. For example, they found that only 1% of urban travel in the US was by bicycle, a country with 30.6% of adults considered obese. This contrasted with the Netherlands where 28% of urban travel was via a bike, and only 10% were obese. More at WorldWatch Matters of Scale.
This is the sort of impact that Critical Mass rides around the planet try to demonstrate on a regular basis.
What's weird about Critical Mass is they feel they need to run red lights and stop signs when they do their rides. What about pedestrians? F'em, I even got caught in the middle of crossing the street once as they were coming around the corner, bikers on every side of me.
CM has a good point to make, except for the anarchy pov - which gets in the way of their very important message.
Efficiency is a matter of perspective. If your measuering watt in to work out, there are modes of transport better than a pedal bike. But it all depends on where it's measured from. From solar input (100% of all energy on the planet minus nuclear is ultimately solar) Any biological source is going to be lacking, since clorphil has a max efficiency of 6% (even cheap photo-electrics double that).
It may be easier to measure it in cost per kilometer. A litter of petrol may cost $1.75USD but it will take you 10k. that's $0.18 per kilometer.
After I finish a long bike ride I can EASILY put back that much in food, and then some. My BMR is about 2000Cal. Biking to and fro work, 30min each way, taking it easy at 20kph increases that by OVER 1000Cal. Now you can eat that easy with a few gulps of olive oil, but I like a bit more variety. To replace it with normal food I need to add 1 to 3 extra meals (IE. A bagel sandwitch). Making myself I MAY be able to make them for $1-2USD each, buying them on the road it's more like $5-$10 each. G_d help you if you eat health food. It would have only taken
$3.50 in petrol to make that distance.
OK That's not 100% of the story, since a car has upkeep and insurance, and being stuck in traffic does not do half for my day what a vigorus work out first thing in the morning does. I'm also saving time and money on a gym membership (a set of weights is all else I need). There are also lots of high carb foods, that don't cost an arm and a leg (pasta, whole grain breads, bannanas, peanut butter, etc..) Also, it's allot more fun 'gassing' up on pizza then worring if that snickers bar at the petrol station check out is going to make your waste line grow more than it already is.
In Sydney, CM most often ride with a bicycle police escort, and generally observe road rules. I agree that it's counterproductive to the 'share the road' message if cyclists show contempt for red lights, etc.
In theory a tandem recumbent bike would be over twice as good as a regular bike, and nearly as good as a train for people/hr. Add a solar panel powered motor assist and you can even better the efficiency of a regular bike for a couple of hundred $ more.
Just solve the sweatiness problem and we've got something!
Sorry, thelonecabbage, I don't follow your bike calorie math. According to the TreeHugger link, a cyclist would burn 420 calories for 20K/12 miles or 3/4 cups of oats. A 30-cent PopTart has 204 calories which gives you over 9K or $0.03 per kilometer -- or 1/6th the cost of your car example.
I remember seeing a similar calculation once (sorry, don't remember the source), only instead of comparing prices, they compared "gallons of petroleum used".
After all, the food you need to eat has to be harvested and transported, which is usually with petroleum-burning farm equipment and trucks. Bicycles are far more efficient and moving people than cars, but instead of putting petroleum in your tank, you're spending it making food, and then digesting the food for chemical energy.
Their conclusion was that bicycling is more energy-efficient if you're vegetarian. Meat, on the other hand, is so energy-intensive to produce that omnivorous bicyclists actually used more oil than driving a small car.
I guess it goes to show that you can't simply make one thing you do energy-efficient, and expect that to make a difference: you need to consider the whole system.
--
editor note: Even if you drive a car, you have to eat. Not quite as much as someone cycling a lot, but still...
I enjoy cycling and it is my
primary and favorite exercise.
I do some shopping and errands
via bike.
I have spent a lot of time in
the netherlands and greatly
appreciate it's bike friendly
environment, the many bike lanes
and path ways.
I have a friend or two in
the Netherlands who do not
drive, bike for all of their
transportation.
But from my own experience
and observation, in reasonably
diverse areas in the Netherlands, 28 percent of
urban transport is an absurd
exaggeration.
Where does your number come
from ?
Yes, Icelander. Sweatiness is a big obstacle to massive bicycle adoption.
I love my bike.
Lately, I've been riding around with a big patch on my back that says "Smog alert? STOP DRIVING!!"
Sweat could be solved with showers in the office. Make it mandatory as a part of a national energy program, or give tax reductions for companies that install showers.
I tried posting a trackback to this story, but your trackback URL is returning a 404 error message. Just wanted to let you know.
My post referring to this story is here: http://www.training-time.com/inspiration/?articleId=262&lang=en
Recumbent bikes are baloney.
You eat whether you drive or ride. The sweat issue is a lame ass excuse.
The 'back of the envelope' section of TheWatt podcast had some interesting maths on this a few weeks ago.
He calculated that the equivalent mpg of a bike (on a fairly long journey) if you compare calorific value was about 1150mpg.
This assumed he ate 8 bananas, but if you factored in all the petroleum inputs to get those bananas from the carribean to canada, it dropped to about 600mpg.
The frightening one was that if you had eaten a processed cereal in the morning to provide your energy, the sheer amount of energy, fertilizer and processing involved would drop your efficiency down to .................56 mpg!!!
Of course the guy in the car making the same journey after the same cereal would have a much lower mpg, but it just shows the impact of our food system.
The best solution is simply to avoid commuting whenever possible.
Why not telecommute? A large number of office professionals can work from home at least a couple of days a week.
This talk of cyclists needing more food is absurd in the US. I ride dialy, but eat no more than my friends and neighbors who are sedentary. In fact, , I regularly eat much less than some (yes, they're overweight/obese). If you look at the avg. American food intake, it's plenty to fuel a commuting cyclist with no increase necessary.
Yesterday I rode forty miles and my intake was a bowl of cereal for breakfast, an energy bar for lunch and a salmon burger, fries and sald for dinner.
Good point, Jim. Few people would have to eat any more than they already do, that is, they eat too much as it is.
Overweight/Obese people sweat more easily.
This is a quote from Ivan Illich's book Energy and Equity, published in 1973:
"Man on a bicycle can go three or four times faster than the pedestrian, but uses five times less energy in the process. He carries one gram of his weight over a kilometer of flat road at an expense of only 0.15 calories. The bicycle is the perfect transducer to match man's metabolic energy to the impedance of locomotion. Equipped with this tool, man outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well."
Find it online at:
http://www.cogsci.ed.ac.uk/~ira/illich/texts/energy_and_equity/node8.html#SECTION00008000000000000000
Surely it's easy - walk or cycle if you can. If not, take public transport. Only as a last resort should people be driving to work (especially in a city) and they should never be driving great fuel guzzling vehicles - think of the environment, and your pocket, then decide how to travel! More often than not, the green route is also the cheapest route.
Thanks Kevin for that very interesting essay by Ivan Illich...
Of course! its basic physics people. In physics an engine is considered anything that takes a source of fuel and turns it into other forms of energy(motion, heat, exhaust)and when compared even to the most advanced technology our body still ranks an easy number 1, it amazes me not more people ride bikes in a country thats so 'independent'. Hey lemme all ask what you think of this idea. Ok gas in this country is at an all time high and so is obesity, well you know what I say..ride your bike to work!
In addition to the energy efficiency of the bicycle, there are many others:
there's the psychological benefit of not being stuck in traffic,
the health benefits of being physically fit,
the financial benefit (I save $7000 a year or $0.50/mile),
and the humanitarian benefit (according to USDOT, automobiles are the highest cause of death for children in America).
There are so many dozens of arguments to using a bike over a car, the only counter-argument is the myriad dollars from the auto/oil industry.
The sweat issue is a lame ass excuse.
Okay. Then try cycling to your date when it's 80 degrees and 90% humidity. You won't arrive smelling spring fresh, I can tell you that much.
I work up a sweat walking to work in the morning during the summer, but I get even sweatier if I ride my bike.
The sweat issue is definitely a legitimate concern. I have found that investing in a few shirts/jerseys made from sweat-wicking fabric is a great way to both alleviate the sweat problem and stay cool in hot/humid conditions. In addition, my girlfriend finds it sweet that I would ride 30 miles round-trip just to see her! (Lucky, I know...)
I'd be interested in thoughts on electric bikes. I know there are batteries that need to be manufactured and recycled, which costs energy and creates pollution. But, from a practical viewpoint, they offer quite a lot for commuters that may be interested in them only to save money. If they save the commuter money (and sometimes even save time), and save energy and pollution at the same time, the potentially green concept could be more easily generalized to people that are not naturally green thinking. Because of their low cost and savings on fuel, registration, insurance, maint., depreciation, etc, they make economic sense for the right commuter, and no sweating, either! I like the idea of these joining the bike world, as replacements for cars, not for bikes, which is where I think most of the interest in purchasing the e-bikes would be.
What's wrong with sweat and a good healthy human smell?
We US Americans are so afraid of humanity, it's sad!
If my date (or my husband) didn't apprciate my healthy lifestyle, I'd dump him :-)
Never mind the calculations and justifications, just ride. People who don't ride aren't going to be convinced by math anyway. You want an argument for commuting that people will consider? Show up at work on your bike with a HUGE smile on your face.
Put the fun between your legs and ride!
After wasting so much emotional hot air getting mad about oil wars and global warming and air quality in my city I've finally just let my riding to the talking.
I just love to ride my bike!
I love taking it to the shop and keeping it in tip-top shape for only, like, 10 dollars a month (tires trued and tubes patched, etc.). The sweaty issue takes care of itself as the shape I'm in is constantly improving.
I have enjoyed cycling for the past 17-18 years. My biking range extends from Gilroy to Sausalito (125 km), also Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, San Leandro, and Sunol-essentially all of the San Francisco Bay Area.
I can give you a good reason why to use an electric bike...
http://carsonatus.blogspot.com/2007/01/price-of-new-car-with-all-future-20.html
it's just too expensive to have a car...
Bicycles are great. You not only are efficient but you a connected with your environment. You can talk to people, wave, spit or whatever. It transends environmentalism. It is a life forming device. If you are in Strasburg, VA and need a bike to ride, check out www.halfmoonbikes.com, if you tell them you saw it on this site theyll hook you up with a bike to ride for the day, it may be a pos but it will be better than renting a car or driving yours if you have one with you.
Hi,
I don't mean to beat the topic to death but some input . . .
Sweat -
You have to change clothes. It's that simple. Investing in some decent (Descente?) bicycle clothes makes a difference. Get to know your size and buy stuff off eBay- saves a lot- use some bleach if you're squeamish.
You have to have a place to change from Superman or Wonder Woman to Joe or Josephine Average when you get there. I ride from Brooklyn NY to a midtown NYC bank. Lock up out front and change in the first floor bathroom. I am able to use the janitor's slop sink if I need to rinse. Hair is no problem because I have found those flexible ear band things to be effective down to -5 degrees.
Then there's an evolution process- my 11 mile ride one way can be done with no sweat in 55 minutes in 70 degree temps in the morning. You have to build up to it. I am 215 pounds and carry 25 pounds on my back. I used to be 240 pounds. I got down to 195 pounds but got careless and un-disciplined. Anyway, bring a change of clothes in a messenger bag (Manhattan Portage- made in New York State). Other stuff to bring- small pump, 2 tubes, tire levers, spoke wrench, chain and lock (do not skimp on these), hat, front light, rear light, clear glasses, sun glasses. Know how to change a flat tube- be self sufficient.
A good site for info is www.icebike.org for the warm weather challenged.
There's no time -
I agree, there's no time to work out. Sleep seems to be the new luxury of the rich. I can't telecommute as much as I'd like to. I also have to do audits sometimes as well. When I get out of work, I am beat. I used to gym it but holy crap, I am too tired to eat dinner at night a lot, getting up in the morning is a long process,... maybe there's something wrong with me,... anyway, my 50 minutes of cardio each morning and evening is my commute. You can go hard up the bridge for some anaerobic stuff. The subway is an hour plus walk and wait time. I got my boss to do the ride (only half the distance as mine) for a while and she pointed it out to me, the whole time management thing.
Dating-
She thinks I am crazy when I ride the 32 miles to her place up a few big hills.
A 5 minute rinse in the shower and all is fine.
Now for the round trip, 2 gallons of fuel- $5.8o, tolls- $15.oo, not paying $$ to terrorist oil countries, big oil, or the Triboro Bridge and Tunnel Authority or the Port Authority of NY & NJ = PRICELESS.
Critical Mass-
I read the times-up.org web site every now and then. They give out breakfast at the base of the Manhattan Bridge every last Friday of the month to get the word out about the Union Square starting point for the ride. I haven't gotten snarled - but then again, I rarely drive into NYC. I heard there was a transit strike last winter? Hmmm.
Another group which leans less on the civil disobedience is Transportation Alternatives- www.transalt.org . They concern themselves with promoting Mass transit, walking and biking.
I think it's less about anarchy and more about self sufficiency and independence. Or maybe just being a bit different. My favorite quote puts it like this -
Modern industrialized states [are] resentful of a few cleverly arranged pounds of tubes and spokes. The cyclist creates everything from almost nothing, becoming the most energy-efficient of all moving animals and machines and, as such, has a disingenuous ability to challenge the entire value system of a society. Cyclists don't consume enough. They can propel themselves 1500 pollution-free miles on the energy equivalent of a gallon of petrol. The bicycle may be too cheap, too available, too healthy, too independent and too equitable for its own good. In an age of excess it is minimal and has the subversive potential to make people happy in an economy fuelled by consumer discontent. Jim McGurn, 1994
Good Luck-
Just get out there and ride !
vsk
bicycling is poetic,
beautiful and rhythmic.
it puts one in touch with
nature: bird song, moving air,
terrain, light, rain and fog.
the car is a narcotic insulator.
it disconnects one from
reality and lulls one into
stupid somnambulence.
driving a car, like watching
television is a passive experience.
only a dolt loves his car.
drivers are dunderheads.
cyclists live in the moment.
cycling is like meditating.
it opens the spirit and the mind.
OK so my friend Bonnie introduces me to my new tennants. I kept bugging her- What can I do for YOU??
After a couple of weeks - "Hey I have this old bike, do you think you could get it road worthy again so I don't have to get another car to get back + forth to work?"
Now how could coincidence work any better?
A different Easter Sunday resurrection- old Raleigh Super Record 10 speed, what used to be an "old clunker college commuter" is now a "cool vintage machine".
vsk
Walking & cycling should be the only means of transit within cities. We should be looking at ways in which we can reclaim our streets from automobiles, investing in public transit and rezoning for multi-use. Much of our food can be grown locally where transportation is not nearly as big a factor. Pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers are not needed for smaller scale organic farming, and contrary to popular belief, we can continue to feed the world without Agrobusiness and their poison.
In some response to WillySF,
There was a little front porch chit chat last night about neighborhoods turning around and gentrifying (or "expensive-ifying" if you ask me). There seems to be a renewed push to get back into the city. Hopefully the big MonsterUVs are starting to lose their appeal (I think their beefy suspensions would make for great electric conversions). Also time savings by not having to commute such a long way into the city from the suburbs. Anyway, intra-urban sprawl is definitely picking up, lots of neighborhoods have changed and are still changing. There was just a great clean up of Plumb Beach last Sunday by the American Littoral Society and others. The city could really shine if there was just some local pride. Now, riding to work these past couple of days has been interesting . . . where were all these people during my solitary commutes in January, February, and March?? The Brooklyn Bridge is amateur city, but the Manhattan Bridge with it's north side path closed looks like it could become quite dicey. I passed a few intersections with multiple bikes waiting for the light. After some rambling, my point is, I think there is going to be quite a lot more bike traffic this spring to fall. While it is great to see, I hope people behave themselves so restrictions don't start cropping up.
www.transalt.org is a good source for info.
Good Luck, vsk
Some interesting reading for a rainy day -
http://www.bikereader.com/contributors/mcgurn/McGurn.html#stories
Bike:
Food (type)
growth costs, fertilizer, transport costs, manufacture of parts, water processing costs. costs to market, transport to store, did you bike to buy that food? All that is oil that has been used in transport to get the banana to your mouth.
Car:
Fuel (type):
Drilling rigs, worker air transport, manufacture of parts, security personnel, oil tankers, petrol tankers, electricity used at the pump, the automatic doors, the lights in the station, the lights at the electricity plant to let the workers see, lights and computers in the accounting department so they know how to bill the petrol station, fuel for the postman to deliver the bill to the petrol station...
Yes, it can get quite complex, there isn't so much as a fixed list of costs for a set portion of fuel in your car, or that banana in your pocket (or are you just exci... no I won't).
So, there are no real fixed costs for 1km by car, and 1km by bike.
The car has a huge impact in production that lasts 10 years, until it is scrapped, and then junks up some land. The bike, well, that may last 10 years too, has less of an impact. Less services. Less oil changes. fewer tyre changes. Fewer bulbs and consumable parts and fuses that support entire industries.
The bike has less of an impact to buy, and costs you a few calories.
To move 100kg of bike and person (ok... 115...) using muscles chemical energy and oxygen, from calories obtained from various foods.
Versus, moving 1000kg of car, from refined oil, pulled from the earth, carried around the world, sent through an intricate chain of suppliers, to the pumps.
Both give off CO2. Which requires less, and gives off less?
That begs the question, which source of energy available for consumption is, today, the most eco friendly. eco, social, sustainable, ethical.
Not chocolate. Not cereals. Bananas? hrm.
Perhaps we need to really think about what we can eat.
Actually, an eGo scooter @24mph uses about 62% of the energy of a bicycle @15mph, so at the wheel it's more efficient than a bicycle.
Oat Meal is the new Oil !
Hi,
I am not sure I am getting your math Martin.
Maybe electricity to the wheel is more efficient than pounding the pedals?
Especially the speed differences. The air resistance at 24 mph is much more than at 15.
Looking at the site, it weighs 59kg. Maybe efficiency varies by user? Maybe by commuting distance? I use a regular road bike to go 11 miles each way into New York City and I carry at least 25 pounds each way because of lock, clothes, tools, tubes, etc. I can get to 26-28 mph on a straight road with no wind but maintain about 18-20 mph. Do you have a source for the statistic?
Good Luck, vsk
Electric Bicycles and Electric Scooters
Elmo The Electric Bike and Electric Scooter Guy
This is an excellent blog for electric bicycles. There are not too many around like this. Thanks for making this such an interesting subject. Oh, by the way, Wired Magazine has a great article on hybrid cars this month. (Jan 2008 issue).
God Bless,
Elmo
Hello,
i disagree with Ivan´s calculations in his book, here are 3 reasons his numbers are wrong:.
1) You can continue to eat normal and bike 40 miles a day, but only for a short time. The energy deficit will catch up with you in 1 to 2 weeks. You will feel tired and burned out. Not only that but food energy is a lot more expensive than petrol energy. If you dont you will simply get sick and waste your muscles away. Most people´s BMR´s are about 1500 calories a day, thats what it costs to simply stay alive. Tour de France stages are about 150 miles a day and they eat over 10000 calories each day to maintain it for a couple of weeks. For a 40 mile day you would have to eat a third of that if you were as a Lance Armstrong, but odds are your no Lance, so probably you will have to eat more, probably half or 5000 calories a day. Thats more than double what most people normally eat.
2) The human body is not an efficient locomotion machine. Most of the energy is used by the brain and the internal organs, there are a lot of complex tasks going on and walking or pedaling is not the most important of them. The common automobile is far more efficient than the human body in converting fuel to mechanical motion. It does only one thing and does it well. Most auto engines with compressions of 10:1 are about 30% efficient, and about 25% at the wheel due to power accessories sucha s AC, auto tranny etc.... The human body is about 5% efficient in converting food into mechanical energy, or 5-6 times less efficient than an old beat up car. It seems efficient because you have so little power output available, most people can sustain only about 150 watts on the average. If you do some basic calculations you will see the power density of automobiles is something like 10x that of a bicycle rider and actually use less energy per mile than ridding a bicycle does...
3) What most people dont realize is that the bicycle drive train is actually more inefficient than a auto tranny, bicycle chain drives are only 80% efficient on the average. When youre chain is dirty its even worse, an MIT physics dept test showed it to be about 75% efficient. Also the drag coeffcient of a bicycle is far worse than a car, more than double so about 10mph you´re using something like 80% of your energy to fight the air, which is ridiculously inefficient.
...Also bikes are notoriously unreliable and cheap. Tires only about 5k miles, alloy rims about a year. Spokes break often and are a pain to replace. Yes, these are far cheaper than paying gas everyday, but dont forget that when you are ridding a bicycle, youk are the fuel tank...
I’m sorry anonymous but I disagree with your calculations.
1) Is some one who rides 40 miles leisurely commute (coasting down hills etc) a day really going to consume half the amount as professional bikers riding high average speeds and riding up the Pyrenees. Do you drive your car full throttle to work every morning? Anyway I thought people with high metabolic rates (ath