It's , it's , ARIV ! General Motors Unveils Crowdsourced Name .
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6zfshdb
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IMO, The entrance of large corporations like GM, Ford and BMW into the emerging e-bike industry is a win, win situation. The increased competition will serve to bring prices down as more and more bikes hit the street. More importantly, the powerful lobbyists who work for these major corporations will make it more difficult for legislators to pass anti e-bike regulations.
AHicks
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Thinking it'll be technology that's improved first, but as that matures, e-bikes become more of a commodity. THEN prices start dropping. Anyone that was around when the personal computers first started becoming popular in the early 90's saw pretty much the exact same type thing roll out then. You could spend a LOT of money building a hot rod computer to run a CAD program back then, much like some of today's specialized bikes. Then there were the Packard Bell computers, and the bikes being sold out of China direct.....
ebikemom
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I think ebikes sold by car manufacturers will have a huge advantage over smaller non-dealer-based sellers, because they know how to do sales AND service at a bricks-and-mortar location. Yes, they will need to remodel dealers to add space for servicing bicycles. I look forward to seeing what they come up with... But I'd like to have a TOYOTA ebike. 
The dealer is a 6 or 7 mile bike ride from me. Perfect!
The dealer is a 6 or 7 mile bike ride from me. Perfect!The bikes launch first in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands via the online retailer Bike Exchange.
According to Bicycle Retailer, GM paid BionX for the design and engineering of a mid-motor system and agreed to purchase 8,000 units at approximately $1,000 each. BionX later said the units would cost $1,400 each, and that the company would need financial assistance – at this point GM pulled out of the deal and BionX collapsed.
AHicks
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For arguments sake, I don't think we can compare the relative simplicity of even the fanciest of e-bikes to a car. No matter how simple or basic a car is, cars today, are MUCH more sophisticated and feature laden than they were just 10 years ago - the reason they are not coming down in price. This from a safety standpoint, fuel mileage, and consider features like automatic braking and lane maintenance features we're seeing more and more often. Think we'll ever have a need for that on an e-bike? I hope not....
Only motorcycles I'm familiar with are older. I have NO idea how the motorcycle manf's are holding up the prices there. Dirt bikes are pretty basic, yet still expensive. Maybe low production numbers? More sophisticated suspensions? Dunno....
some details about the bikes from Bicycling.com :
https://www.bicycling.com/news/a26344495/general-motors-electric-bike-ariv/
https://www.bicycling.com/news/a26344495/general-motors-electric-bike-ariv/
Here's my take on the design. Clearly it's primary target customer is someone looking for a "last mile" mobility product, not a car replacement kind of ebike. I struggle to understand the "last mile" market niche as it seems to me the bikes are not really that much smaller than a full sized more capable ebike. Does someone really need an ebike to go say less than 3 miles in a relatively flat city. If I were riding light rail or subways and wanted a portable "last mile" mobility product I'd look for a high quality portable non-electric bike. A car replacement ebike could maybe eliminate the need to even ride light rail or subways but I understand that everyone's commute needs are unique.
In the back of my mind they decision makers at GM went this direction because they didn't want to release an ebike that could possibly have a negative impact on car sales. That's a mistake because others are already trying to do that but for most of us an ebike is only a way to reduce the miles we put on our cars...most of us still have a need for a car but those in tight urban areas not so much.
In the back of my mind they decision makers at GM went this direction because they didn't want to release an ebike that could possibly have a negative impact on car sales. That's a mistake because others are already trying to do that but for most of us an ebike is only a way to reduce the miles we put on our cars...most of us still have a need for a car but those in tight urban areas not so much.
ebikemom
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I totally agree--it doesn't look like something that would be comfortable for a serious commute (I think my 25 mile RT commute is in that category), where you want a comfortable bike that fits your body well. It looks more to me like something to ride just for a mile or two. Personally, I think it'll be a misfire. For that kind of money, I'd want a comfy bike that will serve me for longer rides to be a car replacement.
I totally agree--it doesn't look like something that would be comfortable for a serious commute (I think my 25 mile RT commute is in that category), where you want a comfortable bike that fits your body well. It looks more to me like something to ride just for a mile or two. Personally, I think it'll be a misfire. For that kind of money, I'd want a comfy bike that will serve me for longer rides to be a car replacement.
I agree....I do think the "last mile" market is significant but is it the best place to promotes ebikes as a great solution. I've commuted round trips of 25 to 36 miles for the last couple of years frequently and I know I need a comfortable, reasonably fast (> 20mph assist limit for sure), and reliable to do this kind of riding.
I honestly think most corporate talking heads don't like the cannibalize their own market but I truly don't think even highly capable ebikes will replace a car for most people so I just don't understand this ebike segment. I my commute was only 2-4 miles (whether getting off a mass transit system or just from home) I would not have felt I needed an ebike just for that need.
I actually with my full scale ebike had more built in/on utility such as a quick way to attach a trailer for grocery shopping or my thrift store runs (always find something at the thrift stores when I'm out riding that are hard to carry home on the bike so sometimes have to drive back in my car).
I totally agree--it doesn't look like something that would be comfortable for a serious commute (I think my 25 mile RT commute is in that category), where you want a comfortable bike that fits your body well. It looks more to me like something to ride just for a mile or two. Personally, I think it'll be a misfire. For that kind of money, I'd want a comfy bike that will serve me for longer rides to be a car replacement.
GM's eBike is DOA ; Dead On ARIVal .
Would love to have one of the marketing gurus as GM chime into this forum and explain why they did a "last mile" compact ebike and not a "car replacement" model ebike. Given my time in the corporate world it was always management's first impulse to practice defensive product development instead of strategy that worked for Vail when he ran bell labs which was always about obsoleting anything they had done in the past. Either go bold or go home is the reality of the marketplace these days but if you are just trying to milk a few more years till your pension I can understand GM thinking this is the ebike to produce. I undertand it's a large segment, but it's a segment that really doesn't need an ebike (it's overkill for just going a few miles a day ... even our obese society can ride a mile without assist ... or maybe it can't which is really scary).
Saw this article on it as well https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/general-motors-starts-taking-orders-for-its-electric-bicycle.html thanks for sharing this @e-boy
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