Written by Umang Saini
on 

Commute

Each day is unique, and guaranteed to never return.

I have written about commute earlier - Commute, Even, and 10000. In the last 5 years, I could only add ~5k km, mainly due to the pandemic. My cycle is in disrepair, and I would probably pick a new one. That brings me to the question for this post - Should you buy an e-Bike?

TLDR - Short answer is absolutely not.

The long answer is that an electric bicycle is definitely something that adds a ton of capabilities and range to your cycle, but it comes at a steep cost with little flexibility. I recently read interview of Aditya Munjal from Hero Lectro - Link. He is working to make this category mainstream, as a serious option for commuters to consider. Having commuted to work for the last 15+ years (excluding the pandemic period), and using several modes of transport, I can say that Cycles are the best way to commute to work. However, we live in cities designed for heavy vehicles, and commuting by cycle has major challenges.

While it might be tempting to pick one of the several models on sale by Hero Lectro, here are my reasons to avoid the purchase

  1. Product Localization - Several key parts of e-cycles are being imported and are simply used and thrown away. Since Hero has little to no control over the component,
  2. Product Service / Maintenance - eBike manufacturers and distributors provide poor levels of service at astronomically high prices. These are not highly repairable, and your local bicycle shop will have a tough time to maintain the bike.
  3. Product Quality / Design - These are still first/second generation designs, with severe quality and user experience issues. It is left up to the owner to navigate the complexity, and responsibility to extract value out of the product
  4. Product Pricing - The pricing is opaque, and the entry barrier is high.

I have not gone into specific issues. There is some good work being done by vendors such as Hero Lectro, and as acknowledged by their head, the road to reach the promised land is long and arduous. I wish them all the very best. Here is my wishlist

  1. Entry price of $200 or lower (needs innovation at scale)
  2. Modular pricing / design
  3. Localization of supply chain including battery, controller and motor. Good work being done here by pibeam, they claim 90+% localization
  4. Robust maintenance ecosystem of service centers, spare parts and charging points

We know that companies like Ola want to cater to the family-two-wheeler category, where they offer a ton of features, however they are targeted towards upper middle class, and will take several years before they address the base of the market.

Until then, human powered cycles will remain the best form of commute.

Best, Umang