Amish communities are using a surprising new kind of vehicle to travel long distances: ‘It’s a lot quicker’

Electric bikes, as many have discovered in recent years, are a highly convenient mode of transportation. They’re much cheaper than electric vehicles, faster than walking, and less physically arduous than riding a regular bike. And they don’t produce planet-warming pollution like cars do.

Now, it seems that e-bikes have caught on in a somewhat surprising place: Amish communities.

Although it is commonly believed that Amish communities eschew any type of technology that isn’t several centuries old, this is a misconception. In reality, there is no central Amish governing authority, and each individual community is allowed to make its own decisions about what type of technology it makes use of.

The official tourism site for Lancaster, Pennsylvania — home of numerous Amish communities — explains this nuance best.

“When a new technology comes along, its effect on the church and community is examined,” the tourism site states. “The technology should not be an intrusion into the home, but rather serve the social purposes and goals of the group. With that in mind, the Amish often re-purpose the technology, in a sense, to align with their community beliefs.”