<story><title>Time to subsidize e-bikes?</title><url>https://clivethompson.medium.com/its-time-to-subsidize-e-bikes-900a862b8e76</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>martinky24</author><text>I bought an e-bike recently (at full cost) with the explicit intent of attempting to drive my ICE vehicle less and have loved every minute of owning it.&lt;p&gt;It’s a fun thing to ride, gets me a bit more activity (I don’t consider it a workout, but it is more of a workout than driving), and gets me more time outside.&lt;p&gt;I’m turning into an evangelist among my friends, and any sort of subsidy would definitely make that effort easier.&lt;p&gt;If you’re on the fence, give it a go! They’re pretty mature tech these days, with a wide range of available models and price ranges.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>afavour</author><text>I bought one a year ago specifically to take my kids to school and it’s been an absolute delight. I get a slight workout, the kids get fresh air (and they &lt;i&gt;love&lt;/i&gt; riding on it). I’m convinced everyone would be much happier if school drop offs were 70% bikes rather than 90% cars.&lt;p&gt;But the ride to my kids school has isolated bike lanes for the vast majority of the trip. Most people aren’t so lucky and will (rightly) fear the idea of taking their kids on a bike. It’s such a shame.</text></comment>
<story><title>Time to subsidize e-bikes?</title><url>https://clivethompson.medium.com/its-time-to-subsidize-e-bikes-900a862b8e76</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>martinky24</author><text>I bought an e-bike recently (at full cost) with the explicit intent of attempting to drive my ICE vehicle less and have loved every minute of owning it.&lt;p&gt;It’s a fun thing to ride, gets me a bit more activity (I don’t consider it a workout, but it is more of a workout than driving), and gets me more time outside.&lt;p&gt;I’m turning into an evangelist among my friends, and any sort of subsidy would definitely make that effort easier.&lt;p&gt;If you’re on the fence, give it a go! They’re pretty mature tech these days, with a wide range of available models and price ranges.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Turskarama</author><text>&amp;gt;I don’t consider it a workout&lt;p&gt;You might be surprised.  The amount of exercise you get while &amp;quot;cheating&amp;quot; on an ebike is way more than people think, especially if you don&amp;#x27;t get one powerful enough to basically classify as a motorbike.  I&amp;#x27;m Australian, and here the power output is limited to 250 watts which means it&amp;#x27;s really just an assist rather than the main power plant (which is still the rider).  Riding it uses significantly more energy than walking does since I like to go fast, so it&amp;#x27;s still very much legitimate exercise.</text></comment>