I got a lot more involved biking last year and have slowly justified spending more and more on it. I have a family and our grocery store is a 32 mile trip on rough roads. I've biked it several times on a regular bike but just converted a bike with a mid drive. I have a small battery and turn off the assist quite often. It's a lifesaver on hills and headwinds but I come home tired and sweaty still so I don't feel like a cheater.
I lost alot of weight last year on my regular bikes but I'm still getting exercise with electric. I figure I will put more miles on it than my regular bikes and drive a vehicle less. We're off grid also so my charging comes from sun/ wind. It is amusing that many of the people that call it cheating aren't very physical themselves. If someone told me I'm a cheater, I'd simply explain that I still get a workout but cover more ground now.
The only downsides is I've made this look fun so I'm eventually going to need a few more ebikes for the family. Also I will have to spend large amounts of time outdoors with the family instead of binging tv or electronics.....