Electric bicycles are actually more efficient than bicycles (which are themselves more efficient than walking). The combination of human power and electric assist uses less total energy than human power alone!
I wonder how is it possible to use less total energy? If you need to apply an amount of energy to travel a given distance, the amount can't be that different whether the energy comes from muscles or from an electric motor (or a combination of both). These are different sources of energy, but it's still energy.
I'd imagine the movement of the legs while pedalling would affect the aerodynamics, but is there something else happening?
It requires looking farther back into where the energy comes from. Humans are rather inefficient at converting calories in carbohydrates into movement. Electric motors are comparatively better at turning electric potential energy stored in batteries to kinetic energy.
Keep going this way and you'll eventually reach the efficiency of converting solar power to movement, which is again directly comparable, and electrical systems win compared to biological systems.
I would imagine that the efficiency of a human peddling depends on the speed. So maybe it's more efficient if the motor does most of the work to get you up to speed?
There are different technologies. Cadence Sensors are cheap but only good for long commutes an a bike lane, they don't kick in immediately (less efficient). Torque Sensor is only sensible thing to use in urban settings.
Do e-bikes generally have regenerative breaking? I assumed that given their weight the amount of energy captured would be very low also bikes have very different braking patterns compared to cars (unless maybe if you're going downhill and don't want to go too fast).
Some electric skateboard do. I think what's stopping many to use it more generally is that you would need to disengage the system if you want to use your bike without the battery.
More complex braking system might introduce a lot of problems to a bike where that should be a simple thing, probably easier to have extra set of hydraulic brakes in case the battery is dead.
This could be a new market. Presently, there's no motorsport rated bike helmet. You can buy a motorcycle helmet, but it's a heavy, cumbersome beast. Or a bike helmet that comes with virtually no useful rating system except for the Virginia Tech rating program.
Freeride/Enduro/Downhill helmets exist (https://mountainbikeguys.com/downhill-helmet/) but nobody has come up with a rating yet afaik. I own one, and it probably saved my life at least once, but can understand how nobody wants to wear one outside a downhill bike park.
NTA 8776 spec-rated helmets are built to withstand more forces than “regular” bike helmets. IIRC they are required in certain EU countries when riding an S-Pedelec (45 km/h limit pedal assist e-bike)
I have a cargo e bike, I use it for everything from hardware store, to nursery, to Costco, to child transport. It's an incredibly versatile mode of transport and it's what I use for about half of my local travel now.
With a heavy chain and a cafe lock, theft is pretty low on my list of concerns.
I'm not sure why you're claiming familiarity with the author when you haven't even read the thread. She was the lead in 1969 when they landed on the moon, however she was promoted by her soon-to-be husband after the vast majority of the software had already been written.
I think the comment was referring to you saying "yeah no" to a thread subject that is "Margaret Hamilton Led the NASA Software Team That Landed Astronauts on the Moon".
It is funny that your answer seems to blame or mock the commenter for not being hyper precise with their words and yet you also were not.
(for example, you could answer me something like "well, the 'yeah no' did not refer to the title, that's just one interpretation" and blame me for not having accounted for that, while you yourself did not account at all that the previous comment can just refer to your "yeah no" juxtaposed to the title)
