E-bikes are the best thing to happen to cities in decades
There’s been a lot of hand-wringing lately about electric bikes. You’ve probably seen the headlines – the ones about sidewalk conflicts, teenagers riding too fast, or policymakers scrambling to define what qualifies as an e-bike in the first place. And sure, it’s healthy for cities to ask questions about how new forms of mobility fit into the urban fabric. But let’s not lose sight of something much more important: e-bikes are still one of the best things to happen to cities in decades.
I’d argue they’re the best thing for urban life since flush toilets.
Seriously. It’s hard to name another innovation in recent memory that’s had such a profoundly positive impact on so many fronts of urban life.
Let’s start with the obvious: fewer cars. Every person who hops on an e-bike instead of getting into a car – even just a few times a week – is easing congestion, reducing noise, and freeing up space in crowded cities. And it’s not just about commuting.
E-bikes are being used for school drop-offs, grocery runs, dog park visits, weekend adventures, and pretty mucy any other transportation task you can think of. In many cases, they’re becoming true car replacements – or at least car reducers.
Then there’s air quality. Tailpipe emissions might be invisible, but their impact clearly isn’t. Transportation remains one of the biggest sources of urban air pollution. E-bikes, on the other hand, are virtually silent and emission-free at the point of use. Even including the emissions from production reveals a life cycle analysis that puts e-bikes far and ahead as one of the lowest impact forms of transportation available. There’s a real argument to be made that they’re even more energy efficient and responsible for fewer emissions than even walking (that’s another story for another day, but it’s got to do with the food you eat and the extremely high efficiency of e-bike motors).
Any way you slice it, if you multiply the emissions savings across hundreds of thousands of riders around the US, or millions around the world, then you’re looking at a meaningful reduction in pollution – especially in communities that have long borne the brunt of traffic-related health impacts.
Equity is another massive piece of this story. E-bikes offer an affordable, low-barrier form of transportation. You don’t need a driver’s license, you don’t need insurance, and you don’t need to fill up at $5 a gallon.
When cities invest in e-bike infrastructure and incentives – especially for low-income riders – they’re helping more people access jobs, education, healthcare, and opportunity. Try doing that with a $40,000 EV.
When you start to look at new car prices, or even used car prices, suddenly America’s best-selling 28 MPH e-bike for $999 starts to look pretty darn attractive.
And let’s talk about last-mile delivery, because if you live in a city, chances are someone on an e-bike brought you dinner last week. I know they did for me. Electric bikes, and especially e-cargo bikes, are becoming an increasingly common sight in urban logistics, and for good reason. They can navigate dense city streets faster than trucks, they take up less space, and they’re better for the planet.
In Europe, companies like DHL and Amazon are replacing vans with electric bikes in major metros. The US is catching on, too.
Sure, some of the criticism around e-bikes isn’t entirely unfounded. Speeding on sidewalks at the risk of pedestrians? That’s got to stop. Modified bikes exceeding legal limits? That needs addressing, too. But those are challenges to manage – not reasons to abandon the incredible potential of e-bikes.
The real danger here isn’t the bikes – it’s the backlash. We’ve spent the last few years building momentum around cleaner, more human-scale transportation. E-bikes have been a critical part of that shift. They’ve helped cities rethink mobility, reduce car dependency, and bring a little more joy back into getting from A to B.
So yes, let’s keep improving safety. Let’s clarify the rules. Let’s invest in infrastructure. But most importantly, let’s not lose sight of the bigger picture. We’re all in this together. We’re either going to collectively find solutions or collectively suffer the consequences, and even more so, our kids.
At the end of the day, e-bikes aren’t the problem. They’re part of the solution, and one of the best solutions cities have seen in a very long time.
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Electricity demand is surging in Texas, and solar, wind, and battery storage are meeting it.
According to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity demand across the Texas grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) hit record highs in the first nine months of 2025. ERCOT, which supplies power to about 90% of the state, saw demand jump 5% year-over-year to 372 terawatt hours (TWh) – a 23% increase since 2021. No other major US grid has grown faster over the past year.
Solar and wind keep ERCOT’s grid steady
The biggest growth story in Texas power generation is solar. Utility-scale solar plants produced 45 TWh from January through September, up 50% from 2024 and nearly four times what they generated in 2021 (11 TWh). Wind power also continued to climb, producing 87 TWh through September – a 4% increase from last year and 36% more than in 2021.
Together, wind and solar supplied 36% of ERCOT’s total electricity over those nine months. Solar, in particular, has transformed Texas’s daytime energy mix. From June to September, ERCOT solar farms generated an average of 24 gigawatts (GW) between noon and 1 pm – double the midday output from 2023. That growth has pushed down natural gas use at midday from 50% of the mix in 2023 to 37% this year.
Battery storage is filling in the gaps
Batteries charge during the day when wind and solar generation are the highest, and they produce electricity when generation from wind and solar slows down. ERCOT began reporting battery output separately in October 2024 in its hourly grid data, and it’s clear that batteries are now helping to smooth out evening peaks. This past summer, batteries supplied an average of 4 GW of power around 8 pm, right as solar production dropped off.
Natural gas is flatlining
Natural gas is still Texas’s dominant power source, but it isn’t growing like it used to. Between January and September, gas-fired plants generated 158 TWh of electricity, compared to 161 TWh in 2023. Gas comprised 43% of ERCOT’s generation mix during the first nine months of 2025, down from 47% in the first nine months of 2023 and 2024.
More demand growth ahead
The EIA expects Texas electricity demand to keep rising faster than any other grid in the US. In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the EIA projects ERCOT’s demand will climb another 14% in the first nine months of 2026, reaching 425 TWh. That means Texas will need even more solar, wind, and battery storage to keep up with its breakneck growth.
Read more: This $900 million solar farm in Texas is going 100% to data centers
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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GM is recalling nearly 23,000 Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models due to a defect where the tire tread could fall off.
GM is recalling more Chevy Equinox EV models
In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GM said it has decided to issue a safety recall for certain Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models from model years 2025 to 2026.
This time, it isn’t necessarily GM’s fault. The vehicles may be equipped with 21″ all-season tires that Continental Tire is recalling.
According to Continental, the tires were produced during the week of October 6, 2024, and may have a defect where the tire tread could partially or fully detach. The records show the defect is due to a nonconforming tread base rubber compound.
Owners of affected vehicles may notice unusual tread wear or bulging, vibration while driving, or tire noises. GM is unaware of any incidents related to the defect, but is issuing the recall out of an abundance of caution.
On September 18, 2025, GM inspected the assembly plant and confirmed there were no suspect tires in stock. The 21″ tires come standard on RS trims and are optional on LT1 and LT2 grades.
Although GM is recalling 22,914 Chevy Equinox EVs and Cadillac Optiqs, it estimates that only about 1% of them have the defect.
The recall includes:
- 2026 Cadillac Optiq: 214
- 2026 Chevy Equinox EV: 1,832
- 2025 Cadillac Optiq: 3,468
- 2025 Chevy Equinox EV: 17,400
GM dealers will check all four tires and replace them if needed, free of charge. Dealers were notified on October 16. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed out on December 1, 2025.
You can contact Chevrolet’s customer service number at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac’s at 1-800-333-4223. GM’s recall number is N252525030. Owners can also call the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit the nhtsa.gov website for more information.
The Chevy Equinox EV is now the third best-selling EV in the US, trailing only the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. Meanwhile, Cadillac’s entry-level Optiq SUV is the fifth-most-popular luxury EV. The recall is minor and only affects a small percentage of models, so it’s not expected to have a major impact.
If you want to test one of them for yourself, we can help you get started. Check out our links below to find available Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models near you.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pausing F-150 Lightning, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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