Automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles displaced horses and buggies, oxen, and wagons and horses when the internal combustion engine arrived over 100 years ago. Electric automobiles made a brief appearance early on, but battery technology was not adequate to compete with ICE vehicles. The electric motor has superior performance to an ICE because of 90% efficiency, superior torque characteristics, and near total lack of emissions. This is illustrated in the design of a railroad diesel engine.
Recently, I was doing my regular ~20-mile ebike ride on the Murdock Canal Bike Trail that runs by my backyard in Utah. The trail runs 17 miles from Highland through Lehi, American Fork, Cedar Hills, Pleasant Grove, Lindon , and Orem to Provo, Utah. It connects on one end to the Jordan River Parkway, which runs 30 miles all the way to downtown Salt Lake City.
What else could a disabled person do for transportation or exercise outside? If they are too old or have impaired balance but their legs are functional, they could use a recumbent e-trike as shown in Figure 6. For those with nonfunctional legs, there are models which are powered by your arms. With electric assist, both types can easily power you up moderate hills and over quite long distances on level terrain.
Figure 8: Canadian Olympics Team at the Opening Ceremonies. Salt Lake City Winter Olympics at Rice Eckels Stadium. February 6, 2002. Photo by Fritz Hasler.