Whats The Best E Bike?

The question I am asking is what would be the best E bike to build. A light highly efficient bike with max range? A heavy bike with mega top end? A cargo work horse? Something else?
I am aware the location/topography greatly influences a build. Hills being the determining factor. Still I believe it possible to build lightly for all locations.
I have bikes of all types. Certainly not of the caliber of many on the forum here, but a decent cross section of types.
I have a cargo bike, full suspension bike with a decent top end, and a small light weight cruiser.
Lungcookie stated that one probably needs several bikes of different types to cover the spectrum. I tend to agree. But if having only one bike what is the consensus? Also when does an E bike become a light weight E motorcycle?

Post your opinions, ideas, pics, whatever. Im interested in what yall think.

Well maybe Im in a state of confusion(no not Ga!). I ride the fast bike, it hits around 32mph off the charger and its fun, but you are right LC I run it WFO all the time, no pedaling. So I could just remove the pedals add foot pegs, save weight and complexity(its a multi speed). Am I bicycling with this thing. I doubt it. So is it a light weight M/C?
OK I ride the cargo bike. Fully loaded it requires pedal assist at times to keep the amperage in line(my standards) so its sorta a legit bike.
The little light weight cruiser does it all well. With the geared motor it pedals as easily any good bike. So its a bike. Under power it will hit 20mph, plenty fast and cruise easily around 15. Which is the superior machine?
They all have their virtues. I think maybe MikeB is contemplating a true E bike. You gotta pedal it to make it go. Or is it?
The IC bikes have no problem being defined. Pedals are not used much at all, or for starting. Only the really low power bikes get pedal assist to get up hills. Most of the IC builds have power to spare and pedals may just be for legality.
Not that the E bikes lack for power, but why do we feel we need to pedal them when the IC counterparts don't? I have bikes with IC motors and it never occurred to me to pedal. Is it the motor sound that changes the game?
Why add a motor to a bike if you have to pedal it? I find I enjoy riding my unmotorized 700c fixie huffing and puffing along at 12-14mph. Put a motor on it and I probably aint pedaling it.
Short take is Im trying to figure out just what an E bike is as well as its rider. Do we pedal for stealth? I know pedaling extends range, so is the E bike so inferior at this stage(battery tech) that we must?
I really like the E bike thing(read electric vehicles of all types) , just trying to figure out is it a fad? Or are we in the evolution of a new generation of vehicles?

Great input guys! Points well stated. I think the bicycle is the best machine invented. It multiplies our limited human strength to allow what is really super human speed. We can travel at speeds approaching twice what we can run,with no basic environmental impact save what it took to manufacture it, and exhaled Co2. I imagine the "carbon footprint" of a Prius or similar is quite large considering battery manufacture and disposal. How green is green? How abundant is Lithium and the other elements used in battery technology? I haven't a clue. But it is surely being sucked up at an alarming rate to support all the hand held tech the planet is gorging itself on now. And how about disposal of the spent batteries globally?
With all the technology exploding on every side why is battery tech so slow? When compared to old lead acid battery tech which is now centuries old the new tech is not that much ahead except for compactness/weight/cycles. AH are AH. If new tech AH weighs 1/10 of the old tech certainly thats an advantage, but range is only extended by the reduction in weight.(I am aware the old tech is not as efficient as the newer stuff and actual range increases a bit due to better efficiency but not a mega amount).
E stuff is cool. No fuel to go bad, no oil to leak, etc. Maintain and USE your batteries and its about as trouble free as it gets. Im all for it, Im in on it, but just how practical is it now, or in the near future?

What Im getting at is almost any technology has advanced in mega leaps in the past 100yrs. Look at aviation, electronics, medical tech etc. and compare it to its counterparts from 100yrs back. Its not even in the same galaxy.
Batteries on the other hand don't seem to have advanced that much. True they are much better than a century back and maybe there is a technology on the horizon that will truly be a break through. As it is now there is nothing I am aware of that is truly spectacular in this area. I have been using Lipos since they came on the scene for R/C use and they did open up a new world for electric model flight. I agree the lighter weight and higher capacities are great. What really opened this scene up though was the mega improvement in motor/ESC tech. The brushless motor made it happen. I feel the same is true across the motorized E world. The power systems have improved to the point where its the battery holding up the advancement of E power to the masses.
I am aware of the limitations of the LA battery and am very happy with my Lithium packs. I can however swap in SLAs to one bike I have and it goes just as fast for almost as long, the real penalty being weight. As far as cycles the newer tech is superior. But for the same $$ as an upscale pack you can buy almost as my cycles for the same $$ with multiple SLA packs.
I am in no way touting the virtues of LA technology. I am just saying that the new technology(at least what we have access to) is not galaxies ahead.

The reason Im posing all these questions is to try to come to a conclusion on what the real answer to the many questions Im asked about E bikes/biking, the Green aspect of it, the efficiency, and the practicality of it. I never want to mislead anyone. A person can buy locally a 150cc scooter for about the cost of one of the better batteries. The quality of these things has gotten to the point that reliability is good. Most folks are looking at E biking as a means of transportation, not an interest or hobby. I build bikes for folks and just want to shoot them straight! That's why I turned to the folks here on the forum. There is no better collective of thought, skill and talent and your opinions are highly valued!

Thanks for the input guys! The shake out of this is to offer an E bike as economically as feasible that is totally user friendly, and has some practical range. The battery chemistry has to be fool proof. In this area 250w motors are doable, no hills to climb and they will approach or hit 20mph. This is a transportation type bike, simple and easy to ride/use.

Offer some build opinions. Don't know if I really will be involved in bike building. but I would like an idea of what kind of bike Joe Public could afford and use.

Thanks Snellemin! I am familiar with mid mount motors. Do you have a specific one in mind? Am favoring 24v. I know its the least effieicent compared to 36/48v, but its easier to afford/mount batteries. The trick with a 250w bike is keep it light. Packing batteries on/in a bike is always the big issue. I was thinking of maybe using PVC pipe as a battery bottle. The larger sizes, maybe 3" might work. Of course depends on the batteries used. 18650s would work and if in the 24v range just might fit in a reasonable sized tube. The best frame for this is the common old double diamond. About the only bikes out there using it are the fixies. I have a $99 700c Wally fixie that has been an excellent bike and would make a great light weight 250w ride. But I think its probably too high for many people to ride.
I think the potential E biking public would relate to some form of a basic light weight bike with as little E stuff apparent as possible.
The search for a reasonably decent readily available bike is next. I would like to see the finished bike come in in the $500 range. There is is plenty of SLA powered junk E stuff available for the same $$, so would like to have a well thought out decent build to offer.

KC you certainly turn out very nice high end bikes!
I am fully aware of the limitations of my proposed thoughts. I run my bikes on voltages that range from 24/63v and am well familiar with efficiency. I am impressed/surprised how little a light weight low power bike will consume if operated in its most efficient range. I have spent a good bit of time on the 24v cruiser watching the watt meter. For close local riding I only run 5ah. The only pedaling I do is to start it off and assist up to around 6mph. The efficient range is around 14mph requiring on average 4/5 amps depending on conditions. I haven't hit my cut voltage yet and I have seen close to 10mi. The 5ah battery weighs 36oz and fits in the palm of your hand. Riding the heavier bikes requires about the same amperage in their efficient range but the speed is several mph faster and of course more efficient.
You are at the top of the food chain with your customer base. Its gotta be nice to have customers who want high end custom bikes built with performance being a focus. I think the general public would fare well with the least complexity needed. I can imagine how quickly they could make a shambles of a shifter bike!
Im thinking on the other end of the scale how to make the most efficient bike for the least $$. With the loadings 250/300w will impose a decent lower end bike should have no issues other than what might occur unmotorized. Remember the hub kits come with HD spokes/rims.
I always appreciate your input and for sure seeing your builds.

Thanks!