If only they'd give them a try, Americans would fall in love with E-Bikes. 

That is the opinion of MSNBC's Chris Hayes, who discussed his newfound joy of commuting via an electric bike last week on his "All In with Chris Hayes" program. He has had a great experience with his futuristic commuting method, and he believes that most Americans would feel the same.

"Last fall, it was still Covid, and there was no vaccine, and I started to have to come into the studio to do the show," Hayes began. "I had a little bit of a commuting problem. I didn't want to start taking the subway at that point. I think there's some of it that suggest that masking is pretty fine, but I was like, eh, I wasn't that psyched about it. But I had to get from Brooklyn to Midtown, it's about nine miles, and I had to do without the subway. I didn't want to take a car every day. I came up with the ultimate solution - a foldable E-Bike."

Hayes said he started to use the foldable e-Bike to make the 9-mile commute to the MSNBC Studios and then stored it in his office. Among its benefits, according to Hayes, was that he got to enjoy the sights of New York City while not arriving hot, sweaty, and disheveled for his television duties.

"Changed my life, best commute I have ever had in my life," Hayes said, noting that he arrived each day "cool and clean."

Hayes welcomed New York Times writer Jay Caspian Kang, who last week penned an Op-Ed titled "Free E-Bikes for Everyone!" Kang pointed out that his E-Bike conversion was much the same as Hayes' and that his daughter now enjoys being brought to school on the bike. In addition, Kang said the bike had given him a liberating feeling, being able to travel to New York City after the past couple of years of Covid-related lockdowns.

"First of all, it's a very cool feeling because you feel like a superhero. It's like the vision I had as a kid of having a cyber-suit where you are like Ironman. It's you, but you're stronger," Hayes said. "So when you're pushing the pedals, there's like this extra oomph, so you can put kids on it. You can run errands on it. It also means you're not sweating in the same way. And it also just replaces a lot of car trips; I think that's a key thing to think about."

The MSNBC Segment by Hayes was titled "The Case For Giving Every American a Free E-Bike."  

In his Times piece, Kang concurred, saying, "City governments should purchase an electronic bicycle for every resident over the age of 15 who wants one. They should also shut down a significant number of streets. Shutting down some streets for bikes is not only for safety but also because the more inconvenient driving becomes, the more people start to consider other options." 

Some may see a similarity in this approach by Kang to the current president and administration increasing gasoline prices and the costs of many other goods. However, administration officials have made clear that one clear benefit and objective of these rising costs will be to change citizens' behavior, similar to the change Kang hopes to see if New York were to use tax dollars to give bikes to New Yorkers.

"We have to get cars off the street somehow," Kang said. "We have to get cars off the road somehow for every reason. Pedestrian safety, bike safety. But mostly because of climate change and the carbon that they emit. So I don't know; I think you need to develop some kind of drastic measure that also incentivizes people. And I think that we've been waiting around for some sort of solution to this. I don't know; I think every single person that I talk to who has ridden an E-Bike, and who has sort of committed to it in a way, has said it has replaced tons of their car trips."

Kang said the only problem with having more people adopt the emerging technology is the expense, citing the high cost per E-Bike. (A quick internet search finds many E-Bikes priced near $1500 apiece.) Kang opined that only by "giving them away for free" could the plan be brought to fruition. 

"If you're going to get cars off the road, you're going to need something to replace that," Kang said. "People are still going to want some sort of speed; they're still going to want some sort of convenience. E-Bikes are the way right now."

Hayes wrapped up the segment, saying that the key is for planners to think ahead and assess what cities, and suburban areas, would need as they move into the future. And as the holiday approached, he said he would soon be heading out on his E-Bike to pick up his Thanksgiving pies.