Motorcycles and scooters are two-wheeled road alternatives to the personal automobile, but when it comes to their impact on the environment, are they more like the bicycle or the car?
Motorcycles may be ‘kings of the road’ but they are no friend to the Earth. “The cleanest motorcycle engine is far dirtier than the dirtiest car,” says Warren Milner, Honda Canada’s senior motorcycle manager.
Gas-powered scooters are compact and hip (think Vespa) but their environmental benefits vary greatly by type of engine. Two-stroke engines are relics from the past – dirty and inefficient – so much so that a two-stroke scooter could be doing more harm to our air quality than a large SUV.
But don’t motorcycles and scooters burn less gas per kilometre than cars and trucks? How can they emit more carbon dioxide? In an article featured in the Toronto Star, the shocking pollutant properties are explained:
Carbon dioxide emissions are directly proportional to the amount of gas you burn, meaning two-wheelers contribute fewer greenhouse gas emissions per kilometre than their four-wheeled cousins.
But that’s only one part of the air quality equation. When it comes to emissions of nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons – so-called smog-forming pollutants – motorcycles and scooters emit many times more per kilometre than cars and trucks.
In 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency compared a Yamaha YZR R6, which emitted 4.19 grams/mile of hydrocarbons compared to a Dodge Durango with 4WD, which emitted .073 gm/mile.
New Scooters Rule
Not all scooters are created poorly. Scooters with four-stroke engines are environmentally-friendly because the engine burns cleaner. Hybrid models are now available in Canada so check out your options.
Want something that goes a little faster than a bike? Electric scooters (e-bikes) run on rechargeable batteries and are a big improvement environmentally-speaking over the standard vehicle or scooter. They are also much more affordable. The downside is that most all of these bikes are made in China, parts are hard to come by, and some scooter shops refuse to carry them because they are not high-enough quality. Plus, unless your energy source is clean and renewable, it is arguable that these bicycles are truly a green choice.
All things considered, the best, greenest two-wheeler on the planet remains…your old trusty bicycle.
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