We already know that ebikes aren't just for lazy people but some people need more convincing!
A study by Brigham Young University and published in the Medical Journal of Internet Research, seems to prove that ebike users exert as much physicality as those using "classic” mountain bikes.

According to this study, ebikers actually have a heart rate very close (94%) to that of conventional riders during a ride on the same route.

To demonstrate this, the university used 33 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 65.
The average age was 37.8 years.

They all covered two laps of a 5.8km circuit with 700 meters of elevation gain.

By offering an ebike and a 'normal’ bike with similar characteristics (with the exception of the engine (eg META AM 29 / META POWER 29), researchers measured the physical performance of each rider.

For this, heart rate sensors were used, whilst the Strava application helped to measure the speed of the rider, the distance travelled and the time spent on the bike.

Obviously, this study doesn't show that you ride as fast on a classic mountain bike as on an ebike.
On average, riders spent 12 minutes 40 seconds less on their ebike than on their classic mountain bike to complete the two laps.
On the other hand, the heart rate of each rider remained close in both cases.
On average for heart rate, 154.8 bpm on a classic mountain bike opposed to 144.9 bpm on the ebike.
So however different these two practices are, they're classified as the same type of "energy intensity.”

In our Andorran offices, Matthieu Beaube (Product Manager) a lover of ebikes and ’normal’ bikes tells us what he thinks.
"For me, riding an electric mountain bike is as physical as classic mountain biking. The main difference is that with an ebike you can afford to go for longer, get higher up the hill and take paths that you would never dare to take on a classic mountain bike. At the end of the day we pedal as much or even more than when going out on a mountain bike. We do more kilometers and climb more over the same period of time, especially here in Andorra where everything is very steep and difficult. More climbs, more descents... for training, it's great! I’m just as tired after an ebike ride as I am with a classic mountain bike.”

In short, this study shows that, even if the practice is not the same and the effort also seems different, riding an eBike requires physical effort relatively similar to a classic mountain bike.
In this way, the eBike could allow "sedentary individuals" to discover regular physical exertion and would be just as beneficial for cardiovascular health as riding a classic mountain bike.