Originally Posted by
CrankyOne
You may be on to something with some mod'd bikes though. I don't know about electric except for disabled or elderly (who it's great for), but some bit of enclosure for winter isn't a bad idea.
I see electric assist as a necessary evil for the kind of mods I'm thinking about. I believe 3 wheels are necessary to give the kind of stability needed for most people to feel safe on ice and snow. It's hard enough to push 2 wheels through a couple of inches of snow. Add a 3rd and you've made it that much harder. Add a support structure for some sort of fabric enclosure and now you've got something with a bit of heft making it harder to get up hills.
Hence the electric assist. Some might be OK without it, but if we're taking about transportation for the masses, I think it will be needed.