About

ABOUT · EDITORIAL STANDARDS

Why this site exists

Transportation is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and roughly half of all car trips are under three miles. Those short trips are the easiest thing in the world to change, and changing them saves real money.

The problem is what you find when you start researching. Search for an e-bike, a home charger, or whether you can drop a second car, and most of the results are either manufacturer marketing or affiliate pages that recommend whatever pays the most. Almost nobody publishes the honest version: what these things actually cost over five years, which specifications matter and which are upsells, and when the right answer is to buy nothing at all.

That gap is the reason this site exists.

How we research

We think being straight about method matters more than sounding authoritative, so here is exactly how our recommendations are made.

Our buying guides are research-based, and every one says so on the page. For each category we compare published manufacturer specifications, safety certifications and listings, warranty and support terms, and the weight of independent expert testing and long-term owner reviews, including the critical ones. We look hardest at the specifications that change daily ownership rather than the ones that sell bikes: braking systems, sensor type, measured versus claimed range, what is included in the box, and what a replacement battery will cost in three years.

We do not claim hands-on testing we have not done. Where a page reports first-hand use, it will say so explicitly and give our own measurements. Everywhere else, we tell you we are synthesising published data and other people’s testing, because you deserve to know which one you are reading.

Our editorial rules

• Every recommendation carries an honest con. If we cannot name a real drawback, we have not looked hard enough.
• Every commercial guide says who it is NOT for. Talking the wrong reader out of a purchase is the most useful thing we can do.
• We show the math. Our calculators use published figures such as AAA’s annual driving-cost research, and let you replace every assumption with your own numbers.
• We name what we do not know. Prices change, models are discontinued, and claimed range is optimistic. We say so rather than pretending to certainty.
• We publish nothing we would not tell a friend. Where the best product in a category is one we cannot link to, we say that too, rather than steering you to a worse one.
• We correct mistakes. Tell us we are wrong and we will fix it and note what changed.

How we make money

What we will never do

• Claim to have tested something we have not.
• Recommend a product because it pays the best commission.
• Hide the disclosure or bury it at the bottom of the page.
• Pretend an e-bike, an EV, or a scooter is right for everyone. It is not.

Corrections and contact

Found an error, or think we got a call wrong? Email info@sustainabletransportationsc.org or use our contact page. We read everything, we correct mistakes promptly, and we note significant changes.