General Motors unveils electric bikes for sale in 2019

General Motors has designed this compact electric bike specifically for urban commuters. He will arrive in 2019. (Photo: General Motors)

"We view electric bikes as another means of transportation that actually gives customers freedom of movement," said Jennifer Cathcart, director of electric bike marketing at General Motors, during an interview. These are "bikes designed for urban commuters, as opposed to hobbies".

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GM's entry into the bicycle industry is part of a wave of bicycle sharing networks in urban markets in the United States.

Earlier this year, Uber acquired Jump, the e-bike start-up without dock, and added bike sharing options to its application in select markets. And earlier this year, Lyft acquired the Motivate Self-Service Bicycle Network Operator, which operates the New York Citi Bike Network and the Ford Brand GoBike Program in San Francisco.

The skyrocketing number of bikes without a dock, which can be rented with the help of a smartphone, has resulted in an increase in bike sharing nationwide. Limebike, MoBike, Ofo and Spin are among the competitors.

The United States had more than 100,000 bicycles on carpooling networks at the end of 2017, more than double the year before, according to the National Association of Urban Transportation Managers.

GM does not reveal details about its plans for e-bikes, including their deployment in carpool networks. The company also does not want to know where it will make the bikes or how it will sell them, but only to find out more next year.

The manufacturer has developed two motorcycles: a compact version and one that folds for portability reasons.

"The electric bike is an additional way in which General Motors plans to create this vision of zero collision, zero emissions and zero congestion," said Cathcart.

Cathcart refused to discuss the genesis of the idea.

But she added that the bikes would be equipped with "built-in security features," including front and rear rechargeable lights, as well as "really great connectivity features that will help you navigate the city."

GM's e-bike engine is a "patented drive system" that has been "built from scratch by our team," she said.

The company believes that e-bikes will attract a large number of commuters.

"When riding on an electric bike, you always have the impression that the wind is blowing in your back, whether you're driving on a flat road or climbing the biggest hill," she said, adding : "And you are not afraid of knowing if you are going to make this steep hill".