EV of biking

This calculator will help you decide whether biking is a good option for you. It will try to approximate the expected value of biking relative to driving for a given month.

Destinations

Most people end up traveling to destinations closer to them when they bike.

When people switch from driving to biking, they usually end up traveling to destinations closer to them. However, if we incorporate that assumption into our analysis, we…

By driving you'd be able to access about a 10 mile radius comfortably (~20 minutes) whereas with biking that radius would be 2-3 miles. How much do you value the wider radius?
$
per month

Cost

$
per month
See section 5.1.4 of the VTPI report.
$
per month

Time

Consider the time it takes to do things like locking and unlocking your bike.
hours per week
Consider the time it takes to do things like parking.
hours per week
$
per hour

Fun

Enjoyment experienced during your bike or car ride.
On average, how much enjoyment do you get from spending 20 minutes biking?
$
per 20 minutes
Use a negative number to express displeasure rather than enjoyment.
$
per 20 minutes

Safety

miles per week
miles per week
The average is about 10 but depending on the route, lighting, weather and skill of the rider it can probably vary by an order of magnitude or two.
per 100M VMT
The average is about 1.25 but depending on the route, lighting, weather and skill of the driver it can probably vary by an order of magnitude or two.
per 100M VMT
The US uses a value of about $10M but you may want to value it way higher or lower.
$
per 100M VMT
per 100M VMT
$
per 100M VMT
per 100M VMT
$

Health

Long term health benefits of biking.
This is tough to estimate. One thing it depends on is how active you are without cycling. See section 5.3.4 of the VTPI report for a discussion.
$
per year

Mood

Short term mood, energy and productivity boost you get after your bike ride is over.
trips per month
$
per trip

Theft

See Bike Theft Statistics in the US (2024).
% per year
The cost of replacing the bike itself and any accessories.
$
The subjective emotional costs of having your bike stolen.
$
Assuming you have insurance, the costs here include your deductible, any lost items, and premium increases.
$
The subjective emotional costs of having your car stolen.
$

Personal security

Things like assault or getting your wallet stolen.
The risk here is a little tricky to approximate but seems very low. See section 5.3.5 of the VTPI report.
$
per year
$
per year
Expected value
+$1194/month
at baseline
Destinations
-$100
at baseline
Cost
+$975
at baseline
Time
+$104
at baseline
Fun
+$117
at baseline
Safety
-$2
at baseline
Health
+$42
at baseline
Mood
+$100
at baseline
Theft
-$42
at baseline
Personal security
$0
at baseline
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