The Beauty and Weirdness of the E-bike
This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning
E-bikes can add a layer of richness to your life—especially if you name them. 'On a chilly morning last October, my 8-year-old daughter and I took our new e-bike, which she had named Toby, on its maiden voyage to school,' Elizabeth Endicott writes. 'To amuse ourselves, we'd brought along a life-size Halloween skeleton, which sat in the back with my daughter, arms outstretched in a friendly wave. Along the way, people honked, smiled, and stopped to chat. I felt connected to our neighborhood in a way I hadn't ever experienced.'
In addition to being an environmentally preferable alternative to cars, e-bikes are a proven source of joy: 'Study after study shows that people with longer car commutes are more likely to experience poor health outcomes and lower personal well-being—and that cyclists are the happiest commuters,' Michael Thomas wrote in 2023. But the machines aren't for everybody: In 2022, Ian Bogost argued that 'something is ontologically off with e-bikes, which time and adoption alone can't resolve.' Below is a reading list on the beauty and the monstrosity of the e-bike.
On E-bikes
An E-Bike Transformed My Family's Life
By Elizabeth Endicott
Getting around on one might be a bit slower than in a car, but it's also so much richer.
Read the article.
The Real Reason You Should Get an E-bike
By Michael Thomas
It'll cut your emissions. It'll also make you happier.
Read the article.
The E-bike Is a Monstrosity
By Ian Bogost
Neither bicycle nor motorbike, the two-wheeler's future demands an identity of its own.
Read the article.
Still Curious?
Unfortunately, the electric scooters are fantastic. In 2018, Robinson Meyer asked: Can electric scooters succeed despite their essential dorkiness?
How school drop-off became a nightmare: More parents are driving kids than ever before. The result is mayhem.
Other Diversions
To make someone happy, ask for help.
What impossibly wealthy women do for love and fulfillment
The supply closet that film geeks love
P. S.
Each week, I ask readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. Mary Beth, 64, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, writes: 'I was sitting on a sunny beach in Croatia and watched as a storm, north of us, was moving our way. How beautiful the dark-gray clouds and rain looked against the blue-green shade of the water and jutting landscape.'
I'll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks. If you'd like to share, reply to this email with a photo and a short description so we can share your wonder with fellow readers in a future edition of this newsletter or on our website. Please include your name (initials are okay), age, and location. By doing so, you agree that The Atlantic has permission to publish your photo and publicly attribute the response to you, including your first name and last initial, age, and/or location that you share with your submission.
— Isabel
Article originally published at The Atlantic
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Newsweek
Elon Musk Reacts to Article About His 'Decline and Fall'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Elon Musk has lashed out at The Atlantic's leadership after the magazine published a piece outlining his "decline and fall". The tech CEO, who has stepped away from his public-facing role in President Donald Trump's administration in recent weeks, branded The Atlantic as a "zombie publication" that was "fading into obscurity." Newsweek has contacted Elon Musk through the X press office via email as well as The Atlantic via its press office. Why It Matters Elon Musk has been the defining figure of the second Trump administration, leading the charge on several of the president's policies so far, such as the dismantling of USAID and suspension of federal employees. However, amid mounting public opposition and a disastrous judicial election in Wisconsin, Musk has reprioritized his time away from government work, saying that he has "done enough" in politics. What To Know On Wednesday, The Atlantic published an article titled "The Decline and Fall of Elon Musk," which detailed a series of clashes between Musk and other members of Trump's inner circle that led to him getting frozen out of cabinet. Musk clashed with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over management of the IRS, Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the abolition of USAID, and the president himself over his intervention in Wisconsin's Supreme Court election in April, according to the report. Elon Musk in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Elon Musk in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Getty Images The article says the arguments culminated in an Oval Office meeting in which Musk was "ambushed" by other cabinet members. This coincided with the height of anti-Tesla protests across the Western world. Musk derided the report on social media, writing on his platform X that The Atlantic was "the past, the legacy media fading into obscurity." He also branded the outlet as "a zombie publication kept on life support by Laurene," in reference to Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs' widow as well as founder and president of Emerson Collective, which owns The Atlantic. "Steve would be very disappointed," added Musk. What People Are Saying Speaking at a video conference in Qatar, when asked about his political donations and campaigning, Elon Musk said: "I'm going to do a lot less in the future. I think I've done enough." "If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason." Musk responded to the account named FischerKing, who wrote: "It was possible 30 years ago to create a narrative with headlines like this. It doesn't work now. Elon is going to be fine, isn't in any sort of decline. But the journalists at places like the Atlantic don't get that this doesn't work any longer. They're stuck in a time warp." "They are the past, the legacy media fading into obscurity," replied Musk. What Happens Next Musk has said that he will focusing more on his tech companies, most notably SpaceX and Tesla, and will participate less in politics in the future.
New York Post
20-05-2025
- New York Post
Elon Musk says he will remain Tesla CEO for at least the next 5 years
Elon Musk is reaffirming his commitment to leading Tesla, telling investors and critics alike that he has no plans to step away from the electric vehicle maker anytime soon — despite a rocky stretch for the company of late. Speaking remotely at Bloomberg's Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday, Musk said he expects to remain Tesla's chief executive for at least another five years, even as his leadership has come under renewed scrutiny amid falling sales and public backlash. Musk told the gathering that he wants to own more shares of the company in order to hold greater sway in key decisions. 4 Elon Musk (right) is reaffirming his commitment to leading Tesla for the foreseeable future. REUTERS 'It's not a money thing,' Musk said. 'It's a reasonable control thing, over the future of the company.' The billionaire entrepreneur, who has held the top job at Tesla since 2008, made the remarks as Tesla grapples with its first annual decline in vehicle deliveries in over a decade — a slide that has continued into 2025. Still, Musk dismissed concerns that the company is in serious trouble. 'It's already turned around,' he said. Musk acknowledged that Tesla's performance in Europe has been particularly weak but maintained that the company is doing well elsewhere. 'Our sales are doing well at this point,' he said. 'We don't anticipate any meaningful sales shortfall.' 4 Tesla sales and profits have plummeted in recent months as Musk has taken a more active role in the Trump administration. ANP/AFP via Getty Images Tesla stock rose as much as 3.6% following his comments before trimming gains. Shares are still down 14% for the year. Musk also downplayed criticism that his personal views and political activity have tarnished Tesla's brand, particularly among left-leaning consumers. He argued that while the company may have lost support from some quarters, it has gained new fans from the political right. 4 Shares of Tesla were up by as much as 3.6% after Musk made his comments on Tuesday. Google Finance He also condemned activists who have targeted Tesla's vehicles and showrooms in protest, describing them as violent and dangerous. 'They're on the wrong side of history, and that's an evil thing to do,' Musk said. 'Something needs to be done about them, and a number of them are going to prison, and they deserve it.' His latest remarks come as Tesla continues to appeal a court ruling in Delaware that struck down Musk's massive pay package. Musk lashed out at Judge Kathaleen McCormick, who issued the decision, calling her 'the activist who is cosplaying as a judge in a Halloween costume.' 4 Musk acknowledged that Tesla's performance in Europe has been particularly weak but maintained that the company is doing well elsewhere. Getty Images The company's board has since formed a special committee to reexamine his compensation plan. When asked about his political spending heading into the 2026 midterms, Musk indicated he plans to scale back his involvement. 'I think I've done enough,' he said. But he left the door open to future contributions, adding, 'If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it. I do not currently see a reason.' Despite a turbulent year marked by falling deliveries, shareholder lawsuits, and mounting political controversy, Musk's message to investors was clear: he's not going anywhere.
Vox
23-04-2025
- Vox
The gas station of the future is not what you think
is a senior technology correspondent at Vox and author of the User Friendly newsletter. He's spent 15 years covering the intersection of technology, culture, and politics at places like The Atlantic, Gizmodo, and Vice. There's a bodega on the corner where I live in Brooklyn with a massive TikTok following and a thick cable almost always stretched out the front door and plugged into a Tesla. In a tiny parking lot around the corner, the local grocery store has a fast charger that looks like a mini gas pump. The parking garage down the hill has a line of public chargers. Brooklyn looks different than the rest of America, but this mix of solutions for fueling up our battery-powered cars highlights an increasingly obvious fact about the future. As we continue to transition to electric vehicles, the gas station of the future won't just be those big pavilions on the roadside with 20-foot-tall signs bearing an oil company's logo. You'll probably be able to buy fossil fuels at gas stations for decades, but you'll also be able to charge your EV very quickly. And those familiar fueling destinations won't be the only place you can charge. The future of EV charging is already here. It's everywhere and sometimes not where you'd expect it. There are already hundreds of thousands of chargers in people's garages, in supermarket parking lots, in national parks, and yes, even in old-fashioned gas stations. In the near future, if you drive an EV, you won't worry about finding a place to charge your car. You'll get to choose between multiple experiences, based on your needs and desires, and you won't even need to open an app or get out a credit card to charge up and get on your way. This forecast probably sounds a little bit fantastic in light of recent developments. The Trump administration suspended the rollout of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, which was established by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and apportioned $5 billion for states to build public EV chargers. The goal was to ensure there were charging stations at least every 50 miles on certain corridors, especially those in rural or low-income areas. Several people in the EV charging industry told me that, with or without federal funds, progress in the charger space can't be stopped. That should be good news to EV owners or potential EV owners who worry that they might end up stranded on the side of the road because they couldn't find a charger before their battery dies — a condition commonly known as 'range anxiety.' 'Every single day that goes by, there's more and more public charging infrastructure that goes in the ground, literally every single day,' Mike Battaglia, CEO of Blink Charging, told me. 'So each day that goes by, there is less and less range anxiety.' There are currently over 210,000 EV charging stations in the United States, and that number was growing by about 1,000 per week towards the end of the Biden administration. (Those numbers still pale in comparison to the 1 million-plus gas pumps currently in operation.) The NEVI program aimed to get 500,000 public chargers online by 2030. Of course, exactly where those chargers are and how easy it is to use them matter a lot. The infrastructure buildout has historically focused on getting EV chargers built in affluent suburbs and along highways, leaving city centers and rural areas largely unserved. This inequality is worsening over time, according to a recent study led by the Department of Energy. That said, the vast majority of EV owners — 80 percent — have the ability to charge their vehicles at home, which complicates the question of how to build out America's EV charging infrastructure. If you own an EV or are thinking about getting one, the main thing you need to know is that you'll probably do most of your charging at home. The gas station of the future is effectively your garage or your driveway. The cost per mile of range will vary depending on your local utility rates, but it's safe to say charging at home is cheaper than charging on the go and, for most people, much cheaper than buying gas. EV chargers fall into three categories: level 1, level 2, and level 3. A level 1 charger plugs into a regular 120-volt wall outlet and charges slowly, like two to five miles of range per hour. A level 2 charger requires a 240-volt outlet, like the kind a washer-dryer uses, and provides 20 to 30 miles of range per hour. On average, a one-vehicle household drives about 50 miles per day, so charging overnight with either a level 1 or level 2 charger is probably sufficient. 'It's way easier than actually going to a gas station,' said Ingrid Malmgren, senior policy director at Plug In America, an EV advocacy group. 'People who charge it at home very rarely charge publicly, usually just on road trips.' When you do go on road trips, you'll probably encounter level 3 chargers, also known as DC fast chargers. These beasts use higher voltages, usually 400 or 800 volts, to pump EV batteries from a 10 percent charge up to 90 percent in about half an hour. This is as close as it gets to the present-day gas station solution, where you can pull off the road, plug in your car, grab a sandwich, and then get on your way with plenty of charge. Fully charging an EV with a DC fast-charger should still be a fraction of the cost of filling a car with gasoline — although you might end up spending more in the convenience store while you wait. There are a couple of other variables you'll encounter when venturing out into the world to charge an EV. First of all, not all EVs use the same kind of plug. The North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug, originally designed by Tesla, is quickly becoming, as the name suggests, the standard in North America as more and more carmakers adopt the style. Otherwise, most non-Teslas in the US will use Combined Charging System (CCS) plugs that can be made compatible with NACS charging stations thanks to an adapter. This standardization is simplifying the search for a compatible charging station. With NACS becoming the primary plug-in use, more and more drivers can use not only Tesla Superchargers but also growing networks of chargers made by companies like ChargePoint, Blink, Electrify America, and EV Connect. Even paying for a charge is getting streamlined thanks to software updates that are popularizing an international encrypted communication standard colloquially known as Plug and Charge. As the name implies, at stations with this feature, you simply plug in your EV, and the station recognizes your car and charges your payment option of choice. There's no need to download an app or tap a credit card. Related The first electric minivan will change the way you think about EVs It's very likely you will have this fast charging experience at a place that also sells gas and diesel. Many fossil fuel companies see the writing on the wall and are investing in EV charging infrastructure for all your energy needs. Shell has its Shell Recharge Brand, BP has BP Pulse, Pilot and Flying J have GM Energy co-branded stations. This is just good business sense. If people are already used to going to the gas station, why not provide their fuel of choice when they switch to an EV? And this year, EVs will account for 10 percent of all new vehicles sold in the US this year, according to Cox Automotive. Things could get even more interesting as the EV market grows and the need to keep giant tanks of explosive fossil fuels underground fades away. Those big holes in the ground could be filled with battery storage, and those familiar pavilions that keep drivers dry as they fill up their vehicles could be covered in solar panels. This type of design could turn EV charging stations into their own little power plants, where solar energy fills up those batteries, which contribute to grid stability as EVs draw large amounts of power. Electrify America has already opened one hub with this concept in mind and has ambitious plans to deploy more than 150 onsite battery systems nationwide. As exciting as these futuristic gas stations sound, however, your best bet is almost certainly to find a way to charge your car at home and probably overnight. Then try to remember that you're probably going to drive less than you thought the next day. Range anxiety is real, but it's also irrational. 'The mindset of 'I need a vehicle that can do 400 miles and be recharged in 10 minutes.' That has to change,' John Eichberger, executive director of the Transportation Energy Institute, told me. After all, most people don't drive 400 miles in a week, much less a day. And once you start driving an EV, you'll also start spotting charging stations everywhere. The parking garage down the hill, the local grocery store, the bodega on the corner — everywhere I turn in my Brooklyn neighborhood, there's a place to plug in. Now if I only had an EV.
