On his return to cycling, General Motors starts making e-bikes

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General Motors is to manufacture and market two e-bikes in 2019. Electric pedal-assisted bicycles will feature GM's proprietary technology, created at the company's engineering and development center in Oshawa, Ontario. GM has been working on electric bicycles since 2015, when GM President Mary Barra said at a press conference that an electric bike concept would be "designed to help people stay mobile in a car." urban landscape increasingly difficult to navigate.

An Urban Mobility Solutions division was created in Oshawa. Eighteen months ago, staff were recruited into the bike industry, including director Hannah Parish, previously North America's director of marketing for Cycling Sports Group, owner of the Cannondale, Schwinn and GT bike brands. A year ago, Jenni Cathcart joined the new division as Head of Marketing and Innovation. She has also worked for Cycling Sports Group. From 2004 to 2006, she was Product Specific Product Manager at Trek Bicycle of Wisconsin.

Historically, the Urban Mobility Solutions division has a vested interest in cycling, as some of GM's earliest car brands emerged in the 1890s as bicycle manufacturers. Shortly after its founding in 1908, General Motors absorbed the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, precursor of GMC. GMC – or the Grabowsky Motor Company – was founded in 1897 as a bicycle manufacturer. Louis Chevrolet, co-founder of the eponymous company, was a champion cyclist from France, and created with his two brothers a company that manufactured Frontenac brand bikes. (After a quarrel with GM's founder in 1916, Chevrolet and his brothers created the Frontenac Motor Corporation that manufactured parts for Henry Ford's T. model.)

GM's new electric bikes – which one folds – have been designed by bike industry staff, said Parish: "We've combined the know-how in the field of biking." 39, electrification, design talents and automotive quality tests to great minds of the bike industry to create our electric bikes. "

GM has not published any technical specifications for the proposed electric bikes, but according to the photographs provided, they appear to have a two-piece aluminum frame with integrated accessories such as front and rear lights. Cathcart said that the electric bikes would be "connected", which means that GM is working on a control unit that can connect to a smartphone to change the power outputs and other settings. Most bike brands use engines from companies such as Bosch and Shimano, but Cathcart said the GM bikes would be equipped with GM-developed mid-range engines.

Cathcart told Forbes.com, "We have been developing transmission technology for over a hundred years and some of the same engineers who [today] Work on automotive engines are now dedicated to making a great engine for our electric bikes. "

She added that the engine was "developed [by GM] from the ground. "

GM was working with the BionX electric bike engine builder until last year. according to Bicycle retailer, GM paid BionX the design and engineering of a central engine system and agreed to purchase 8,000 units at approximately $ 1,000 each. BionX later said that the units would cost 1,400 USD each and that the company would need financial assistance – at this point, GM has withdrawn from the transaction and BionX has collapsed.

Last year, GM registered two trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark Office in the category of bicycles. These were Merge and Maven Merge, the mobility and car-sharing brands of the company. However, GM has since decided not to use these brand names for e-bikes. Instead, it was a crowdsourcing contest to find a name, with the winner receiving $ 10,000 and nine finalists each earning $ 1,000. The suggested brand name must be "easily understood" and "simple, smart and daring," said Cathcart. The contest takes place on eBikeBrandChallenge.com and will be open until November 26th.

GM is not the only builder to diversify into electric bikes to offer last-mile mobility. BMW will introduce an Active Hybrid, a pedal-assisted electric bike, and last year Ford filed a patent on regenerative braking for use on its Flex Mode electric bike, announced for the first time in 2015.

Last year, General Motors announced that all its vehicles would be electric by 2023.

Cathcart said GM's installation in the electric bike sector was intended to provide consumers with greater flexibility: "We are not saying give up on your car and fully engage in driving an electric bike. We say that an electric bike is an excellent part of your transportation solution. Maybe it's for shorter trips? An electric bike can be a very good choice in this context. "

She added, "An electric bike solves many problems that prevent people from cycling for their commutes or driving more often. You do not have to worry about the big hills, you do not have to worry about running sweaty at your desk. "

The electric bikes that will bear the name will be marketed in 2019, but GM has not yet specified a launch date.

+++

UPDATE: BionX information added.

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General Motors is to manufacture and market two e-bikes in 2019. Electric pedal-assisted bicycles will feature GM's proprietary technology, created at the company's engineering and development center in Oshawa, Ontario. GM has been working on electric bicycles since 2015, when GM President Mary Barra said at a press conference that an electric bike concept would be "designed to help people stay mobile in a car." urban landscape increasingly difficult to navigate.

An Urban Mobility Solutions division was created in Oshawa. Eighteen months ago, staff were recruited into the bike industry, including director Hannah Parish, previously North America's director of marketing for Cycling Sports Group, owner of the Cannondale, Schwinn and GT bike brands. A year ago, Jenni Cathcart joined the new division as Head of Marketing and Innovation. She has also worked for Cycling Sports Group. From 2004 to 2006, she was Product Specific Product Manager at Trek Bicycle of Wisconsin.

Historically, the Urban Mobility Solutions division has a vested interest in cycling, as some of GM's earliest car brands emerged in the 1890s as bicycle manufacturers. Shortly after its founding in 1908, General Motors absorbed the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, precursor of GMC. GMC – or the Grabowsky Motor Company – was founded in 1897 as a bicycle manufacturer. Louis Chevrolet, co-founder of the eponymous company, was a champion cyclist from France, and created with his two brothers a company that manufactured Frontenac brand bikes. (After a quarrel with GM's founder in 1916, Chevrolet and his brothers created the Frontenac Motor Corporation that manufactured parts for Henry Ford's T. model.)

GM's new electric bikes – which one folds – have been designed by bike industry staff, said Parish: "We've combined the know-how in the field of biking." 39, electrification, design talents and automotive quality tests to great minds of the bike industry to create our electric bikes. "

GM has not published any technical specifications for the proposed electric bikes, but according to the photographs provided, they appear to have a two-piece aluminum frame with integrated accessories such as front and rear lights. Cathcart said that the electric bikes would be "connected", which means that GM is working on a control unit that can connect to a smartphone to change the power outputs and other settings. Most bike brands use engines from companies such as Bosch and Shimano, but Cathcart said the GM bikes would be equipped with GM-developed mid-range engines.

Cathcart told Forbes.com, "We have been developing transmission technology for over a hundred years and some of the same engineers who [today] Work on automotive engines are now dedicated to making a great engine for our electric bikes. "

She added that the engine was "developed [by GM] from the ground. "

GM was working with the BionX electric bike engine builder until last year. according to Bicycle retailer, GM paid BionX the design and engineering of a central engine system and agreed to purchase 8,000 units at approximately $ 1,000 each. BionX later said that the units would cost 1,400 USD each and that the company would need financial assistance – at this point, GM has withdrawn from the transaction and BionX has collapsed.

Last year, GM registered two trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark Office in the category of bicycles. These were Merge and Maven Merge, the mobility and car-sharing brands of the company. However, GM has since decided not to use these brand names for e-bikes. Instead, it was a crowdsourcing contest to find a name, with the winner receiving $ 10,000 and nine finalists each earning $ 1,000. The suggested brand name must be "easily understood" and "simple, smart and daring," said Cathcart. The contest takes place on eBikeBrandChallenge.com and will be open until November 26th.

GM is not the only builder to diversify into electric bikes to offer last-mile mobility. BMW will introduce an Active Hybrid, a pedal-assisted electric bike, and last year Ford filed a patent on regenerative braking for use on its Flex Mode electric bike, announced for the first time in 2015.

Last year, General Motors announced that all its vehicles would be electric by 2023.

Cathcart said GM's installation in the space dedicated to electric bicycles aimed to provide consumers with greater flexibility: "We are not saying give up on your car and fully engage in driving an electric bike. We say that an electric bike is an excellent part of your transportation solution. Maybe it's for shorter trips? An electric bike can be a very good choice in this context. "

She added, "An electric bike solves many problems that prevent people from cycling for their city trips or driving more often. You do not have to worry about the big hills, you do not have to worry about running sweaty at your desk. "

The electric bikes that will bear the name will be marketed in 2019, but GM has not yet specified a launch date.

+++

UPDATE: BionX information added.