GM e-bikes are shipping to Europe: Test-riding GM’s Ariv Meld and folding Merge e-bikes
- Thread starter AZOldTech
- Start date
My take on these ebikes is that GM was practicing defensive development (I was corporate for a long time and seen this several times). They didn't want to design and produce a car-substitute performance level ebike because that would reduce the driving needs of some commuters. So they decide to play it safe and the over-paid marketing people decide they'll make a last mile solution ebike instead....allowing those that take mass transit or leisure riders to get on an ebike occasionally to ride up to say 3 miles.
Here's my take on this kind of ebike....Does someone really need an ebike to ride 1-3 miles in a city / urban environment. A folding compact bike like the Brompton has been around for decades for this segment of the market. I think the GM ebike will struggle to sell well which will prompt those marketing people that made the bad decision to just claim the ebike market is just not tangible in the US.
The potential for ebikes to be fantastic human scale transportation is still lagging a bit in my opinion ... mainly because so much of the ebike industries focus is on recreational mtn ebikes and not on transportation grade ebikes. Probably not going to get a lot of people out of cars if the assist limit is 20mph (that simple just helps increase the average speed of riding a traditional ebike just a tad ... not enough).
Here's my take on this kind of ebike....Does someone really need an ebike to ride 1-3 miles in a city / urban environment. A folding compact bike like the Brompton has been around for decades for this segment of the market. I think the GM ebike will struggle to sell well which will prompt those marketing people that made the bad decision to just claim the ebike market is just not tangible in the US.
The potential for ebikes to be fantastic human scale transportation is still lagging a bit in my opinion ... mainly because so much of the ebike industries focus is on recreational mtn ebikes and not on transportation grade ebikes. Probably not going to get a lot of people out of cars if the assist limit is 20mph (that simple just helps increase the average speed of riding a traditional ebike just a tad ... not enough).
Pretty design. My foldable bike weighs 53 lbs, cost $1095, goes over 20 mph, has integrated lights and rear rack. I get easily 40 mile range. Has low step. GM bike looks like you have to step pretty high to get over it. (My bike is Veego semi fat). I can think of a dozen folding bikes in the $1500 price range. I don’t see the value proposition in the GM bike.
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40 miles? Is that assisted?
Yes.
harryS
Well-Known Member
2800 Euros (3180 USD) for the Meld and 3400 Euros (3870 USD) for the Merge. SIgh, I do admire the styling in them, but it's not important to me that I ride on a train with them so I don't care how nicely they fold.
We like our folders because they are small, light, easy to mount/dismount, fun to ride, and transport well in a station wagon or minivan. And we can get that functionality for a lot less money.
We like our folders because they are small, light, easy to mount/dismount, fun to ride, and transport well in a station wagon or minivan. And we can get that functionality for a lot less money.
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