When you’re riding an ebike, you’re probably having too much fun to think about all the good you’re doing for the planet. But it turns out those morning joyrides that just so happen to take you to the office — and those weekday grocery runs — actually have a pretty big impact.
In fact, every mile you ride instead of drive cuts your carbon footprint by drumroll please 400 grams of CO₂!
Okay, so… we don’t blame you if you have no idea what that means. You’re probably not a scientist (and if you are, hit us up. We’ve got ideas for a flying ebike).
What is important is that CO₂ is a greenhouse gas that builds up in the atmosphere. And while it’s not a “pollutant” like smog, cutting down on it helps cool things off — which means cleaner air, fewer wildfires, and a healthier planet for everyone.
Use our calculator below to see how much CO₂ you’re saving every time you swap the car for an ebike:
Ebike Emissions Calculator
How’d you do?
Let’s put it into perspective:
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8,080 grams = burning 8.8 pounds of coal
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16,362 grams = powering a home with electricity for a full day
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22,018 grams = the amount of CO₂ absorbed by a full-grown tree over an entire year
And remember — we’re only talking about one week of riding. You’re racking up way more than that throughout the year. And it’s not just you.
As a Rad rider, you’re part of a community of 650,000 riders. If each of us replaced just 100 car miles with an ebike, we’d save 26,260 metric tons of CO₂.
That's roughly the equivalent of 2,954,878 gallons of gasoline, 146 rail cars full of coal, and 2,123,036,270 smart phone charges (We did the math and that’s enough juice to argue on the internet for over 2.4 million years.)
Pretty Rad, right?
Oh, and while we have you — here are a few more ways we’re making a difference for the planet:
Battery Recycling
Batteries are notoriously hard to recycle — but we’re helping to change that.
We've teamed up with the folks at Redwood Materials to launch a first-of-its-kind battery recycling program at our RadRetail locations.
When you drop off an old Rad battery in-store, 95% of its critical metals are recovered and reused in new ebike and electric vehicle batteries. That means instead of ending up in a landfill, your well-loved retired battery can help power up the next generation of energy-efficient transportation.
Reduce. Reuse. Trade-in.
Speaking of RadRetail — they’re not just busy helping us recycle batteries. They’ve also partnered with Upway to help Rad riders upcycle their ebikes in exchange for store credit toward their next ride.
It means easier upgrades for longtime riders, and more new Rad riders sharing the road with us in the future.
If you’re ready to swap out your trusty older ebike for a newer model — or if you’ve been riding around on a less-than-Rad brand — bring it in for a free quote. We’ll accept any ebike brand, as long as it’s complete and in working order.
Safe Shield Batteries
As the pioneers of the ebike revolution, we don’t want to see anything slow it down. So we developed something that tackles growing concerns about battery safety head on.
Damaged battery cells can trigger a chain reaction, but Safe Shield Batteries can contain the risk at its source.
Every Safe Shield Battery is certified to the UL 2271 standard and features a layer of thermal-resistant material that separates each cell. This potted design creates a built-in firewall that helps prevent a damaged cell from triggering a chain reaction.
While our bikes and batteries have always used high-quality cells and met strict safety standards, we wanted to push the industry forward with a new product that provides ultimate peace of mind — and encourages wider ebike adoption nationwide.
