Over the past several years, I’ve done a fair amount of reading and documentary viewing on the subjects of global climate change, energy production, peak oil, and sustainability (in the broadest sense of the word).  When I began my research, I was commuting about 15 miles each way to work.  And, even though we were enjoying life in a house on a quiet, wooded lot by a lake, conversations began taking place in our house about the long-term sustainability of our location.  When my wife also began commuting, it became clear that we would eventually want to live closer to where we worked.  Not only would it more sustainable for us in terms of significantly lightning our carbon footprint and energy consumption, but our kids would eventually be able to walk or bike to school and other activities.

Fast forward a few years and we are now living in a very community-oriented, walkable neighborhood that is very close to each of our jobs.  My commute is now only 2.5 miles each way so I’m feeling a lot better about the impact on the environment.  Still,  I find myself exploring possible alternatives to driving, particularly on days where I’m the only one making the trip.

Initially, I thought I would buy a little Honda Scooter or motorcycle, and began talking with coworkers and friends who commute by motorcycle about their experiences.  The fuel efficiency (some models get close to 100 mpg) was enough to make me think that I had found my answer.  My late father-in-law, a very well read man, would be the one who burst my bubble by sharing some surprising facts about motorcyle emissions.  Much to my dismay, I learned that the average motorbike has about 10 times the emissions of a car, truck, or SUV.  So despite the fact that I’d be consuming far less fuel and saving money, in some ways I’d actually be doing more harm to the environment.  So, my search continued.

I contemplated the possibility of riding a bike to work.  However, there were several obstacles that didn’t make this a very attractive option.  The biggest of these was in the form of a long steep hill.  Even if I did manage to get into good enough shape to be able to scale the hill, a test ride in off hours revealed that I would arrive at work far too sweaty to go about my day.

Having followed the recent reemergence of electric cars onto the transportation scene, I found myself wishing that I could afford to purchase a vehicle like the Nissan Leaf or the Chevy Volt or even a Toyota Prius.  The money just wasn’t in our budget.

Then, one day last fall, I was on a community bike ride and took note of someone who had equipped their old beach cruiser with an electric motor and battery.  I was definitely intrigued.  I thought to myself, “Could an electric bike be the answer?”

Stay tuned…