http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/life/green-mountain/2015/08/15/electric-bikes-promoted-rural-vermont/31729507/ Electric cargo bikes build speed in hilly VT Joel Banner Baird August 15, 2015
[images / JOEL BANNER BAIRD/FREE PRESS http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2015/08/14/Burlington/B9318407177Z.1_20150814145556_000_GL5BJDGHB.1-0.jpg Green glow: Dave Cohen, founder of Brattleboro-based nonprofit VBike, displays a Yuba elBoda Boda model cargo bicycle at the Vermont Agency of Transportation headquarters in Montpelier. The bicycle’s rechargeable battery lies beneath the cargo/passenger deck http://bcdownload.gannett.edgesuite.net/burlington/38321751001/201508/836/38321751001_4421418213001_video-still-for-video-4421446798001.jpg Boosted by a small motor, these heavy-haulers can change the way we experience hilly terrain, says VBike director Dave http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2015/08/14/Burlington/B9318407177Z.1_20150814145556_000_GL5BJDGH2.1-0.jpg Solar-propelled: Josh Traeger, who works with Brattleboro-based nonprofit VBike, scoots through the National Life Group parking lot in Montpelier astride an electric-assist cargo bicycle. The bike, featuring a solar re-charger for its battery, was built by Hartford resident Karl Kemnitzer http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2015/08/14/Burlington/B9318407177Z.1_20150814145556_000_GL5BJDGH1.1-0.jpg Ross MacDonald, program manager for Go Vermont at Vermont Agency of Transportation, describes the features of an elBoda Boda cargo bicycle, foreground. Speaking at the agency’s headquarters in Montpelier, MacDonald announced the electric-assist bike would be available for “check-out” on a short-term basis http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2015/08/14/Burlington/B9318407177Z.1_20150814145556_000_GL5BJDGHC.1-0.jpg Safety first: A rear-view mirror and warning bell are essential gear on a cargo bicycle, VBike founder Dave Cohen tells a visitor at a demonstration in Montpelier. The front cargo basket on this Yuba elBoda Boda model is attached to the bike’s frame, and is designed to carry up to 50 pounds http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2015/08/14/Burlington/B9318407177Z.1_20150814145556_000_GL5BJDGH8.1-0.jpg Dave Cohen, founder of Brattleboro-based nonprofit VBike, describes the electric-assist features of a Yuba elBoda Boda model cargo bicycle. Cohen brought the bicycle to the Vermont Agency of Transportation in late June as part of a demonstration of bicycles featuring utility over recreation and speed http://www.gannett-cdn.com/media/2015/08/14/Burlington/B9318407177Z.1_20150814145556_000_GL5BJDGHD.1-0.jpg Amped up: Dave Cohen, founder of Brattleboro-based nonprofit VBike, pedals a demonstration electric-assist cargo bicycle at the entrance to Vermont Agency of Transportation in Montpelier. Cohen’s progress is noted by Ross MacDonald, at right, who manages the agency’s Go Vermont program video flash ] MONTPELIER – For a few minutes, David Cohen wants Vermonters to set aside the possibility that they might ever run errands, in the winter, on a traditional bicycle. With that image banished, Cohen conjures up another: Grocery runs, shopping trips, hauling kids or just exploring roadways — on cycles that are sturdy, emphatically utilitarian and boosted by small electric motors. Here in the hilly Green Mountain State, Cohen asserts, cargo bikes with power-assisted pedaling are a no-brainer. Furthermore, they're poised to transform our energy-wasting, car-centric transportation habits, he says. Will the revolution be fun? Only one way to find out. Are we cheating yet? Last year, Cohen, 55, a Brattleboro-based therapist, founded VBike, a nonprofit devoted to advancing the adoption of bicycles that would play a more central role in our daily lives. Not that he has anything against a recreational ride. But Cohen's threshold for a really useful bike in these parts is "something that can climb hills, with a load, without exhausting the rider." Hard-core (mostly younger) bicyclists have suggested to him that electric-assist constitutes a form of cheating. It's an argument he's heard before — and an argument he favored in his earlier days of bicycling. Almost exactly 20 years ago, in the San Francisco Bay area, Cohen launched Pedal Express, a bicyclist-powered haulage company. One of the rigs in his fleet could manage a 1,000-pound payload. "Back then, people used to say, 'Hey why don't you put a motor on that thing?' — and I'd be like, 'No: We're really trying to experiment with what the human body is capable of doing.'" When he and his wife moved to Vermont in 2007, his appreciation for compact communities firmed up. So did his respect for hilly terrain. "It became obvious," Cohen said. "Bike transportation culture is not going to happen, it's not going to take off in Vermont — unless we have bikes that are relevant to our needs." Rather than endorse ever more-strenuous workouts and ever-lighter cycles, Cohen strives to build a critical mass of bicyclists who will spend more time on the road. Even if it requires an electric assist. "Why would we want to limit the bicycle?" he asked. "We want as many people as possible to be able to ride. Not necessarily gnarly Cohen rides an angular, elongated cargo bike — the "elMundo," made by Yuba, a California manufacturer. He regularly totes his son, Ely Zamore-Cohen, 9, up a 1.5-mile hill to school. It's a cargo and distance easily managed through the coupling of human and electric power. The rig runs 20 - 30 miles on a single charge, depending on the terrain, outdoor temperatures and the cyclist's contribution. Unlike a typical motorcycle or moped, an e-assist bike allows its operator's muscles to contribute significantly to the job. Electronic-assist doesn't rob a rider of a vigorous workout, but it offers help when it's needed. "Sometimes people see me with my bike in a parking lot, after a long climb, and they're disappointed," Cohen said. "I tell them you don't have to be superhuman to be a bicyclist. You don't have to wear spandex and be a totally gnarly dude or dudette." Utilitarian chic Earlier this summer, on its kickstand in a sea of parked cars at the National Life Group building in Montpelier, the chunky-looking, lime-green Yuba model elBoda Boda looked out of place. A bright orange flag wagged from the bike's stern. Cohen positioned the elBoda Boda at the northern entrance of the mammoth building for strategic reasons: It's the pedestrian portal to the Vermont Agency of Transportation. As with other gear on loan by manufacturers to VBike, the bicycle is part of a show-and-tell campaign. A small crowd gathered around the bike. Cohen fielded questions. What kind of bike is the elBoda Boda, exactly? "You could call it a kind of cruiser-style, mid-sized cargo bike with electric assist," Cohen said. "It weighs about 50 pounds — which, for an ebike is super-light. And they're getting lighter all the time." Shopping bag-sized panniers straddled the bamboo laminate rear freight deck. Behind the seat was affixed a grip-ring for a passengers. A frame-mounted, heavy-gauge steel basket, rated for loads of up to 50 pounds, perched above the front wheel. Inside the bike's oversized rear hub, behind an 8-speed derailleur cluster, purrs an electric motor. Plus and minus, throttle-wise Cohen traced the passage of a few black wires to the battery pack, roughly half the size of a laptop computer, nestled beneath the cargo deck. Another series of wires ran to gizmo on the handlebars. There, on an LED screen, a familiar battery-level indicator blinked beside a cluster of less-familiar icons. Cohen directed attention to the physical, business end of the handlebars. A power-assist switch sat within easy thumb's reach of the right-hand grip. While pedaling, he explained, you can toggle between four levels of electro-oomph. The bicycle also features regenerative braking. "This is the Prius of electric-assist bikes. On a long downhill stretch, the motor becomes a generator and recharges your battery," Cohen said. And that big red button? "If you need to take ownership of the road, if you need to get out in front of traffic, you just tap it," Cohen said. His audience grew more attentive. Although federal law limits the extent of a bicycle's power supplement to a top speed of 20 mph, Cohen said, this ride feels plenty fast. A couple of helmets materialized. Erik Filkorn, public outreach manager at the Agency of Transportation, strapped one on and saddled up. His first few pedal strokes took him farther and faster than seemed prudent. Filkorn darted toward a bank of stationary cars, took a hard left, and then scooted counterclockwise around the massive building. As he returned several minutes later, Filkorn was working his left thumb on the bike's non-electric bell. He delivered a short review: "I want one." Filkorn had applied muscle power, as well as the throttle, when ascending the final hill. That combination, he declared, qualifies the bike as a vehicle for flights of machismo as well as sweat-free commutes. Spreading the 'joy-factor' Cohen wheeled the elBoda Boda into the agency's front lobby, its home for the foreseeable future. "We're planting it here," Cohen said. Another cargo-configured e-bike already occupied some of the real estate: a solar-charged vehicle built by Hartland resident Karl Kemnitzer. Did the confluence of two-wheelers signal momentum? No question, said Ross MacDonald, a public transit planner at the Agency of Transportation, who also manages the agency's alternative transportation program, Go Vermont. A sign-out sheet for the Kemnitzer bike testified to its success as a conversation piece, if not the vehicle of choice, for folks in the building. A sticker on the homemade cycle's riding board declares that it "climbed Mt. Washington," a claim verified by its builder. Less heroically, e-assist bikes might routinely address the critical "first-mile/last-mile" challenge faced by commuters who need reliable access to a carpool or bus service, MacDonald said. The "joy-factor" is contagious, he added. MacDonald said he took his son for a spin not so long ago. "He said, 'This is like a motorcycle, Dad!' – and I said, 'No, son, it's better.' " The elBoda Boda is now available for free, day- or weekend-long sign-outs, along with the Kemnitzer model. Cohen said he's looking for converts, but would be happy if people merely pause to take a closer look. Show me the cost-benefit A fully outfitted elBoda Boda will set you back about $2,800. If that sounds steep, Cohen said, consider buying the non-electrified version for about $1,000 — and then converting it to an e-model for another $500 or so, depending on your skill set or the hourly rate of a willing bike mechanic. Conversion kits that motorize almost any bicycle are gaining in popularity, he added. Still, compared to the cost of a serviceable, second-hand beater-bicycle ($35 or so), the e-option represents a chunk of change. In what circumstances might an electric bicycle — or any bicycle — be considered a wise investment in mobility? Laurie Fielder, who oversees energy-related loans at Vermont State Employees Credit Union, connected the dots. The VGreen program's low-interest loans — in the interest of energy efficiency — has for some time helped finance upgrades to home insulation, heating systems, windows, doors and appliances, Fielder said. This year, bicycles qualified. "We finance pretty much anything that members are using that is saving them energy," Fielder said. The difference, she added, adds up to a more compelling reason to buy a cost-saving device: Loan rates as low as 4.9 percent, versus the neighborhood of 16 percent for credit-card debt. A safer bet, maybe. But how safe a ride? Can you see me now? In the wake of several fatal bicyclist fatalities on Vermont roads this summer, the subject of safety animates Cohen. At the Agency of Transportation demonstration, he ran through a list of basics: high visibility (clothing, flags, lights, reflectors); helmets; familiarity with one's route; a keen awareness of fellow travelers (consider a rear-view mirror). Bicycling along at a faster clip, too, can help, Cohen said: The capacity for speed by even heavily laden e-assist bikes is something of an "equalizer" on roads dominated by cars. "When your speed is closer to that of the other vehicles around you, drivers have a longer visual experience of you," he added. "You're less of a blur." The strange sociology of cars Cohen's interest in how bicyclists and motorists experience their surroundings meshes with his professional advocacy for mind-body harmony. Cars, he said, are engineered to effectively isolate us from sensual and muscular connections with the world around us. "Take the word 'automobile' — the origin of the word literally means moving without engagement," Cohen said. "It means we're detached from our bodies and bodily movement. "If we're deprived of sensory experience, we literally don't know what we're doing." Interactions between people — as if they aren't complicated enough already — become even more guarded, fleeting and lopsided when developed through windshields, he added. Cohen sees it first-hand in Brattleboro, all the time. "People greet me — they recognize me as the guy who drives the funny bike. I think: 'You can see who I am because I'm biking. But if I were driving, you wouldn't see me.' "Sociologically, driving is doing something strange to us as a natural species." Embrace the limits A guest at the Agency of Transportation gathering raised the topic of electric cars, which are popularly touted as an antidote to tailpipe pollution. Cohen is skeptical. "In a car, you're moving more weight than you really need to," he said. "There's enough power in an electric car battery to drive 100 bicycles, because of a bike's much more modest weight and wattage. It's a function of the size. "And because there's less of a demand on a grid, you can begin to see how solar power might work to recharge all those smaller vehicles. But not all those cars." Energy issues aside, electric cars will do little to alleviate suburban sprawl, traffic congestion, crashes and the mind-body disconnect, Cohen continued. "Bikes inspire more local living; they're compatible with more compact realms of development," he said. "Sure, the limitations of the bike are great. Those are limitations that society needs." But Cohen's vision of a quainter, quieter, so-called "smart-growth" future is emphatically forward-looking, made possible by technological breakthroughs in battery, motor and controller technologies. His motto: "Change the bike — the infrastructure will follow." And why not? It's a precept that worked for the Detroit car builders, back in the day. Winter disclaimer VBike founder Dave Cohen let slip that he rides in all but the foulest of winter weather. Quick trips, suitably dressed, work out just fine, he said. The small, lightweight battery snaps out easily for a plug-in recharge, indoors. But Cohen doesn't trumpet cold-weather cycling as a virtue, nor as a plank in VBike's platform. Winter bicycling "definitely takes some learning and it takes a more advanced bike culture," he continued. "If we're ever going to get there, the first step is learning how to utilize the new bike, and expanding its capacity as much as possible for the three seasons that people feel comfortable riding in." 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