Haha, seeing huge tricycles and cargo ebikes all the time I've been wondering the same. Legally they must be propelled by pedaling... However these ebikes real

Haha, seeing huge tricycles and cargo ebikes all the time I've been wondering the same. Legally they must be propelled by pedaling... However these ebikes really stretch that definition, the pedals do not directly drive anything, they just work as a throttle. So, if the battery is discharged, the pedals are useless. I've actually been thinking of a similar system, except the pedals drive a generator that charges the battery. This way the bike is motor propelled, you can have a longer battery life by charging it as you ride and it's technically more of a cycle since you could cycle to provide power to the motor. My main thought is that it would reduce/even the load on your knees since you wouldn't need to start/accelerate as often.