#e-bikes

The upcoming Trump Tariffs could provide an unintentional temporary boost to the economy – which will end on January 20th.

People who don't wish to pay 10% to 25% more for various goods when Trump takes office are advised to buy them sooner rather than later.

Already, Trump announced he will slap a new 25% across-the-board tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada as well as an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports the very day he’s inaugurated. And on the campaign trail, he pledged to levy a 60% tariff on all goods imported from China and a 10% to 20% tariff on goods coming from all other nations. Such tariffs have the potential to significantly increase the prices consumers pay on nearly everything that isn’t made entirely in the US, of which there are very few goods.

Tariffs are paid by those who import the goods – NOT by the exporting countries. Many idiots just don't get that.

Tariffs are a tax on imports. Governments often impose them to protect national security, bolster domestic businesses and raise revenue. But they can be expensive for consumers, as businesses often pass along higher costs. In total, the typical middle-income US household could be stuck shelling out more than $2,600 extra a year if a blanket 20% tariff on all imports and a 60% tariff on imports from China are imposed, according to research from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Yep, tariffs are a TAX. The money goes to the government. Perhaps Trump thinks that he can tax consumers more to pay for more tax breaks for the pathologically rich like Elon Putz.

These are the five categories of items which CNN says would be good to buy now rather than after Trump returns. See the linked article above for details

Major household appliances

Laptops and tablets

Smartphones

Video game consoles

E-bikes

Another category would be imported foods. But their perishability would put a limit on how much you will save. Some items with naturally longer shelf-lives might be worth buying soon. Many teas come from China; my Bigelow Oolong tea, for example, has an expiration date of May 2027. I might as well buy a few more boxes of tea in coming weeks.

"Lampago"

The personal mobility vehicle’s name is inspired by the Spanish word for lightning. Lampago gets an average 30Ah Li-ion battery with a capacity of 1.8 kWh churning out just 60V power. The total range on a single charge is also average at around 25-45 miles depending on driving habits. 

I'm a cyclist. I have been for more than half my life.

There are 3 kinds of cyclist. Four motivations.

Three kinds of cyclist ride for Fitness, Competition, and Transportation. The fourth motivation is joy. The joy of riding. The joy of being out on a trail, a seawall, a boardwalk, and riding slow and taking in the sights. Pretty much all cyclists have this, it's often a bigger motivation, but a more nebulous one, not often a reason to be a cyclist, just to ride a bike.

I'm what's referred to as a "super-commuter." I ride my bike almost exclusively from point-A to point-B. And for all of my life I've done it in all weather (snow wind storm what have you) as my sole or primary mode of transport, even when a car or transit is available.

When I hear people complain about E-bikes it's always, "They're too fast, and they don't even pedal." "Back in my day..." type arguments.

E-bikes to me are about accessibility and transport density. (I have a rant about the need for ~35 kph max speed regulations but that's another post).

An e-bike enables basically 1 thing in my mind. It enables folks to ride without exertion. Which, if you ask "Why, isn't that the point of cycling," you've missed the whole point of the bit above."

Joy is universal, if riding's not enjoyed it won't happen. Fitness, Competition, and Transportation are the remaining motivators. Only two of these require exertion, competition and fitness.

E-bikes are not here to make folks fit. E-bikes are here to enable living with less requirement of a car. They enable able-bodied folks to get to work and not need to shower. They enable kids to get around the city without relying on adults (a huge need for a teen that is getting harder and harder). It enables on-demand higher transportation density, about 6 times higher than car, similar to the space effectiveness of full occupancy buses. It enables folks who can't, won't, or aren't comfortable needing a 2-ton death machine. And by proxy, it helps deal with isolation. When you're on a bike, and other folks are on bikes you actually see them. You're no longer in a city of glass and steel boxes, cut off from the world, cut off from experience.

I've never seen a cyclists road rage against each other, enough to stop. I've only seen motorists in their little prison boxes get so incised and heated in their little oven box that they come out steaming.

Excerpt from this story from Mother Jones:

With West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin suddenly on board with climate legislation (albeit one refashioned as an anti-inflation bill), wary Democrats met the announcement of a domestic-policy bill this week with jubilation and relief. At long last, it looks like Congress is on track to pass a $370 billion climate bill, including $260 billion in clean energy credits and billions more to subsidize the installation of solar panels and heat pumps.

For all the justified celebration, the bill exposes a persistent blind spot pertaining to transportation, the single largest source of emissions in the United States: Congressional Democrats struggle to imagine a world where fewer people drive.

Specifically, instead of reducing emissions by swapping their SUVs for identical electric models, more Americans could ditch their cars entirely and get e-bikes. A growing body of evidence suggests that such a mode shift is already happening, leading to lower emissions—as well as safer streets and healthier citizens. But instead of using its climate bill to catalyze this encouraging trend, the Senate has tossed out an e-bike tax credit that was in the Build Back Better Act that the House passed last year.

It’s possible that an amendment reintroduces the credit to the new Inflation Reduction Act, but that seems unlikely. At least for now, a federal e-bike incentive looks dead. America—and the planet—will be the worse for it.

For the unfamiliar, an e-bike is basically a traditional pedal bike affixed with a battery that offers a boost when a rider is conquering a hill, lugging groceries, or simply trying to avoid showing up sweaty to work. For a bit more money, e-cargo bikes offer additional capacity for hauling goods or kids.