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High gas prices drive Georgia man to create a "mini car" costing about $3 to fill up
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this post was submitted on 24 May 2026
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Or just ride an ebike
My ebike has unironically changed my life.
Shout out to Aventon.
I'll never forget how e-bikes are so fucking powerful that they INSTANTLY completely converted my lifelong driver of a dad.
I managed to convince him to buy an e-bike, and the day he rode that home was the last day he drove a car on a regular basis. Now he says buying a bike was the best thing he ever did, and he LOVES biking to work every day, not to mention that it might well have saved his life since he has diabetes and has had at least 2 silent heart attacks before then.
I wish I knew what it was that caused that spark. I've never had an e-bike, just a regular bike. It's been a very long time since I even rode one of those, so I don't really know what to picture in my head that sets the e-bike apart from a regular bike but not being a moped or mini-motorcycle.
It's.. a bike that has a motor? I'm sorry but this is something i'll never be able to understand, surely it's obvious what makes an e-bike better?
Let me clarify. If it has a motor, how is that different from a moped? Sincerely, not being snarky here. Is one just more powerful than the other?
Ignoring edge-cases due to messy regulation and manufacturers playing god, the proper normal moped and e-bike differ thusly:
Mopeds rely solely on the motor/engine, and have no pedals. They're heavier, less flexible, more expensive, and harder to maintain/repair yourself. They also go faster, though speed limits are very much down to regulations.
Generally in europe the speed limits are 45km/h for mopeds and 25km/h for e-bikes, but that limit only applies to the motor assist of an e-bike, you can pedal as fast as you're physically able.
E-bikes are amazing because you get almost all the benefits of bicycles plus optional assistance from the motor, which obviously makes it very approachable to people who aren't so keen on exercise.
And bicycles are great because they don't require any sort of license or registration, are cheap to buy, incredibly cheap and easy to maintain and repair (it's quite possible to do extensive field repairs with a couple tools and materials that easily fit in bags), very portable and easy to store (can bring them on most trains), and riding a bike is just generally very pleasant.
Ebikes are basically the perfect personal vehicle for any vaguely urban area. Basically 0 ongoing costs, trivial to store and park, pleasant and good for your health to use, and no negative effects on your environment.
Wow! Great write-up; I really appreciate the time you took to give me such a thorough answer. :) Thank you! And now I definitely am going to be eyeing some e-bikes myself haha
Can't possibly recommend them enough! Just spend some time thinking about what features you want and need.
There's everything from "Basically a slow moped that can technically be pedaled" to "literally a normal bicycle with a motor slapped onto it", with price ranges to match.
I'd generally say that unless you have money to spare and/or intend to rely on the e-bike as much as people rely on cars, the expensive stuff isn't really worth it. Fancy features like mid-drive and force-sensitive pedal assist are nice but i've done completely and utterly fine with a dead simple e-bike that cost like 1000€. There'll be a bit of a learning curve as you get used to to the quirks of having the motor engage when you pedal but after a while it becomes second nature.
If you get a cheap basic e-bike like me, i'd recommend taking advantage of it to get exercise: Having both fully functional pedals and motor assist means you don't have to worry about running out of stamina and having to trudge home in misery. Which means you're free to push yourself as far as you feel like, and thus you can improve your stamina and leg strength really quite quickly.
Having that physicality means the e-bike becomes even more useful, you become able to use less motor assist which extends your range, and range anxiety goes from "oh man if the battery runs out i'll be stuck!" to "if the battery runs out i'll be quite annoyed, oh well".
I don't want the cops to try taking it off me.