I recommend something like this: https://lectricebikes.com/collections/ebikes/products/xp-black
More than enough range for a day’s riding around the city, on the cheap end but still reliable, and most importantly folds up to fit in your car alongside anything you might pick up along the way. Maybe look for used ones too, they’re fairly common and you might get a good deal vs. new.
Ebikes are actually fantastic for exercise, even more so than acoustic bikes. The biggest thing it does is erase hills for you so you don’t exhaust yourself, and they’re just plain fun.
Why not? With panniers and baskets there’s no limit to what you can do on a bike, and that’s not even mentioning bakfietsen.