I’m an avid ebiker, especially when the weather allows. During the summer, I drive my car close to 30% less than any other season. I have a few ebikes at home and they all go at least 20mph, so I can get around pretty quickly when I need to. There’s just something about hopping onto a bike instead of climbing into a car. There’s a certain freedom to it – probably similar to riding a motorocycle, but without the extra license, testing and insurance. Also without the speed, but you take the good with the bad.
Also, gas prices are insane these days, so any time I can spend not behind the wheel is a gift. Riding an ebike is a fun diversion from how I usually get around, but I wondered if I could actually do it for a full month and save a little money.
For one month, I rode an ebike or escooter exclusively (with a few notable exceptions we’ll discuss later) and tracked where I went and how far, and used Google Maps to track how long it would have taken to drive. I learned a few lessons along the way – a lot of big pros and cons – from safety to that extra bit of mobility.
At a glance: my car substitutes
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Engwe M20 3.0 ebike
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Segway Ninebot Max G3 Plus Scooter
Week one: Not a great start!
The biggest mistake I made was starting this experiment in October in Chicago. This meant two things: it was starting to get cold, and it was starting to get dark earlier. The error of my ways became evident when on my third day, I decided to head to my mom’s house, about 25 miles away on side streets, bike paths and even some thoroughfares (but not the highway). I got there, spent a bit of time, and started back, but I didn’t give myself enough time to get home before dark.
The bike, an Engwe M20 3.0 has headlights and enough battery power to make the long distance trek. Unfortunately – and I can’t emphasize enough that this was day three of a 30-day challenge – I got hit by a car. I’m fine. The bike was not. Yes, mistakes were made, but fortunately for everyone involved, there were no serious injuries. That bike was toast, and I have since bought some high-visibility stickers for my helmet and backpack.
Undaunted, I continued my journey – mostly during the day now. The other vehicle I’d planned to use was the Segway Ninebot Max G3 Plus, a motorized standup kick scooter that served as my primary vehicle for the rest of the month. After a few days of running around during daylight hours, I got right back up on that horse and headed out at night again because we needed dinner. From this point on, most of the rides I made were local and under seven miles – running to the store, or to a friend’s house; that kind of stuff. I only had one more long journey coming, which we will get to later.
For now, this week’s lesson is to be even more careful than you think you need to be, and by the way, look both ways and behind you when you cross a street. Who knew?
Week two: I can’t get rid of the car completely
My e-scooter journey continued into the second week with similar small trips, but I found myself looking for reasons to go out on (somewhat) unnecessary excursions. Were we going grocery shopping later that week? Sure, but we need a gallon of milk today, so headed out on the scooter because it is so much fun! The Segway scooter has three speed modes – eco, ride and sport, set to 10, 16 and 25mph respectively. (If 25mph seems fast for an e-scooter, know that there’s a reason: the side streets around me have a speed limit of 25mph, so basically if someone hits me from behind, they’re the problem, not me.)
But when the weekend rolled around, I had to hop into the car. My son wanted to spend his birthday with some friends in Rockford, which is about 60 or so miles away on Saturday. The following day, my wife and I went to Six Flags Great America which is 45 miles away. I do have a bike that can make those distances, but not back without about five hours of charging in between. They also can’t make those trips with two people.
If you came here thinking this was an instruction manual for ditching your car full time, I’m sorry to say this is not it. You still need a car for going long distances, for things such as grocery runs, and of course if you ever want to go somewhere, you know, with someone. Still, these were the only two times I found myself in the car that week, so overall, I’m calling it a win.
Week three: The long haul
Running errands on a scooter is great, but they do take longer. You’re limited to side streets, so often the route you will need to take will be longer than it would be if you just drove. And a scooter will never be as fast as a car – your speed is capped at 25mph. In terms of time, over the course of the month, I spent about 11 hours on the bike or scooter, while driving would have taken around seven hours. That’s not a huge difference all told, but it’s not nothing.
This week was also the second longest trip I had to take and it also marked my return to an ebike. The Engwe M20 is the predecessor to the one that got totaled, and its range far outperforms that of the scooter’s battery. First, I had to go by my daughter’s school to get a form, then take that form to another high school. Then, I had to run a couple of errands on the way back. It ended up being around 20 miles all told. I don’t know if I have the memory of a goldfish, or if I just don’t learn lessons, but the accident from two weeks ago never entered my mind. This was just a thing I had to do – I’d committed to riding an ebike for the month, and so I just got back on and rode.
It was also starting to get rather cold, so I added gloves and my leather coat to the mix. Sixty fahrenheit is pleasantly crisp but add in 25mph of speed with no windshield, and it gets chilly, quickly. If you’re going to try this experiment outside of the summer time, be prepared for the elements. I also got caught out in the rain this week on a trip to Target, and I had to wait it out in the store before I could head home, so pay attention to the weather forecast as well.
Week four: The home stretch
Week four brought another trip to Great America in the car, but this time I brought the scooter with me. I drove to the park, but when faced with the choice of paying $25 for a slice of not amazing pizza, or just $7 for a literal full meal at Subway, the scooter made a lot of sense. I actually did about five miles in town outside the park running to Walgreens for some OTC medicine, Subway for my lunch and McDonalds for my daughter. All the while, my car stayed in the parking lot, in a nice, close spot to the park’s front entrance, saving me gas and time looking for a new spot.
The thing I like most about the e-scooter is not just how quick it is, or how fun, but also how portable. This is the type of ride you can toss into your trunk and use it for “last mile” kinds of things. If you want to catch a ball game, but not pay insane parking fees, park a couple of miles away and scoot over to the gate. Or, if you have a series of errands to run that are all nearby, park once and ride the rest of the way!
This was also the week where the toting capacity of an e-scooter (read: non-existent) was tested: when I went to buy a toilet seat that couldn’t fit into my bag, I added some bungee cords and strapped the thing to the outside of my backpack to get it home. Every problem has a solution and sometimes that solution is more bungee cords.
Was it worth it?
Over the month I spent dodging cars – with varying amounts of success – and braving the wind, rain and pedestrians, I logged a total of 185 miles. That’s actually not bad for a scooter. I could have spent all those miles in my car, sure. It would have been less dangerous and at a more comfortable temperature. But when you factor in the ridiculous price of gas, it makes sense that a scooter looks a lot more tempting. However, there was one last surprise.
The average gas price in Illinois at the time of this writing, according to Gas Buddy, is $4.60 a gallon. My 2024 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid gets about 34 miles to the gallon which brings my total gas savings to around $25. If we go with a worst case scenario, where the max gas price around me this month was $4.94 a gallon and I’m driving my 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport which gets closer to 24 miles a gallon, that total jumps to $38.
The numbers don’t lie: riding an ebike or scooter is not going to save you a ton of money. But the twist is, as I write this four days after my experiment ended, I’m still heading out on the scooter to run errands. It’s not about the money; it’s about the fun, the fresh air and the excitement that I just don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There are, frankly too many four-, five-, or even seven-seat cars out there with one occupant taking up space on the road and burning fossil fuels unnecessarily. We need to normalize adults running errands on ebikes. So, if you want to buy a bike or a scooter to save money, don’t. But if you want to buy it to have more fun and get out more, then I can’t recommend it enough.
Other pieces you might enjoy from the Filter, the Guardian’s guide to buying fewer, better things:
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A beginner’s bike commuting gear guide: what to buy (and skip) before your first ride
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XPedition2 cargo ebike review: the best electric bicycle I have ever tested
