Second Car Or Electric Bike?

[Hearwego]

So me and DW car share. She recently passed her test and is on my insurance as a named driver.
We both work local to where we live , but it’s DW who does most of the school runs, we have two children, one at school, the other at nursery.
She does sometimes take the bus with the kids, as I do odd shifts and sometimes start early, or finish late, and public transport doesn’t run at the times I need it to. Otherwise I also use the bus when I can.

I’m now split between getting a cheap runaround car or an electric bike. My knowledge of bikes is nil, but I like the idea of getting an electric bike to help go up some steep hills. Obviously, after buying the bike it’s free travel, no tax, insurance , fuel etc etc.

However , I also like the idea of a second family car. Especially for the winter dark mornings, and nights. And the winter wet weather too.Just getting into a warm car and getting home. Also, having a second car means having a back up in case the other one doesn’t start.

I don’t want DW messing around on the school run on buses, especially with winter coming around. I want her to have full access to the car, hence why I’m looking at my commuting options.
My work place is 2.5 miles away.
Any advice?

Well after you buy the bike it is fairly cheap, but not free. Personally I wouldn't ride without insurance. You can 3rd party liability cover included if you join British Cycling or Cycling UK, and your house insurance may include theft etc, but check carefully as there are often limitations. Or you can buy a specialist policy. Plus the bike will need maintenance. But yes, compared to a car it is cheap.
My suggestion would be to borrow or hire an ebike for a few days and do your commute, ideally in a few different weathers, in the dark etc and see how you feel about it. I used to commute 10 miles each way by regular bike but there were some days when the weather was really awful, I had to be there very early or knew I'd be working extra late, was a bit under the weather or had something very heavy to carry, in which case I'd drive. I think you have to be fairly committed to cycle every day, come what may - and I love cycling! 2.5 miles is a short ride, but there still might be days when you dont want to do it. I would test it out first if you can, before committing to an expensive purchase.

I think the electric bike is a great idea, cheap and super practical for a 2.5mile commute. Check out the #bikeisbest campaign for some inspiration.
I commute the 6miles to work by normal bike and love it. Have a good route worked out that feels safe, I get out in the fresh air, I easily get my exercise in, and it's all very cheap. I sound like a mad keen fit type person, I'm not, I pootle along, have an old bike with a basket and love smiling at nearby pedestrians :-D
There's one significant hill on my commute, I love whizzing down it one way, and make life easy and just push the bike up the path up hill the other way.
I find weather is not much of an issue, in the Summer you get a cooling breeze as you go, and in Winter the movement keeps me warm and I have good gear to protect me (a great raincoat found in a charity shop, actually). But I am in the mild South.
Do you have a shower at work? Probably not necessary with an electric, but might be handy for non-electric. Mind you for 2.5miles you could just take it easy and avoid sweating.
Nowadays there are all sorts of options for transporting kids etc with bikes too. We've got a Burley bike trailer and this weekend tried it out for a family supermarket trip. The 5yr old and 3yr and weekly shop fitted in fine, we took a pleasant route on residential roads, locked trailer and bikes in the bike parking right in front of the supermarket, and waved and said hello to a passing neighbour. It was all rather lovely - can't believe we hadn't done it before! (But the weather was basically perfect.)
So go for the bike I reckon!

Electric bike sounds great for a short commute. You need one with good dynamo lighting. You wouldn't likely Get too hot and sweaty on the short journey. But you need something like waterproof trousers and a hi viz jacket or top. It's definitely doable by bike. However strongly recommend you practice your route a few times on a quiet day and try hiring one before you buy, as pp said.

Electric moped

I would say ebike - I got an electric bike a few months ago and love it! It comes with built-in lights and can be ridden quite a distance before it needs charging. A 2.5-mile journey would be nothing on an ebike, although you would need good waterproofs for rainy days.

Does it need to be an electric bike? A regular bike will cost you a fraction of the amount, and 2.5 miles isn't far. I commute to work (5 miles away) on a cheap hybrid 5 days a week. I do understand re the hills though and only you can decide if the electric part makes that a necessity. Weather isn't really an issue for most of England, there's maybe 2-3 days a year when it's really icy I'd think twice about cycling, but even then generally fine as long as you leave more time, take corners carefully etc. Decent coat and waterproofs make a huge difference on any bike. And any bike will be significantly cheaper than running another car.

I'm very much a car person but I'm struggling to see the need for a second car in the situation you describe.

I'd look at getting a bike speaking for myself I wouldn't bother with an e-bike, just a standard pedal job, but it's your commute and your choice or even get some decent running shoes and run.

If you keep the car you have got properly maintained and serviced you're unlikely to get caught out by it not starting.

What's amazing about the electric bike for me, is that there's not the faff time that there is for a car (finding a space, having to park a way away, scraping the ice off in winter, getting it out of the garage, putting it back in, having to go for petrol). For a short trip, you might well be quicker door to door than with a car.

Thanks for your replies, I’m seeing the real positives, with a bike !

Also it's obvious but don't forget you can use ubers and hire cars when needed which is cheaper and greener than another car

We’ve just bought an electric moped and we absolutely love it! Can’t recommend them highly enough.

I'm struggling to find info, my son is considering one, how long does it take to charge, then how long do you gey out of it? 😊

Sorry that was to @MummyJ12
About the moped!

Morning @Firecarrier
3 hours from empty to full charge. You can take the battery out and charge it in the house or plug in on the bike.
Ours is a Super Soco

We have an electric bike. It is fun to ride, but I personally prefer an ordinary bike. There is a steep hill I climb regularly but I found that I went from having to walk up some of it to being able to cycle all the way (albeit slowly) took me three weeks with three rides per week.

So an ordinary bike will be cheaper than an electric, lighter, may not be much slower and will improve your fitness. A 2.5 mile ride shouldn't take long nor make you particularly hot and sweaty. A waterproof jacket with overtrousers in the pocket should be sufficient for a short ride. The worst thing is gloves and I occasionally resort to household rubber gloves! In truth it rarely rains enough to bother with all the gear for a short ride.

The ebike holds enough charge for about 25 km, depending on speed, pedal input and hills. We just plug it in after use and unplug it when one of us thinks of it. We expect the range to decrease over time.