I bike to work almost every day on a conventional bike. I wish more people would bike, but I don't think the high price of e-bikes is really a factor. For commuting on bike to work you need a really good network of bike trails since people don't feel safe on roads. Often trails don't go where you need to go. And even on an e-bike the trip takes longer than a car ride. And a bike greatly limits your flexibility to do things like go out for lunch, or run errands after work, or pick up groceries. The inconvenience of it is hard to overcome.
E-Bikes help people get out that don't usually get out, but "just because a little of a good thing is a good thing, it doesn't mean a shit ton of a good thing is a good thing". The real problem is in America is most of our cities were developed at the same time as the automobile. I just spent a few weeks in Europe, where "right of ways" and density were necessary during the development of their cities. Cheap ebikes will help a few things, but too many will make other things much worse.
ebikes used to be much cheaper when they used lead acid batteries. The batteries made them heavy, but they worked. I bought one for under $500. Current prices seem to be around $1500-$2000 at the low end which seems ridiculous, a LiIon battery system should not add $1000-$1500 to the price.<p><a href="https://www.electricbike.com/currie-ezip/" rel="nofollow">https://www.electricbike.com/currie-ezip/</a>