Can you share the bike with another in your household?
More people means more trips- many of which are practical on an electric bike.

Do you want to get more exercise?
E-bikes assist your pedaling; they don't replace it. Many people find they ride more (and get more exercise) when they have an electric assist.

Do you want to do more for our environment?
Riding an electric bike reduces gasoline use and global warming. It also reduces air and noise pollution.

Do you already  own a regular bicycle?. Many find having a choice for a trip is great.

Do you want a simpler lifestyle?
An electric bike is simple to use, fix, and pay for. It's the kind of clean, quiet, and people-friendly transportation we want in our neighborhoods.

Is saving money on transportation costs important to you?
Electricity to power an electric bike costs  only  cents for per kilometer of travel. Maintenance and repair costs are also much less than for a car,. When combined with public transportation, you can get most anywhere.

Do you set an example for others? Do you invest in sustainable products?
Electric bicycles are the first affordable electric vehicles. Riding one demonstrates their practicality. Investing in one forwards the entire industry of electric vehicles.

Does local traffic congestion cause you stress?
In addition to helping ease traffic congestion, riding an electric bike enables you to glide past traffic snarls. Instead of stress, you feel like you're beating the system while enjoying the nature, sights, and smells around you.

A recent online news article (August 2008)

When Honora Wolfe and her husband moved to the outskirts of Boulder, Colo., she wanted an environmentally friendly way to commute to her job as a bookshop owner in the city. olfe, 60, found her solution about a month ago: an electric bicycle. It gets her to work quickly, is easy on her arthritis, and it's better for the environment than a car. I'm not out to win any races," she said. "I want to get a little fresh air and exercise, and cut my carbon footprint, and spend less money on gas. And where I live, I can ride my bike seven months out of the year."

The surging cost of gasoline and a desire for a greener commute are turning more people to electric bikes as an unconventional form of transportation. They function like a typical two-wheeler but with a battery-powered assist, and bike dealers, riders and experts say they are flying off the racks.

Official sales figures are hard to pin down, but the Gluskin-Townley Group, which does market research for the National Bicycle Dealers Association, estimates 10,000 electric bikes were sold in the U.S. in 2007, up from 6,000 in 2006.

Bert Cebular, who owns the electric bike and scooter dealership NYCeWheels in New York, said his sales are up about 50 per cent so far this year over last. Amazon.com Inc. says sales of electric bikes surged more than 6,000 per cent in July from a year earlier, in part because of its expanded offerings.
Sales rise in Netherlands, Germany

They're even more popular in Europe, where Sophie Nenner, who opened a Paris bike store in 2005, says motorists boxed in by traffic jams are looking for an alternative for short journeys that doesn't involve navigating overcrowded transport systems. Industry associations estimate 89,000 electric bikes were sold in the Netherlands last year, while 60,000 power-assisted bikes were sold in Germany.

The principle behind electric bikes is akin to that behind hybrid cars: combine the conventional technology — in this case, old-fashioned pedaling — with a battery-powered motor. The net result is a vehicle that rides a bit like a scooter, with some legwork required. Most models have a motorcycle-like throttle that gives a boost while going up hills or accelerating from a stop. On some models, the motor kicks in automatically and adjusts its torque based on how hard the rider pedals.

"Fifty per cent of that increase is probably because of gas prices, and the rest is that there's just more bikes out there," said Cebular, who has run his shop on Manhattan's Upper East Side for seven years. Improved technology also has made electric bikes more popular, Cebular said. When I started, there was only one bike that had a nickel-metal hydride battery — everything else was lead-acid and was 80 or 90 pounds," he said. "That's a huge improvement."