You know all those visions of a "not too distant future" that you see portrayed in the media? Do you really think that the future will look like that? Sparkling white, bright LED lights, and the gentle buzz of some kind of nerdy fission-propelled vehicles? I don't think so. I've seen the future, or at least Beijing's current application of "futuristic" technology and let me tell you, it's kinda gross.
Electric Vehicles or EVs are everywhere here. They're not bicycles. They're not motorcycles. They exist in another dimension between the two, but are surprisingly treated worse then either of its two-wheeled brethren. They come in many forms here; modified bicycles, scooters, electric mopeds, tricycles, cargo trikes, etc. If it has wheels, you better believe some Chinese guy figured out a way to strap an electric motor to it. I totally understand the motivation behind them. While the whole "bicycles are for peasants" mentality hold some truth here, it's just plain more convenient to have an EV. You can dodge the heavy taxation levied on anything with combustion engines, weave recklessly between and against the flow of traffic, and you're essentially weatherproof as well. In the gross, sweltering summer heat you aren't burdened with the physical requirement to pedal your bike and can happily display your Chinese shirt roll (CSR) skills to get some free air conditioning.. And in the icy winter months you can bundle up in physically restrictive, sleeping bag-type cocoons and huddle behind your EV's wind fairing. But all that convenience has its trade-offs and given the large population in Beijing, you can readily see these trends given the massive rate of EV adoption.
If I only had one complaint as a bike wrench (I obviously have more than one), it would be that people not only don't maintain their bikes, but they outright ignore and abuse them. I could go on and on about how simple maintenance techniques can save you time, money and frustration in the long run, but alas I'm no longer a professional, surly bike wrench (only a recreational surly bike wrench), so I no longer ride in on my tall bike/high horse and drunkenly berate bicycle idiocy. That said, I did learn the perils of commoditizing something to the point where just about any schmoe could simultaneously pickup a bicycle and raise my blood pressure. Look at the fixie trends and how even Grade D bike manufacturers like Schwinn are making bikes that are hip, cool, and urban. Look at Shimano's Coasting project from a few years back (since cancelled) that paired a dyno front hub that charged a computer "brain" in which was responsible for auto-shifting a 3-speed rear hub. The idea behind it was to get more "butts on bikes" by making "simplifying" technology to make cycling more accessible to people who didn't like riding bikes. (ed: How is your target audience "people who don't like riding bikes" if you're a bicycle component manufacturer??) Look at how bike commuting is growing ever more popular worldwide, which is a good thing! Unfortunately, this also means buying piece of crap bikes off Craigslist is increasing too. The benefits of spending a little money and effort to make a bike run smoothly (and appreciating the concept of diminishing returns) is a surly life lesson that I've been able to take with me from the greasy shop pits. Spending money on an electric vehicle is just plain dumb, especially if you're doing only the bare minimum as a buyer and owner of said vehicle.
EVs aren't super popular stateside, but here they reign supreme here and are firmly considered a necessary commodity by nearly all 12M Beijingers. This makes for city full of whirring, battery-driven machines. Some are fast, some are slow, but one thing's for sure no one bought them and thought (the Chinese equivalent of) the words "hip," "cool," "status," or "green." These things afford the average city dweller with the means to travel without relying on a car, bicycle, or pubic transportation. That's about it. Everyone has them, but this plug-and-play mentality has led to some unforeseen consequences. From an environmental standpoint, producing giant batteries for all these EVs can't be healthy. And in a place that has so little advocacy for proper recycling, can you imagine where all these low-quality industrial-size batteries go when they eventually crap out? That isn't to say that Beijing's streets are flowing with the leeched acid from shoddy batteries. It actually flows with the waste of a slightly more biological nature. But there are millions of people here and none of them take care of their EVs because they simply don't care about them. It like how I don't do much more to clean a toaster than occasionally turn it upside down over the sink to shake the old crumbs out of it. I'm not proud of owning a toaster. It's a completely neutral and sterile relationship. Sometimes you have to shake out some of the detritus before you can toast your bread, but no one spends time to polish and tune a toaster. Back to owning an EV, the idea of the government upholding some kind of standard for all of their EV filth is damn near impossible when cars and crime rate higher up on the list. Plus, I'm sure the red tape involved with trying to regulate something like EVs could stretch the length of the Great Wall several times over if you involve everyone from the state, provincial, and local levels of government. From a social perspective, the only thing that people stand to gain from EVs is weight. When people collectively stop pedaling their bikes or walking to work, they obviously don't burn as many calories on a daily basis. Taking into consideration the fact that Beijing isn't exactly a labor-intensive, manufacturing city, waistlines have definitely been increasing. And since no one here thinks riding an EV is cool or sexy, there's no additional pressure to look "the part" so to speak and do other things to watch the gut. I haven't seen a single Prius or any other hybrid car. Even Smart cars are rare compared to the number of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Astons, Benzs, Bimmers, and Hummers that I've seen here. It's obvious the folks here have found other ways to impress their friends and get laid than with their EVs. The result from all this is a city full of dirty, softly whirring electric vehicles ridden by fat people with big ol' Buddha bellies, who threaten to bowl you over at every intersection, bike path, and sidewalk. If it weren't for the inevitably late honk from these jerks, I'd be smash flatter than a Peking duck pancake several times over (but that's a story for another day)
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