(1) Having a town house with some wall socket at the entry or a garage and (2) not trying to get into a big city centre might be a use case, yes. Thanks for elaborating your example but I don't think that this use case is strong or ubiquitous enough (maybe in SF) to lead e-bikes to mass adoption. I still think the concept of an e-bike, in particular the charging, is super flawed. If the battery is removable you can charge this thing but you have to carry a fat battery pack back and forth and your bike looks super clumsy (and yes, all bikes with removable batteries look clumsy) or if it's integrated it looks nice but it's hard to charge that thing.
I mean, I see that all bike manufacturer start to produce e-bikes and they form a large part of their revenues because they are much more expensive than normal bikes but if I'd make a mini poll here, how many of you guys have an e-bike, how many a normal bike? I bet the rate is 1:10 (e-bike:bike) or even lower.
When I lived in SF, I parked my bike in the apartment parking garage (where (I think) there were no power outlets). However, my primary biking destination was work, where I brought the bike into the office where I could have charged it if I had an eBike.
In the apartment where I live now, there's a dedicated card-access bike room with power outlets, so eBike owners can charge up there. (the room wasn't designed for eBike charging, there are only 2 duplex outlets, but a couple power strips mean that everyone with an eBike can plug in at once.
Though SF is small enough that an eBike is probably not necessary for most people - I lived near the top of Nob Hill and managed to commute on a regular bike for 8 years (2 of those years I was commuting to Marin). When I moved out to the Sunset, then there was an easy route to downtown (the "wiggle") to avoid the hills)
I'm having trouble believing that you're making a serious argument against eBikes, since you dismissed the solution to your problem (removable batteries) because it "looks super clumsy". As a recreational cyclist, I've always looked for reasons to ride a bike rather than looking for reasons why I can't.
I've stayed away from eBikes up till now because I haven't had a commute that really needs it, but I'm contemplating moving to where my bike commute will go from my current flat 5 miles to 15 miles with some short steep climbs in the middle. That's a commute where an eBike makes more sense to me. (but not a 1000W semi-motorcycle, just looking for a bit of boost for my aging knees to get up the hills)
I mean, I see that all bike manufacturer start to produce e-bikes and they form a large part of their revenues because they are much more expensive than normal bikes but if I'd make a mini poll here, how many of you guys have an e-bike, how many a normal bike? I bet the rate is 1:10 (e-bike:bike) or even lower.