An electric bike is a game-changer for bike commuting. The motor assist makes it easy to travel fast, climb hills, and haul heavy loads (including children!) without breaking a sweat (literally). You do not have to be in amazing shape to get around on an electric bike. They are also fun to ride! Studies show that people ride their bike more when it is electric since the motor assistance makes riding easier.

At the end of the day, just plug your electric bike into a normal wall socket, and you will be good to go with a full charge for the next day. For local trips, it is possible for an electric bike to entirely replace a car, especially if it is a cargo bike that can carry passengers, groceries, and other loads.

Surprisingly, for many people, adding an electric motor to a bike makes biking less carbon intensive. The conversion of energy consumed by humans as food into powering a bike is ~25% (the efficiency of human metabolism), while that of an electric motor is ~80%. This motor assistance is meaningful since our food system is currently very energy-intensive. The typical person will reduce their per-mile emissions by ~45% on an electric bike relative to a regular bike. Both types of biking, of course, emit much less carbon than driving a gas car.

E-biking is also better than driving an electric car. A meat eater will reduce per-mile emissions by ~40% on an electric bike compared to an electric car, while the reduction increases to ~70% for a vegetarian. If electricity comes from a renewable source, then emissions reductions from riding an electric bike are even greater.

An electric bike can be a big money saver as well. There is an upfront cost associated with buying an electric bike, but this is paid back quickly (often in months) by replacing or reducing car use (e.g., parking, gas, operation and maintenance costs).