So why not electric?

An email circulated around the field office I used to work in some years ago that went something like:

An ET of advanced intelligence landed and established contact with earth, as a gesture of good will fielded questions where long sought solutions were needed. One of them was the energy question, where to obtain the best return with available resources. The ET worked the equation, considered the resources available and come up with an answer....a gallon of gasoline.

It was a joke and a gallon of diesel would have been more correct in that reference, but the point was made.

So, why not electric?

I am first in line! First in line when an all electric bike can do for me what a small, efficient, 8 lb. industrial quality ICE can do for me. I already stated my penchant for "inhibiting the sweet functionality of a well tuned bicycle as little as possible", and that includes being as light as possible. My bikes I ride are all under 50 lbs. and some nearer 40.

Electric motors are simple and have a wide torque curve without gearing. Electric motors are not the problem, it's the power generation and means of storage that's been the stumbling point for so long. Although electric vehicles were first, it's those aspects that's caused us so much trouble, what's caused us to seek more convenient methods of getting around. There are solutions, hybrids of all types for example, and if we look at modern train locomotives we see a hybrid of sorts, diesel generating electric power for incredible load pulling ability.