MODMO celebrates World Car-Free Day 2021
Today is World Car-Free Day - a day on which people all over the world gather to highlight the benefits of choosing alternatives to fossil-fuel powered cars.
This is something we truly resonate with at MODMO. As a company, we are proud to be contributing to a growing trend of converting to clean, zero-emission e-transport, and particularly to ebikes.
We believe that the more people convert to e-mobility, the healthier our planet will be and the same for our own physical and mental well being: having more electric vehicles on the roads, in particular more ebikes, would bring a whole host of benefits to humankind both as individuals and as a society.
Fewer Cars = Less Pollution
Logically speaking, with fewer (or no) fossil fuelled vehicles on the road, there will be lower levels of air pollution in our cities. In fact, data shows that using a bike instead of a car for shorter, daily trips would cut your emissions by as much as 75%.
This would not only be great for the planet, it would be great for you too. According to the WHO, “one third of deaths from stroke, lung cancer and heart disease are due to air pollution.” This, it says, is equivalent to the effect of smoking tobacco.
Air pollution also has a significant impact on peoples’ mental health. One 2017 study into this found that as the amount of fine particulate matter in the air increased, so too did psychological distress in the study's participants.
So cleaner air = happier mind.
Noise pollution is another factor - imagine your city with no car horns or noisy combustion engines. Research shows that those living with noise pollution may feel irritable, on edge, angry, etc, and that frequent or loud noise can trigger anxiety and stress.
Environmental noise is also a common cause of sleep disturbances, be that difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, or waking up too early. So, again logically, the lower the noise around you in your city the easier you will rest at night, and a lot of that comes down to what vehicles are on the roads outside.
Ebikes as an alternative to cars
Without so many cars on the road we would likely experience a massive boost in our mental and physical health. But what we replace those cars with could have an even further positive impact.
This is where we ebikes come in. Taking up cycling as an alternative to driving your car is great for your physical health, your stress levels, your ability to focus, etc. This particularly applies to ebikes, which make cycling easily accessible and convenient to a wider range of people.
Not only could a car-free world be a huge step forward for society, "it's even better with an extra "E"."
#1 it's a fitness boost
One big benefit of choosing to ride an ebike rather than drive around is the fitness boost you get from this kind of cycling.
Ebikes, while typically providing lower-intensity workouts than you would get during regular cycling, can be a great tool for improving your physical health. This is largely because they break down barriers to cycling on a regular basis, like increased distance, fatigue and decreased convenience, so people find themselves riding more often and for longer. This in turn makes for more physical activity as you are simply out on two wheels more often.
Taking long trips is even easier if your bike is built for your daily life. Both our bikes - the Saigon+ and the Saigon S - have full modular capacity that will allow you to adjust your bike to cater to what you are doing at any given time of the day.
NOTE: our modular accessories are coming soon. Please feel free to sign up to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook to stay in the loop.
#2 It’s good for your mental health
Cycling is also great for your mental well being.
First and foremost, it’s relaxing. Aerobic exercise brings down stress levels by reducing the level of cortisol, the “stress hormone” in your body. Cycling also stimulates the release of endorphins which leads to the so-called “runner’s high” that you feel after exercising.
It’s a great low-impact way of getting your body moving which will provide a healthy platform for your overall mental wellness, and with an ebike you can choose how hard you push yourself - you don’t have the pressure to break a sweat if you don’t want to. No stress.
Our Saigon bikes have 5 levels of power assistance to keep you moving with the ideal amount of effort on your part depending on where you’re headed, what you’re wearing, how much you want to work out, etc.
#3 More bikes = less congestion
Finally, traffic. The more people convert to two-wheel transportation, the less congested our roads will be. This in turn further reduces your stress - imagine getting around your city without running the risk of getting stuck in traffic! No more rush hours, no more crazy school runs, no more frantic commutes. With more physical space on the road there will be more room to move freely from A to B.
NOTE: you can find more detailed insight into why riding an ebike is great for your health in this blog.
The Future Lies in E-Mobility
Whether it be car-free or full of vehicles of many shapes and sizes, the future of the world lies in e-mobility. We’re excited to be a part of this shift and can’t wait to see where our industry goes over the coming years as more and more people jump on the global ebike trend.
If you would like to stay in the loop with us please feel free to sign up to our newsletter, or find us on Facebook, Instagram or Linkedin.
