Which US states have the most potential for e-bikes?
Analysis by the Bike Adviser finds that if the US replaced half of all short-distance car trips with e-bikes, it would reduce carbon emissions by as much as 273,000 metric tons daily.
At national level, if the US replaced half of all short-distance car trips with e-bikes, it would reduce carbon emissions as much by 273,000 metric tons every day, a new study suggests.
Using data from the US Census and US Environmental Protection Agency, the Bike Adviser website’s analysis set out to rank the states where e-bikes have the most potential to replace car trips with e-bikes.
Means of transportation
A short car trip is defined as less than five miles. The US has 276 million registered vehicles which make consumers heavily dependent on their cars as a primary means of transportation, generating 551,940 metric tons of CO2 daily at a five-mile range.
Washington DC, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Ohio are named as the top five states for e-bike potential with more than 57 per cent of their car trips being up to five miles.
If only 8 per cent of car trips in California were to be replaced with e-bikes, it would save 4,078 metric tons of CO2 every day
Switching from cars to e-bikes, these states together would save 2,753 metric tons of CO2 every day at an 8 per cent adoption rate. According to the website, this is equivalent to CO2 emissions from 334 million smartphones charged.
The study found Washington DC has the highest proportion of short-distance trips in the US with almost two-thirds of trips under five miles. If only 8 per cent of these short trips were replaced with e-bikes, it would save the capital 137 metric tons of CO2 daily, the equivalent amount of CO2 released by 150 return flights from London to New York, the website claims.
For instance, California leads all 50 US states in CO2 emissions from transport. While Texas and New York were also identified as heavy carbon-emitters for their “love affair” with cars and products responsible for high CO2 emissions.
With some 51,370 metric tons of CO2 emitted by cars every day in California, if only 8 per cent of car trips in California were to be replaced with e-bikes, it would save 4,078 metric tons of CO2 every day. This would be almost equal to the combined CO2 emissions saved in Washington DC, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Wyoming and Ohio together, Bike Adviser reports.
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