WSJ paywall, but the summary is sufficient food for thought: in some ways, the ebike is now enabling what the automobile was meant to enable in the 1950s: suburban mobility, freedom, the open road, independence, all that jazz. But the ebike brings its own advantages, such as parking nearly anywhere, going off-road or off-trail, transit as a range extender, and riding alongside friends. Motorcyclists will be familiar with these advantages, but the ebike really brings them to the fore with an even lower cost of ownership.
Obviously, there are still a few drawbacks, such as weather exposure and speed. But quite frankly, local trips in town don't need much more than 20-30 mph (32-48 kph) and Phoenix AZ is an anomaly unto itself.
But what I think is most uplifting is that teens of this generation will grow up with the holy trifecta: the formal or online education to build or fix their way out of problems with their bike, access to 3d printers (eg at libraries) to realize modifications, and a platform that is growing more ubiquitous by the year. This is the setup for a virtuous cycle.
Optimistically, I can see ebikes becoming a part of the teenage American identity in the 2020s, an expressive product of their time. Not by force of poverty or necessity, but because of want for meaningful experiences and a general dislike for the drudgery that is driving an automobile and the associated traffic.
I will admit that today's ebikes still have not converged toward adequate standards, such that maintaining an ebike still involves a mix of standard bike tools plus proprietary ebike tools such as for batteries and motors. But it's reasonable to expect market forces to whittle down the variants, in the same way cars settled upon gasoline/petrol as standard (versus diesel, kerosene, alcohol) and left-hand drive (outside the former British Empire).
What an exciting future to look toward to.