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Our vision
Our vision
Ebikes are a magic pill that can solve many of society's challenges regarding transport, climate change, recreation, inclusiveness and empowerment. By 'ebike' we mean any electric vehicle that requires human-powered input - be that bicycle, tricycle or quadcycle.
The Perthshire Ebike Enablement Partnership ('PEEP') is a team of constituted organisations collaborating to establish ebike infrastructure - storing, securing and charging - across Highland Perthshire, Scotland.
This will be the first time in the UK that a county-wide network of ebike infrastructure has been established. PEEP is a proof of concept, pilot and blueprint for other counties, regions and nations to follow. Therefore we will seek funding from national bodies to achieve our goals, and will make all information available to others to build upon.
We want to see the existing on- and off-road cycling routes linked to neighbouring counties, thereby facilitating ebike tourism and recreation.
What problem are we solving?
What problem are we solving?
Ebikes have a range of between thirty and sixty miles, depending on the terrain, rider fitness, luggage carried and speed travelled. In Highland Perthshire, 80% of bicycles sold are ebikes. Highland Perthshire is a tourist magnet because of the many hills and valleys, and off-road opportunities to experience nature.
These three facts - range, terrain and market share - all point to ebikes being the perfect way to explore or move around Perthshire, but also they highlight the one obstacle to overcome - range anxiety.
Range anxiety is the fear that having travelled to a destination - for work or leisure - that you will not be able to make it back home. A few ebike owners remove this anxiety by carrying their own chargers with them, and asking for access to power when they reach a destination. This approach is impractical for a number of reasons - chargers are bulky, heavy, are not waterproof, are expensive, and for a business they present a possible electrical or trip hazard if they allow a customer to use their power sockets. Also some ebikes do not feature removable batteries, meaning the bike would need to be brought indoors close to the charger. We don't ask car drivers to tow a trailer of petrol around with them, the same argument applies to ebikes and chargers.
Even though ebikes have a minimum range of 30 miles, we will space the PEEP charging stations closer. This is to facilitate travel from any direction, at any distance, being able to reach the desired destination. Also the need for secure storage of bikes at destinations requires addressing. Again addressing the motoring paradigm - we don't have just one petrol station per county - even though most cars have a range of 500 miles.
Ebikes typically charge from flat to 50% in an hour, and be fully charged in around 2.5 hours. So a cyclist arriving at a destination with a half-full battery can be assured of a full charge within 90 to 120 minutes. They will therefore plan their stay in that location around a meal, a visitor experience, shopping, visiting friends/family, or a combination of these.
This 'enforced' dwell time at a destination is a prime economic motivator for businesses to host an ebike charging station. Many studies have found that people travelling by bike spend more than those travelling by car - either in urban or rural locations.
PEEP's goals are:
PEEP's goals are:
Establish ebike parking, securing and charging infrastructure across Highland Perthshire, with the goal that there will be no more than 10 miles between each location, and that every location of more than 250 residents will be enabled.
Establish a mobile-friendly website / app to communicate locations, opening times and other information such as services, accommodation and cycle routes nearby.
Establish a long-term operational model for maintenance, repair and upgrade of installed infrastructure.
Create collateral and guidance to support local funding applications across Scotland and the UK
Proposed Infrastructure
Proposed Infrastructure
PEEP proposes to use the combination of www.velovoute.com - a proven urban parking and securing design, paired with charging technology from www.bike-energy.com - able to charge pretty much any modern ebike, with data collection on use by brand, date, time and charge amount. You can see a short video on their website that clearly shows the user journey and experience.
Proposed Locations
Proposed Locations
The locations for ebike stations will be decided through consultation with local stakeholders to ensure the best fit for users, the community and host businesses / organisations. Where links on the map point to existing businesses / organisations, please treat as indicative.
Our draft Phase 1 plan is to establish stations at the following locations:
Dunkeld / Birnam
Murthly
Pitlochry
Blair Atholl
Aberfeldy
Kenmore
Killin
Comrie
Tummel Bridge
Kinloch Rannoch
Additional locations for consideration include:
Ballinluig / Logierait
Grandtully Campsite
Kirkmichael
Bridge of Balgie (Glen Lyon)
Amulree
Rannoch Station
Proposed Funding Model
Proposed Funding Model
PEEP seeks to build a region-wide consensus and momentum for standardised, scalable infrastructure. The approximate budget for each location capable of parking, securing and charging up to 4 ebikes is £10,000 - but scale, vendor partnerships and procurement efficiencies should reduce this amount considerably.
It is envisaged that the majority of locations will be funded using locally-sourced grants. PEEP will create the collateral - documents, videos etc - to assist local stakeholder groups in applying for funding.
What about normal bikes?
What about normal bikes?
Non-ebikes are great - they are cheaper, lighter and require less resources to make. The PEEP infrastructure will allow the parking and securing of non-ebikes as well, so the health, transport, economic and environmental benefits are just as valid.
How PEEP works:
How PEEP works:
PEEP has the following representative stakeholder groups:
Elected Local & National Authorities: village, town, city and regional councils, Scottish Government
Non-Elected National Authorities: Constituted bodies representing tourism, transport, recreation, ability and health
Enterprise: local and national business organisations, and the cycling industry. Examples include organisations representing businesses providing accommodation, food & beverage, local transport, guiding, cycling sales and repairs and events.
To ensure PEEP's goals and the opportunity afforded is widely distributed, understood and engaged with, we ask that individual businesses apply to join PEEP through their local constituted representative business groups.
PEEP will form an Executive Leadership Team comprising a stakeholder representative from each of the following groups:
Local Authorities
Tourism
Recreation - lead: Mike Stead, Trustee, Highland Perthshire Cycling & PEEP Chair
Transport
Health & Ability
Enterprise
PEEP will employ a Project Manager to oversee delivery of infrastructure.
PEEP Executive Leadership Team will meet online every two weeks to review plans and provide guidance to the Project Manager.
If needed PEEP will constitute itself as a charity in order to access funding and manage payments.
Who is PEEP?
Who is PEEP?
As organisations join PEEP their logos and contact details will be added here.
Get involved
Get involved
PEEP is seeking representatives from across Highland Perthshire in the above groups to get involved, be heard and help guide our plans. We need individuals to step up and take leadership roles, co-ordinating feedback from the individual subgroups as well as participating in the Executive Leadership Team.
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