The electric vehicles we need now are e-bikes (2022)
I&#x27;ve had a few e-bikes over the past 5-6 years.  My first two e-bikes were cheap, somewhat compact bikes with Bafang motors, smallish wheels and cadence sensors. You can get from A to B in the summer, but they are useless in the winter. Cheap bikes with cheap motors suck.<p>About 10 months ago I bought a much better e-bike (KTM Machina 692) with a relatively powerful CX line Bosch motor that uses a torque sensor, 29&quot; wheels and has proper mudguards. It was expensive, but since it is a much more capable bike, I&#x27;ve used it a lot more.  If I had kids or needed to transport stuff I&#x27;d probably get a second bike. But I mostly use my bike to ride to work, run errands or work out by driving it in the mountainous terrain where I live.  It is more fun to work out with an e-bike because you can choose how much you want to exert yourself.  You&#x27;ll be able to go further, steeper and for longer.<p>I have ridden it to work every day except _two_ days in those 10 months. Just as it started snowing last year I got studded tyres for it so I could keep riding it all winter.  In temperatures down to about -20C, in periods where we had 1m (3 feet) of snow in a day, in rain, in stormy weather.  The ride to work is about 8km (5mi) and I have to climb 2 steep hills on the way to work of approximately 300m &#x2F; 900ft and one steep hill on my way home.<p>I&#x27;ve used only 3 tanks of gas in those 10 months. In fact, a side-effect of driving a lot less is that I have to keep an eye on the battery on my car and charge it so it won&#x27;t run down on its own.  Also, I have had some problems with rust build-up on the breaks so about once per week I have to take the car out and brake hard 8-10 times to clean the brakes.  I&#x27;d estimate that in fuel costs alone the bike will have paid for itself in about 2-3 years.<p>This takes me a bit more than 20 minutes each way, which means I get a 40 minute workout &quot;for free&quot; every day since I tend to adjust the motor assist to the lowest setting practical. This has noticeable effects.  After just a few months you&#x27;ll be in better shape.  All in all I think I ride the bike for about an hour every day.<p>My bike has a decent size battery so despite having to climb quite a bit, in the summer I can go to&#x2F;from work 3 times on one charge. In the winter, due to low temperatures, I can probably get to work and back twice.  Charging is not a big issue. I do it at home, and if I really needed to I&#x27;d get a second charger and bring the battery into the office to charge it.<p>Get used to riding in bad weather.  In fact, make a point of riding when the weather is bad and adapt. A bit of rain, snow or wind isn&#x27;t going to kill you.<p>When riding a bike, it helps to dress like you would for physical exertion. Use something like a pure merino wool as the inner layer and clothing that allows for ventilation when you need it.  This is particularly important during the cold months since you do not want to get sweaty and wet. Bring a change of clothes for wearing in the office. If you have a shower at work, you can go a bit harder.<p>Plan your route. Find more efficient and safer routes.<p>I&#x27;ve ridden with people who insist on their &quot;rights&quot; and will take the same roads they would with a car.  Be sensible and figure out routes that keeps you as separate as possible from drivers and pedestrians if you can. I&#x27;ve ridden bikes in a few (European) cities, and it has always been possible to pick routes that have low potential for conflict.  Don&#x27;t be one of those dickish riders who thinks everyone else owes you something in traffic. They don&#x27;t. Behave. Aim for conflict avoidance.  Get to know the area and find the low conflict routes.<p>If you live in a city it is usually faster and more hassle free to ride an e-bike. You can take more shortcuts and usually parking is pretty fast and easy.  However, depending on where you are, bike theft might be an issue.<p>I&#x27;ve had _zero_ accidents even though I&#x27;ve ridden all winter in all kinds of weather straight across the city I live in.  Sometimes in snowy conditions.  Often on shiny ice.  Be patient with pedestrians and take your time at tricky intersections with bad visibility or unclear traffic patterns. And again, look for alternative routes where you can minimize interactions with others in traffic.<p>I&#x27;m not fanatical about riding an e-bike and I don&#x27;t view car drivers as the enemy. They are not.  I&#x27;m a driver myself - albeit less often.  The militant, conflict seeking, virtue signalling dickheads are a problem.  They ruin it for everyone else.  Don&#x27;t be that dickhead.  And please, nobody is interested in your belief that the bicycle will save the world.  Just try to be content with the fact that you have found a mode of transportation that works for you.  Others will figure this out eventually.