That's probably true, from a "bang per buck" perspective. But a scooter needs insurance, plates, gas, oil, costs tax and at the end of the day they are lawnmowe

That's probably true, from a "bang per buck" perspective. But a scooter needs insurance, plates, gas, oil, costs tax and at the end of the day they are lawnmowers on wheels, so if something goes wrong with the motor, and it will regularly, you probably can't fix it on your own and are stranded. Even if your battery fails or the boost you would likely still have a fully functional bike, just some extra resistance on the pedals. And legally of course, a scooter restricts you to streets that cars can go on. That might not mean much in an American suburb but even here in a bike backwards German town we have pedestrian zones where bikes are explicitly allowed, one way streets with exemptions for bikes.. being able to use bike-legal paths can make for a more direct, faster route.