Scooters... one for clued-up environmentalists who can do maths

[GrumpyGregry]

I throw open to the floor a not entirely hypothetical situation.

A friend of a friend is contemplating buying a scooter to do his commute on. He lives in a small village to the north side of the South Downs and needs to get into the city centre. He works shifts. He has tried the cycle commute but it just doesn't float his boat in winter and is too much of a beating day-after-day in fine weather because of his shift patterns.

So he is thinking of buying a scooter of some sort. Green credentials in operation are very important to him.

He has a choice between a conventional petrol powered scooter vs a electric scooter. Put aside the environmental impact of manufacture of each type and assume it is equal.

The question being asked is where, if anywhere, is the break point, Co2 and other pollutants wise, where a scooter you fuel down a wire from a remote power station becomes 'cleaner' than one you fill with unleaded? What level of mpg does a petrol scooter have to achieve to have less environmental impact that the electric one. The electric one claims to do 60 miles on a single 'overnight' charge which for the purposes of debate we will say equals 8 hours on the 13amp flex.

 

[Norm]

Put aside the environmental impact of manufacture of each type and assume it is equal.

IIRC, if you set this bit aside and assume both are equal, you might as well do the same with the whole operation.

 

[vernon]

Perhaps an evironmentalist's web site might be a better source of information?

 

[srw]

I'm sure that a Lancastrian from Bristol and a Scot from near Birmingham will be along shortly to debate it at length...

I suspect that neither scooter option will have the green credentials of a combined bike + train commute - assuming the city is the very big one beyond the North Downs he'll need to take an underpowered phut-phut motor over the top, which could be expensive in energy consumption.

 

[numbnuts]

I suppose one could look at it as, you can replace electricity, but can't replace oil.

 

[mickle]

What about a pedelec?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

what about e kit for existing bike? that way manufacturing costs to the environment will be good and he could charge on e7.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

What about a pedelec?

oops beat me to it sorry.

 

[srw]

I was assuming that it was the one immediately to the south of The South Downs. The one by the seaside.

If so, there's still a fark-off big hill in the way.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I was assuming that it was the one immediately to the south of The South Downs. The one by the seaside.

that's the one.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If so, there's still a ****-off big hill in the way.

we've new recruit doing hove to haywards heath every day via one of the two ****-off hills. he doesn't hold with the A23 cycle path it seems.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Perhaps an evironmentalist's web site might be a better source of information?

perhaps, but i don't frequent such places.... and i'm not sure there would be much in the way of counter argument.

 

[MarkF]

We don't know the charge cost, or what the real life range is, it won't be 60 hilly miles................

I ride a vintage 2 stroke scooter for several reasons.
They are incredibly reliable, after all, the engine only has 3 real moving parts.
Free road tax like the electric scooter.
100/120mpg.
Emissions? Well, it's never stuck in traffic, worrying about the impact of a highly economical 50-150cc scooters emissions as it wafts past queues of gridlocked cars and trucks doesn't make sense.
Spares, I can buy a lever for £5, an new exhaust for £25,cables for £2 etc
It is made of steel, it is infinitely repairable and rebuildable, it's been on the road for over 50 years now.

 

[Browser]

Tell him to MTFU, I work shifts and I manage it
Biggest diff between petrol vs electric scooter, or if you like petrol scooter vs power station, is that the PS runs at a constant speed and is monitored far more closely on emission than the petrol scooter. Plus which, some of the 'leccy does come from windfarms so after the energy used to manufacture, site and connect them is out of the way the electricity has a lower carbon impact.
How far does he travel each way?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Tell him to MTFU, I work shifts and I manage it
Biggest diff between petrol vs electric scooter, or if you like petrol scooter vs power station, is that the PS runs at a constant speed and is monitored far more closely on emission than the petrol scooter. Plus which, some of the 'leccy does come from windfarms so after the energy used to manufacture, site and connect them is out of the way the electricity has a lower carbon impact.
How far does he travel each way?

I tried the mtfu line but it failed to impress.

round trip is about 25 miles, though it is on roads (even) I have to think twice about cycling on.