The human factor | Does the electric bike fulfill its promises?

Every week, we explore the solutions available to us to make an impact on the climate and environmental crisis.

Marginal in 2015, electrically assisted bicycles are increasingly popular. Does this new mode of transport fulfill its ecological promises?

Besides walking, there is no more ecological means of transport than cycling. Durable, economical, easily repairable, a bicycle has a low carbon footprint which can be amortized over several years. But, “with its engine and its battery, does the bicycle in its electric version remain ecological? », asks Jean-Philippe Proulx.

In 2020, one in four bicycles sold in Quebec was electrically assisted (VAE), according to Vélo Québec. If you bought one to ride the wave during the pandemic, but it was only used for a few trips to the convenience store, your carbon footprint certainly hasn’t been reduced. However, if it allows you to leave the car aside for several trips, the environment benefits.

If used regularly, an electric bike^⁠1 is approximately 19 times less polluting than a car over their life cycle, according to data from a study carried out in 2021 by Anne de Bortoli, researcher affiliated with Polytechnique Montréal and head of the carbon neutrality research center within CIRAIG.

However, its carbon footprint is around 30% higher than that of a standard bike with an aluminum frame. “We still remain on levels [d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre] very low,” puts the researcher into perspective.

Including all GHG emissions linked to manufacturing and use over the entire life cycle (20,000 km), the electric bike emits approximately 13 grams of eq. CO₂ per kilometer traveled. The automobile, approximately 200 to 250 grams of eq. CO₂/km per person. The ordinary aluminum bike, 10 grams of eq. CO₂/km. The ordinary bicycle with a steel frame, 3 grams of eq. CO₂/km.

The carbon footprint of an electric bike may not be where you expect it to be. The majority of emissions (94%) come not from its energy consumption, but from its manufacturing, in particular that of the aluminum frame, often produced in China, where the energy used has a higher carbon footprint than the Quebec hydroelectricity. Thus, the most economical electric bike is this standard bike that we already use and to which we add electric assistance (retrofit).

And the battery?

It is therefore not the battery that weighs heavy, despite the environmental issues linked to metal extraction.

For a 20kg aluminum bike made in China, frame production emits 181kg eq. CO₂, that of the battery, 20 kg of eq. CO₂, and that of the engine, 37 kg of eq. CO₂calculates Anne de Bortoli.

“There is a lot of attention paid to batteries, but we must realize that between the battery of an electric bicycle and that of an electric car, there is an order of magnitude of 100 on their respective mass,” notes M^me of Bortoli.

Battery life has improved since the first electric bikes were put on the market, notes Julien Levesque, director of electric bike technologies and development at Cyclo Chrome.

However, the trend among manufacturers is not towards the repairability of components, he notes. “More recent generation designs are even made explicitly to discourage repair. Manufacturers assume that no one but them could safely work on it. What is wrong. A well-trained repairman can make durable and safe repairs. » Provided you have access to the parts.

For many entry-level electric bikes ($2,500 and less), “finding replacement parts is a real challenge,” adds the man whose workshop agrees to repair bikes of all brands, at the cost of “a lot of money.” resourcefulness.”

At E2-Sport, a store specializing in the sale of electric bicycles, Anthony Marier regularly encounters the dismay of customers seeking to repair their bicycle which was purchased online or in supermarkets. “This is the current scourge that poorly represents the electric bike,” he laments.

However, it is not Law 29 (on the durability and repair of property) which will correct the situation. In a brief presented during consultations on the bill, Équiterre requested that the guarantee of proper functioning required from manufacturers apply to VAEs, a proposal which was not accepted.

“We hope in the industry that the legal framework will eventually be adapted,” says Julien Levesque.

Nevertheless, the potential of electric bicycles in the decarbonization of transport is undeniable. According to an Équiterre report, between 18% and 25% of automobile trips could be transferred to VAE in Greater Montreal.

“The electric bike is a wonderful opportunity, especially in a North American context where we still use cars a lot,” says Anne de Bortoli. Changing a car journey for an electric bike journey is absolutely and unquestionably, without question, an excellent gesture for the planet. »

1. The bicycle model studied is a 20 kg aluminum urban e-bike. The study was carried out in a Parisian context, but the results are applicable to Montreal.

Consult the study by Anne de Bortoli (in English)

Number of the week

43%

Do you throw away food that has passed its “best before” date? This is what 43% of Canadians do, at least once a week, according to a Léger survey carried out for the company Too Good To Go. As part of the launch in Canada of the “Observe, Smell, Taste” campaign, pictograms will be affixed to the packaging of products from around fifteen brands, including Cracker Barrel, Ristorante, Barry Callebaut, Epic Tofu and Healtea. A way of reminding consumers that “best before” can also mean “good after”.

They said

My conscience tells me unequivocally that when the happiness of future generations is at stake, courageous decisions are necessary.

Leonore Gewessler, Austrian Minister of the Environment, during the adoption of the Green Deal for Biodiversity by the European Union. She challenged her government to support this legislation which requires implementing ecosystem recovery measures on 20% of land and marine spaces by 2030 and restoring 30% of habitats in poor condition. (Source: AFP)

Green light

The Green Patrol returns

The Green Patrol is back on the streets and parks of Montreal for a 20^e year. Made up of around fifty young people aged 15 to 30, this brigade’s mandate is to raise awareness among the population about the responsible management of residual materials and drinking water as well as the protection of the urban forest. Remember that the Montreal agglomeration has set itself the objective of becoming a zero waste city by 2030.

Ask your questions about the issues linked to the ecological transition