Originally Posted by
Maelochs
I would add that for a cyclist who wants to go car-lighter or car-free, an e-bike might look like an appealing option ... but for most people for the price of an e-bike they could get a junk car which would offer ten times the utility.
Purchase price, maybe, but within a week the e-bike would show itself to be the cheaper option. Running costs, gas, and insurance, even on a cheap beater car, are somewhere north of $200 a month in my city. My $3000 e-bike has made no detectable difference in my household electricity consumption and has saved me $600 in hypothetical vehicle costs (had I purchased a $3000 car 3 months ago, and that's assuming I could even GET monthly car insurance premiums rather than having to pay the whole year up front, which is much more likely).
Now, I did start off as a cyclist in this scenario, rather than an average citizen, but I'm a cyclist *because* I really, REALLY hate driving. I'm capable, I just hate it. And an e-bike I enjoy riding, versus a car I dislike that ALSO costs more, is no contest!