In some Amish communities today, e-bikes are beginning to outnumber buggies on the road. Horse-drawn buggies, long a symbol of the Amish lifestyle, are finding less use, as more people in Amish communities adopt electric-powered bicycles. “It’s a lot quicker to jump on your bike and go into town than it is to bring your horse into the barn, harness it to the buggy, and go,” said David Mullett, owner of E-Bikes of Holmes County in Ohio. A member of the Old Order Amish Church, Mullett has seen phenomenal growth in the popularity of e-bikes among the Amish in Holmes County, which rivals Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as one of the largest Amish settlements in the world. Mullett said when he started his company in 2016, only a small percentage of the Amish community in the area were riding bikes, but that number has grown exponentially over the past few years. Commuting to work is the No. 1 way electric bikes are being used. Some people commute 8-10 miles on an e-bike, while a traditional bike would never have been considered for that kind of trip. Another common use for the electric bikes is shopping. The local Walmart store in Millersburg, Ohio, has parking for e-bikes that also includes charging stations. Most Amish who use e-bikes for shopping buy trailers that can be attached to haul the groceries home. Three-wheel versions of electric bikes — called e-trikes — are another popular option, especially for the elderly, who aren’t as confident in balancing a bike. Traditionally, Amish homes and businesses don't have electricity. This raises the question of how do the Amish keep their e-bike batteries charged? The answer is that many homes and businesses in the same Amish communities that approve of e-bikes also have adopted solar power and natural-gas generators. Horse-drawn buggies will probably always be a part of the Amish community, but bike transportation is becoming more popular in the denominations that have allowed it.
