- Modular TM-B switches from path machine to cargo bike in seconds
- Removable battery packs can be utilized as transportable energy
- Also has developed next-gen helmet tech to match
Rivian is busy shaking up the electrical automobile market, creating a classy structure that retains nearly each a part of its autos in-house, slightly than counting on an infinite stream of Tier 1 suppliers.
It caught the attention of the Volkswagen Group, which just lately paid Rivian $5.8 billion to achieve entry to its pioneering electrical knowhow. But the exact same technological USP has spawned one other fascinating plot twist within the type of a extremely modular e-bike.
Also (additionally written as ALSO), a Palo Alto, California-based, vertically built-in electrical micro-mobility firm, has at the moment introduced its preliminary line-up of small electrical autos that it hopes will “disrupt” (in fact) private transport.
Its debut product, the TM-B, which stands for Transcendent Mobility Bike, incorporates a distinctive modular design that homes various changeable ‘top frames’. At the press of a button on the built-in digital show, the person can swap out what’s successfully the seat submit space for quite a lot of configurations.
There’s an ordinary saddle for leisure driving and a cargo-bike fashion rear that may home baby seats and panniers. On prime of this, there’s a third, a lot decrease bench seat that basically transforms the bike right into a extra conventional scooter or small capability motorbike set-up.
Each ‘prime body’ is acknowledged by the bike, which in flip will probably be set as much as the person’s specs. What’s extra, these equipment are powered, so can run rear security lights, whereas they lock into place with {an electrical} binding mechanism just like these discovered on a snowboard.
Easy rider
Perhaps essentially the most fascinating expertise resides the place a conventional backside bracket would, as this huge part homes each the detachable battery pack and the pedal-by-wire system, dubbed DreamRide.
Similar to steer-by-wire expertise, this technique lacks any bodily connection between the cranks and the ultimate drive, be it a belt or chain.
Instead, Also makes use of a plethora of onboard sensors to find out the gradient of the panorama, the trouble being put in by the person and the specified pace.
There are 10 ranges of help on supply, whereas customers also can select a software program mapping that simulates actual gearing ratios, permitting for handbook shifting when driving the paths or different leisure settings.
It will probably be acknowledged as a Class 3 e-bike within the US, which suggests it could possibly supply pedal help as much as 28mph, though this may be tailored to swimsuit native legal guidelines and laws when it’s rolled out globally.
Chris Yu, founder and president of Also, says that the pedal-by-wire system is designed to “reduce the pain points” many potential e-bike clients face once they first throw a leg over – corresponding to studying to juggle help settings, altering gears and turning into aware of help output based mostly on the quantity of torque positioned by a crank.
The TM-B and software-defined DreamRide goal to banish the training curve by making all of these choices for the rider based mostly on the extent of help they need on the time. It additionally permits for superior regenerative braking that may feed energy again into the detachable battery pack.
Venturing off-grid
On that topic, the vehicle-grade battery, which makes use of the identical cells as Rivian, doubles-up as a premium transportable energy financial institution, permitting for USB-C quick charging through two shops, one among which provides as much as 240 watts. That’s sufficient to energy a laptop computer, and even tenting equipment when heading off into the wilderness.
Interaction with the bike is thru Also’s ‘Portal’ digital touchscreen show, which could be operated with swipes and prods, or through a tough button configuration mounted to the handlebars.
This permits customers to take management of media on a linked smartphone, make on-the-fly changes to settings and profit from the quite a few safety choices, which sees the smartphone used as a key for computerized energy on and locking when approaching or departing.
Chris Yu says that the bike “disconnects” the drive system, locks the rear wheel and initiates a tamper-proof alarm system when the person walks away with the sensible key.
What’s extra, every bit of expertise could be remotely “bricked” by the app within the case of theft, with the battery, DreamRide drive unit and touchscreen all “Apple-level” disabled, which means the bike may solely actually be offered as scrap on the black market.
The way forward for micro mobility?
Alongside the TM-B, Also has developed its Alpha Wave Helmet, which it says would be the first to include Release Layer System (RLS) expertise.
This is claimed to supply a “step-change in rotational impact protection” in comparison with current-gen MIPS. The helmet additionally packs built-in lights and 4 wind-shielded audio system that fireplace immediately into the rider’s ears.
Two noise-cancelling microphones permit for on-the-go telephone calls, in addition to voice-activated interplay with a smartphone.
Not content material with merely shaking up the e-bike market, Also says that it has used the identical primary platform, nearly all of which is designed and manufactured at Rivian’s facility utilizing comparable parts to its pick-ups and SUVs, to create a spread of quads.
As the title would recommend, these TM-Qs pack 4 wheels for higher stability and could be personalized to supply a big cargo space on the rear for last-mile supply options.
Alternatively, a big bench seat array could be specified for transporting a gaggle of youngsters to highschool and again.
While this weight of expertise would often command an eye-watering price ticket, Also believes that it could possibly really disrupt with its worth providing, suggesting that TM-B will begin at across the $4,000 mark (about £3,000 / AU$6,150) when it launches in North America early subsequent yr.
It is troublesome to seek out an ‘apples for apples’ comparability, given the TM-B’s insane ranges of modularity, however the 180Nm of torque on faucet, upside-down entrance forks and as much as 100-mile vary from the detachable battery put it in a league with machines that may price 3 times the quantity.
Chris Yu claims the power to lean on Rivian and observe its imaginative and prescient of producing and designing the whole lot in-house reduces the reliance on third-party suppliers, which in flip reduces the general price.
Expect to see the primary TM-B fashions hit the market in Rivian shops and choose shops in spring 2026, alongside the Alpha Wave helmet, plus a line-up of ‘top frame’ configurations and Also equipment, which embrace issues like panniers, cargo racks, baggage and telephone holders.
- The finest electrical bikes for 2025: Top e-bikes we have personally examined
- This Segway e-bike is not like something I’ve ridden earlier than – and I adore it
- I rode the BMW CE 02 e-motorbike and it is without doubt one of the best purposes of electrification within the two-wheeled world