An electric bike is a(n otherwise ordinary) bike that is fitted with an electric motor / battery system that assists the rider. The rider pedals at whatever level of effort is preferred, while the motor provides the balance of power to get there quickly and easily, even with hills or heavy loads. Regardless of your cycling capabilities, or even for non-cyclists, a well designed electric bike can be much more than a bicycle. 

• Riders (and potential riders!) with more limited capabilities can use an electric bike to allow them to take up or continue cycling. Precisely because pedaling an electric bike is so much easier for a given distance, studies have shown that they are more likely to get used and so be an effective route to the enhanced fitness and freedom that cycling provides. For those not able to balance on a two wheel bike, the same applies to an electric tricycle.
  
• Riders who are already capable cyclists can extend the scope of what is possible for them on a bike - for example extended distances, carrying or pulling children or cargo. An electric bike can be a cost effective car or public transport substitute for all kinds of journeys, but also expand the possibilities for purely recreational journeys, allowing you to combine the freedom of setting off from your doorstep on a bicycle with the possibility to explore far from home.

Specifically, the advantages include

• Its fun! It is an amazing feeling to fly up a steep hill with comfortable effort on something that feels almost exactly like a bicycle. This can be addictive!
  
• They give a unique feeling of freedom: the bike is legally a bike and feels like a bike to ride, yet combines the freedom and engagement with your surroundings of cycling with the greater range and scope of a light motorised vehicle
  
• They are not heavy: an Empowering E-Bikes motor plus battery typically adds around 5kg to the weight of the bike. The motor will also freewheel and does not interfere with pedaling: it will feel exactly like a normal bike when pedaling without operating the motor  
  
• They offer a truly green transport option. Effective fuel consumption (equating the electrical energy taken from the battery to the amount of petrol that would be needed to provide that energy) is typically in excess of 1,500 miles per gallon.
  
• For e.g. commuting, avoiding sweating and the need to shower / change on arrival
  
• They can be highly economical, especially where use of an electric bike facilitates reduced car or public transport use.
  
• The added power of the motor system is particularly useful for bikes that would otherwise be particularly hard to pedal. Bikes with big tyres for added traction, and cargo bikes / bike trailers / child carrying are all particularly suited to electric conversions.
  
• They are an improving and future technology, with batteries in recent years improving by ~ 8% capacity (and hence electric bike range for the same size and cost of battery) per year.