Why choose electric transportation?

When you need to get from Point A to Point B, the first mode of transportation that probably comes to mind is a car or bus. Or, if you’re up for some exercise, a nice, brisk walk or bicycle ride might be par for the course. But why not consider electric transportation? There are so many benefits from both a health and wellness and sustainability perspective that electric transportation provides. Various modes of electric transportation are worth taking a look at as an alternative to get around at least some of the time. Let’s delve deeper into the benefits.

What is electric transportation?

First off, what is electric transportation anyway? As discussed in our comprehensive electric transportation buying guide, electric transportation is any mode of electric transportation (hence the “E”) that doesn’t involve a motorcycle or car that can go beyond a specific speed limit (typically 32 km/hr for an electric rideable) thanks to a more powerful motor and faster speed options. The electric transportation category mainly includes electric bikes, electric scooters, and hoverboards.

Why use electric transportation?

There are plenty of benefits to using electric transportation. Here, we’ll run down some of the most notable.

Save on gas and maintenance with electric transportation

It’s no secret that gas prices are on the rise and will likely be quite high for some time to come. Switching to etransportation for shorter trips will help encourage you to leave the car at home whenever possible. This will, in turn, help reduce the amount of money you spend on gas.

Imagine riding via electric transportation a few times when you’d normally drive each week, like to and from the office, to grab lunch, or even to the gym. Even if it’s just 5 kilometres each trip, that’s 10-20 kilometres less you’re driving weekly, more if you count both to the destination and back. That adds up over time, requiring less money and time to fill up the car and extending each tank.

Using electric transportation instead of a gas-powered motor vehicle will also, in turn, reduce the frequency with which you need to maintain a car, from standard oil changes to other regular and not-so-regular maintenance.

If you don’t own a car or choose to take public transportation regularly, you’ll save money on passes or daily fares, plus you have the freedom to come and go as you please without having to rush to make a bus, train, or subway schedule (and get stranded for a while if you miss one). You also get door-to-door service. In most cities, there are designated areas where you can bring a bicycle on a train or subway then use it to ride home from the bus stop or train station faster than it would take to walk or take a second bus.

Reduce fossil fuel emissions

Using etransportation means you are doing your part to help reduce fossil fuel emissions by keeping your car off the road any time there’s another way to get to your destination. Not to mention this can also help reduce road congestion if more people use the bike lanes or alternate routes to get to places like the local park, shopping mall, or friend or family member’s home several kilometres away.

Exercise and health

While electric transportation involves motors that provide electric assistance, you still, in most cases, need to do some legwork (literally). This provides good exercise that allows you to get to a destination faster than you might walking or riding a standard bicycle without having to drive a car. Thought about visiting your friend a few kilometres away but the distance seems too daunting on a bike? An ebike or electric scooter might make this far more palatable.

For short trips, like to the corner store or venturing around the neighbourhood or on local trails, you can opt for electric transportation for exercise without being intimidated by the distance or worried you might be too tired to get back home.

If you are in great health and have amazing endurance, there are still exercise and health benefits with an ebike since you can test your abilities, going further than ever before knowing that the electric assistance is available to you should you reach your limit but still need to get back home.

Tackle longer routes, difficult terrain

With electric transportation, you can tackle routes you might otherwise have steered clear of because of steep hills, for example, or long distances that you don’t have the endurance or time to do. You might not be able to make it to the swimming class at the local community centre by walking or riding a standard scooter, for example, which leads you to opt for the car. But with electric transportation, you can get there quicker and easier without tiring yourself out. Meanwhile, that local bicycle route that you don’t bother to visit because of steep hills can be a cinch with an electric bicycle.

Instead of dealing with traffic on your way to and from work, consider using electric transportation like an electric bike in the bicycle lanes, which can help you get there quicker (potentially even quicker than a car depending on how bad traffic is!) while still feeling refreshed thanks to the pedal assistance. Some electric bikes, as we explain in our comprehensive electric bike buying guide, also include throttle assistance that lets you cruise without having to pedal at all.

If you have mobility issues, there are even electric scooters that have seats to help you get around more easily where you might otherwise get winded or have trouble.

Learn new skills and have fun using different forms of electric transportation

Using electric transportation like electric hoverboards and electric scooters can encourage you to hone new skills, work on balance and agility, and have fun. Great for kids as a fun way to spend time with friends during the warmer months (and put down the screens for a while), electric transportation vehicles are also great for city dwelling adults who want to learn a new hobby.

They offer fun for the whole family as well, traveling with an electric scooter or hoverboard with the kids where you can work on your skills, have races, and engage in plenty of other fun competitions and activities. Electric transportation is available for everyone from teens and tweens to adults, as well as even younger children with parental supervision and the right equipment and safety gear, like helmets.

Get on board with electric transportation

There are plenty of reasons that drivers have been switching over to electric vehicles in droves. They are not only better for the environment, but also better on your pocketbook in the long run. Other modes of electric transportation take this a step further by combining the benefits of exercise, health, and wellness with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Consider how many times you have decided to walk or ride your bike somewhere instead of driven, but then second guessed the decision because it took you longer or you ended up being so tired when you arrived that you couldn’t accomplish what you wanted to. For those cases, electric transportation is the perfect solution. You can leave the car at home, enjoy exercise and the great outdoors, and avoid feeling as though you just ran a marathon by the time you arrive.

Over time, electric transportation is only going to get more and more popular. Whether you opt for an electric bicycle, electric scooter, hoverboard, or other form of electric transportation, chances are you’ll find that you’re using it more than you thought you would. From the perspective of health, cost savings, reducing your impact on the environment, and enjoying a new activity, electric transportation pays for itself in spades.

Check out plenty of electric transportation options at Best Buy Online.