"If only there were a way of combining cycling with transport": Peloton coaches drive Mazda electric cars...to "support their active lifestyle"; Wout van Aert Cervélo auction reaches £11k; Cycle lane delivery; Infra made permanent + more on the live blog

Lukas wrote:

The Peloton / Mazda story reminds me of people I see in the gym - who drive to the gym, park up and then get on the tread mill. Just walk or jog to the gym; you'll get a better workout. And then you can turn around and run home again and save on subscription fees too. 

That's why gyms prefer to use a locked-in subscription model - if you're already paying for the use of a gym, then not using it would be wasting money.

hawkinspeter wrote:

Lukas wrote:

The Peloton / Mazda story reminds me of people I see in the gym - who drive to the gym, park up and then get on the tread mill. Just walk or jog to the gym; you'll get a better workout. And then you can turn around and run home again and save on subscription fees too. 

That's why gyms prefer to use a locked-in subscription model - if you're already paying for the use of a gym, then not using it would be wasting money.

I think they bank on a certain number not using it, giving them a free income.

wycombewheeler wrote:

I think they bank on a certain number not using it, giving them a free income.

Definitely. Anyone who knows people (some of my best friends are people) knows that best intentions often go unrealised - especially when they involve getting uncomfortably hot, sweaty and out-of-breath. Similarly I wonder what percentage of bikes sold just gather dust in garages? I hear a lot of home treadmills also serve excellent duty as clothes dryers.

Yeah leave her alone, she does her job and isn't going to cycling everywhere.

HarrogateSpa wrote:

I'm not interested in Peloton and I don't believe electric cars are The Answer, but...I'm uncomfortable with social media pile-ons, and the ritual humiliation of the day's target.

I think it's fair enough if it's marketing twaddle and the humiliation is aimed at a company.

DoomeFrog wrote:

It could be active lifestyle if the Peleton Excercise machine was used to generate the electricity to go into the car.

"Let's work it people, just another 95% charge to go!"

That would have been a good promotion actually... get 'credit' for the watts you produce during a Peloton workouts to get free charging.  You could be there a while though before you got a charge...

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a32699289/human-powered-tesla/

I'm waiting for them to invent an e-bike with a generator on it to keep it charged in perpetuity while you are cycling using the forward momentum.

Like a hybrid EV, then? Which (as I understand it) uses the ICE to charge the battery on longer drives, so the battery is available when you're in town and/or at low speeds.

Saw a comment on the Daily Mail website recently which said "Why don't electric cars have windmills on top so they could generate electricity when they go along and then they wouldn't need charging stations." 

That's one dim comment for a man, but a giant intellectual leap for a Daily Mail reader

Well as long as they're going upwind they're on the right tack... Update: or downwind too!

Poor choice of a BEV, an ICE car with the engine, etc. replaced with an electric motor and battery. The battery is small (30kWh). This would have been a reasonable BEV from about 3-4 years ago.

Most car journeys are much shorter than 100 miles. It'll be reet.

Range anxiety is a real problem, but realistically if you're going to drive to Skye once a year, you can rent a car for that, or use your household's second car, or get a range-extended hybrid or whatever. (I've seen some electric car advocates suggest that we get used to regular, wholesome stops at motorway services to stretch our legs and drink a £5 coffee. Not sure I'd go that far in my advocacy).

You can buy a Thermos for £5!

Bmblbzzz wrote:

And as Peloton's business is a sort of gym that you do at home, it's hard to see how driving fits in to it. 

Everyone drives to the gym. So for the full home gym experience, you've got to do a lap of your housing estate in the EV before you hop on the Peloton.

Bmblbzzz wrote:

I'm not sure criticism of Mazda is justified here. They're just doing their job, promoting their cars. 

But they claimed driving a car supported an active lifestyle.  Up until that final sentence I would have agreed with you.

Bmblbzzz wrote:

I'm not sure criticism of Mazda is justified here. They're just doing their job, promoting their cars. It's Peloton who are trying to somehow cram these cars into their brand, presumably in order to fulfill some kind of agreement with Mazda. And as Peloton's business is a sort of gym that you do at home, it's hard to see how driving fits in to it. But let's not kid ourselves that either Peloton or Mazda have anything to do with cycling.

Well, it is Mazda promoting it and it's always cringeworthy when a car manufacturer tries to link their product with active lifestyle (not travel!) and nature. It's surprising how many car adverts are now all about the image and very little about the product (almost as bad as perfume ads).

hawkinspeter wrote:

Bmblbzzz wrote:

I'm not sure criticism of Mazda is justified here. They're just doing their job, promoting their cars. It's Peloton who are trying to somehow cram these cars into their brand, presumably in order to fulfill some kind of agreement with Mazda. And as Peloton's business is a sort of gym that you do at home, it's hard to see how driving fits in to it. But let's not kid ourselves that either Peloton or Mazda have anything to do with cycling.

Well, it is Mazda promoting it and it's always cringeworthy when a car manufacturer tries to link their product with active lifestyle (not travel!) and nature. It's surprising how many car adverts are now all about the image and very little about the product (almost as bad as perfume ads).

I got the impression it was a Peloton promotion: "Look how green we are!" – which Mazda had simply cooperated with. I'd think makers of EVs get loads of slebs and firms wanting to be seen in their "green transport". It's just particularly cringeworthy when it's something supposedly "active" like Peloton. 

Agree absolutely that it's greenwashing on all sides, and as for car adverts being about image not the product – that's been largely the case for a couple of decades (certainly pre-EVs). Though admittedly it used to be more cup holders and cosy living-room interiors rather than running on unicorn farts and emitting a trail of rainbows.

The tweet was by Mazda UK

hawkinspeter wrote:

Well, it is Mazda promoting it and it's always cringeworthy when a car manufacturer tries to link their product with active lifestyle (not travel!) and nature. It's surprising how many car adverts are now all about the image and very little about the product (almost as bad as perfume ads).

I think it was ever thus... the sports car carving through corners down a deserted twisting coast road toward an exclusive seaside town... the SUV in the woods, with a strapping owner unloading a MTB, canoe and a tent.

The reality of sitting in a traffic jam in a generic hatchback SUV-thing in drizzle trying to get to B&Q wouldn't really appeal.

Bmblbzzz wrote:

I'm not sure criticism of Mazda is justified here. They're just doing their job, promoting their cars. It's Peloton who are trying to somehow cram these cars into their brand, presumably in order to fulfill some kind of agreement with Mazda. And as Peloton's business is a sort of gym that you do at home, it's hard to see how driving fits in to it. But let's not kid ourselves that either Peloton or Mazda have anything to do with cycling.

Yes, and their job is planet trashing and green washing
So that's alright then...