Experts agree. What we’re going to see this summer is the worst oil crisis ever.
It’s not just the Iran war. There’s also a war in Ukraine, which is destroying Russia’s ability to export oil and close the gap.
This means 2026 is the biggest opportunity ever for E-Transport. In the 21st century, we have the technology to win the War Against Oil.
Hybrids save gas. Electric cars save more. E-Transport saves the most.
Efficiency is why the market isn’t yet panicking over the war. It will. Many places have already begun to panic, like India, which is running out of “petroleum gas” to power its restaurants. The West is going to start hurting in just a few months, as reserves are drawn down. Brent Crude, which defines the global oil price, is already over $110 per barrel. That’s $2.40/gallon. (A barrel of oil is 42 gallons, although industrial barrels can hold 55 gallons.)
A lot of companies are going to have to reverse their “return to the office” policies over the next few months. For many families, driving vacations will become unaffordable in a few months. If you think people are upset over $4/gallon gas, they ain’t seen nothing yet.
An e-bike like my Edison gets about 40 miles per charge, with my help. There are now batteries coming out that will let an e-bike get 200 miles on a charge. But that 40-mile capacity is fine for most of the five-mile trips an e-bike is called upon to make. Cargo bikes can also handle that, carrying kids to school or taking groceries home.
Don’t overthink it.
The Big Opportunity
Bike lanes and trails cost less to build than roads.
Demand is creating a huge opportunity this year to build better e-bike infrastructure.
Over the last year an enormous pushback has emerged against E-Transport, highlighted by New Jersey’s decision to make all e-bikes get licenses, despite not having the administrative power to grant them. This is going to fail, because the oil crisis won’t let it succeed.
Beyond that E-Transport is becoming a constituency, and with rise in the gas price that constituency grows larger. It’s time to demand better e-bike infrastructure, creating safety on every roadway, either by narrowing the road so it can be shared, building separate bike lanes, or creating e-bike only roads that parallel the route.
The volume of e-bike, e-trike, cargo bike, e-recumbent, and e-moto traffic is going to jump month-by-month, and while there will be traffic incidents, each becomes an opportunity for advocacy.
The Big Distraction
Then there is the carheads’ last stand, distraction.
All the garbage we’re seeing on the Internet about “Class 1,” “Class 2,” and “Class 3” e-bikes is a distraction. Whether a device runs on a throttle or totally through pedal-assist doesn’t matter. What matters is its speed. Whether a device can travel at 10, 15, 28, or 45 mph doesn’t matter. What matters is its speed.
Speed is what kills, not a fancy motorcycle-style seat.
The real issue is we still haven’t learned to control cars. Cars are still killing people, including drivers, passengers, bystanders and other road users, and we call these incidents “accidents.” In most cases, the car was going too fast for conditions, or the driver shouldn’t have been on the road because they were on drugs. They’re not accidents.
When we get bogged talking “Class vs. Class” we’re treating 15 mph E-Transport, and its users, more harshly than we do the drivers of two-ton rolling bombs.
The whole thing is simple. If the electric vehicle can roll at the same pace as the stroad, it’s a motorcycle. Treat it as a motorcycle. If it can’t, it’s E-Transport.
Everything else can be dealt with through speed limits. Enforce them against cars, enforce them on shared streets, enforce them on shared paths. Car drivers don’t want speed limits enforced against them, and by enforced, I mean speed cameras. Enforce them.
Let’s get rolling.
