Electric bicycles are bikes with a battery-powered motor that kicks in when you pedal or use a throttle. E-bike sales have been growing steadily over the years, but they still only represent a small portion of the overall bike market in the US. That’s expected to change dramatically over the next decade, with brands like VanMoof, Rad Power Bikes, and legacy bike makers like Specialized, Trek, and others introducing new and more powerful models. The Verge brings you reviews of the latest models, trend reports, and buying guides to help you find the right e-bike for your life.
The electric motorcycle brand said issues like “recurring operating losses” and “negative cash flows” are raising concerns about its future, despite an increase in sales compared to last year. As Engadget reports, LiveWire said it “formed a special restructuring committee” to look into possible solutions, including a sale or restructuring.
It’s ultra-smooth and looks fantastic, but a few rough edges keep it from greatness.
Last Saturday, The Verge won a New York Emmy Award for our 2025 video about how electric cargo bikes are reshaping cities. It won in the “Environment / Science” category, which is fitting since e-bikes are proven tools for combating climate change.
On a personal note, it was especially gratifying to win an Emmy for a video that featured the bike bus I helped start in my town in New Jersey. Kids should be able to bike safely with their friends to school! And electric cargo bikes help make that happen.
The hearing, ostensibly on a massive package of 21 bills pertaining to e-bike safety, lasted approximately seven hours — but amounted to very little. According to Hell Gate:
Perhaps the hearing’s lack of substance was due to the middling quality of the legislation itself, a hodgepodge of basic street safety actions (installing calming measures in bike lanes), cries for the state to do something (require e-bike riders to be registered), and increased app-based surveillance of deliveristas. But you can’t deny there were numerous bills. City Council Speaker Julie Menin touted the number as a “record” for a single hearing.
The anti-e-bike crowd was there, too, booing any mention of cars and trucks as the cause of the overwhelming majority of traffic crashes. What a productive use of everyone’s time!
[Hell Gate]
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Yes, if it’s Amflow’s TL Carbon — but expect compromises.
Bike shop owners say the law, which places heavy restrictions on e-bike ownership in the state, is fueling a steep drop in sales, with some saying as much as 90 percent of their business has evaporated.
“It has had a chilling effect on the legitimate e-bike industry,” said Mike Grotz, owner of Cyclesport in Park Ridge. “We sold over 50 Class 1 e-bikes last year, this year, a total of 4 e-bikes.”
Workers are being laid off, and some shop owners predict they will be forced to shut down. Who could have predicted this?
The very popular Dutch maker of cargo bikes is now selling its Breeze Stateside. You can’t pass a school in Amsterdam without seeing a dozen Urban Arrows with kids frolicking in their front buckets, but longtails seem to sell better in the US of A. Prices start at $6,999.
Trustees are trying to keep Accell Group’s operations running while takeover bids are considered, but manufacturing in Hungary, where operations were recently centralized, has halted leading to concerns about spare parts and warranty claims. The Hungarian factory has an annual capacity of almost 300,000 bicycles, of which almost 99 percent are e-bikes.
[Bike Europe]
Rear-facing radar is already an add-on for roadies, and comes integrated into some high-end eSUV bikes. Now N+, the company responsible for the Mercedes-branded e-bikes, is taking things a step further by linking it to a video camera visible on the display of its €3,999 VW-branded e-bike.
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Accell Group is the latest victim of Bikeaggedon: the turmoil created by soaring e-bike demand at the onset of covid, followed by a collapse of the supply chain, and then a period of massive oversupply.
The New York City Council just released a surprisingly large raft of bills — 17, to be exact — aimed at overhauling the city’s enforcement and regulation of electric bikes. The council is considering a ban on higher speed e-bikes, new license and insurance requirements for delivery companies that rely on e-bikes, and stricter penalties on riders who flee the scene of a crash. But transportation advocates are worried that the bills will discourage people from using e-bikes while also ignoring the larger danger posed by reckless driving. Either way, the great e-bike crackdown continues.
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Semi-solid state batteries are a less volatile bridge to the future.
The Infinite Machine Olto is fast, fun, and futuristic. I’m just not entirely sure what it is.
The first-of-its-kind rest stop, which includes e-bike battery recharging equipment, was erected in record time thanks to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s request to get it done in time for his first 100 days in office. Workers had to improvise a crane-lift because they didn’t have the right permit, and also deal with a misplaced electrical wire. But in the end, they finished it. (Hopefully future shelters will include bathrooms, though.)
[New York Times]
The company trying to become a “leading vertically integrated electric mobility platform in North America” says it will “support Rad riders through post-closing customer programs, including honoring certain warranties and gift cards.” It also plans to transition production of Rad Power-branded e-bikes to the US using components sourced globally.
[Life EV press release]
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The sturdy CGO compact rides big and tucks away small.
Florida-based Life EV won the auction to buy the struggling e-bike brand last week, as reported by TechCrunch. The sale comes just a month after Rad Power Bikes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing “significant financial challenges” and “the sudden drop in consumer demand” post-Covid in a letter to employees.
On his last day in office, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law a bill that will likely halt the widespread adoption of e-bikes in the state, limiting their utility as an effective car replacement and punishing those who would use them to reduce their own carbon footprints. The new law requires registration, license, and insurance for any e-bike regardless of its class or speed, effectively lumping low-speed pedal assist bikes in with high-powered electric motorcycles and dirt bikes. It’s the latest troubling sign for the growing e-bike movement in the US.
[NBC10 Philadelphia]
I tend to like my e-bikes simple and uncomplicated — the Also TM-B is anything but.
When the company introduced the TM-B e-bike in October, it said the Launch edition and Performance models would cost $4,500. We knew there would be a cheaper base model, but the price wasn’t announced at the time. Now we know it’ll be $3,500, but will only have 5x power assist and a 60-mile range.
A letter sent to employees warned that the company could be forced to close up shop in January if it can’t find more funding soon. A “very promising” deal to keep Rad alive was in the works, but unfortunately “did not come to fruition.”
“Rad continues to face significant financial challenges, including in the form of tariffs and the macroeconomic landscape.”
Weight can be a major factor in whether an e-bike makes sense for a certain customer, especially those that live in cities. With that in mind, here’s how Rivian’s new Also TM-B bike stacks up, as per a spokesperson:
The Also TM-B is a shapeshifting, pedal-by-wire, USB-C chargeable electric bike set to launch soon. But will the $4,500 price tag limit its appeal?
