Counterpoints:
E-bikes are heavy.
They are much heavier than traditional bicycles due to motor, battery and associated wiring harness and controllers. Frames/wheelsets are heavier as well as they need to be more robust to handle the additional torque/weight. This can cause complications for bicycle storage, especially apartment/condo dwellers that don't have ground floor secure storage or if the battery is not removable/difficult to remove for charging.
E-bikes have higher maintenance costs.
Traditional bicycle tire compounds may wear prematurely due to added torque/weight, which will require research and development into new tire compounds and profiles/widths to handle the changes. Because E-bikes are an emerging sector of the market, there will be a price premium on components because lower volumes means economies of scale will not be there.
E-bikes do not have standardized components.
While we are beginning to see market leaders in certain areas, there is still a large amount of variance in many major components of the e-bike. This will likely remain for some time as emerging companies seek to differentiate their offering from other products on the market and cater to different price points. This lack of interoperability is disruptive to mainstream adoption and creates risk for early adopters because the model they purchase may not be supported if the supplier exits and the components were proprietary.
E-bikes are bad for the environment.
They consume more raw materials during construction and the integration of electronic components with more plastic/composites, exotic metals in IC chips and PC boards and electrical wiring mean it is harder to recycle. Batteries have a finite lifespan and require replacing when the cells have deteriorated. There is still limited access to cheap and efficient recycling of used battery cells, and it is still not cost effective enough to incentivize companies to enter the recycling market over mining raw materials and manufacturing from new resources.
E-bikes are expensive.
Due to the battery, electonics, and motor, e-bikes on average are more expensive than traditional bicycles. Boutique E-bike companies market/cater to niches and tend to use 'luxury pricing' to generate cache and build brand reputation and exclusivity.
In conclusion, E-bikes, while still in a growth phase, will have to overcome some large obstacles before mainstream adoption.
E-bikes are heavy.
They are much heavier than traditional bicycles due to motor, battery and associated wiring harness and controllers. Frames/wheelsets are heavier as well as they need to be more robust to handle the additional torque/weight. This can cause complications for bicycle storage, especially apartment/condo dwellers that don't have ground floor secure storage or if the battery is not removable/difficult to remove for charging.
E-bikes have higher maintenance costs.
Traditional bicycle tire compounds may wear prematurely due to added torque/weight, which will require research and development into new tire compounds and profiles/widths to handle the changes. Because E-bikes are an emerging sector of the market, there will be a price premium on components because lower volumes means economies of scale will not be there.
E-bikes do not have standardized components.
While we are beginning to see market leaders in certain areas, there is still a large amount of variance in many major components of the e-bike. This will likely remain for some time as emerging companies seek to differentiate their offering from other products on the market and cater to different price points. This lack of interoperability is disruptive to mainstream adoption and creates risk for early adopters because the model they purchase may not be supported if the supplier exits and the components were proprietary.
E-bikes are bad for the environment.
They consume more raw materials during construction and the integration of electronic components with more plastic/composites, exotic metals in IC chips and PC boards and electrical wiring mean it is harder to recycle. Batteries have a finite lifespan and require replacing when the cells have deteriorated. There is still limited access to cheap and efficient recycling of used battery cells, and it is still not cost effective enough to incentivize companies to enter the recycling market over mining raw materials and manufacturing from new resources.
E-bikes are expensive.
Due to the battery, electonics, and motor, e-bikes on average are more expensive than traditional bicycles. Boutique E-bike companies market/cater to niches and tend to use 'luxury pricing' to generate cache and build brand reputation and exclusivity.
In conclusion, E-bikes, while still in a growth phase, will have to overcome some large obstacles before mainstream adoption.
