Former Cat 2 bicycle racer here, "Cat 2" meaning I was in damned good shape, and I still am even if old age has slowed me a bit. That climb up next to highway 5

Former Cat 2 bicycle racer here, "Cat 2" meaning I was in damned good shape, and I still am even if old age has slowed me a bit. That climb up next to highway 520 from downtown Redmond to the Microsoft campus? Yeah, if I had a hankering to do so, I'd drop most folks going up that hill. And yet I own an electric bike, and love the thing. Because I can go up that hill in my work clothes, and not show up a dripping, sweating, stinking mess. I can go down the hill from the house and get supper without having to don the clown outfit and the special shoes. Just wheel the bike out the garage and go with whatever I have on. Back up the hill to get home, give that electric motor an extra kick if I'm feeling lazy, sorted. And that's for an old ex-racer who is in probably better shape than 90% of his peers. Imagine the worlds that open for the elderly, overweight, or other "differently abled". Bicycles have had over 100 years to "become primary transport" and unless one lives in the Netherlands, it obviously isn't going to happen. Stick a battery and electric motor on one, though, and suddenly one's practical range and power band is extended enough to make it a viable transportation alternative for not just the fully-abled and in-shape, but for nearly everyone.