Electric cars have been around for a while now, but the need to take off on two wheels has been around much longer. While most motorbikes don’t require a hefty amount of fuel consumption to get form point A to point B, General Motors is hoping to change the way we scoot around on two wheels.
After long deliberation, General Motors has finally introduced and officially named its new electric motorbike — Ariv. Pronounced as “Arrive”, the new motorbike will also come in two different versions — a fold-able e-bike known as The Merge, and a smaller, more compact e-bike called The Meld. These new electric bikes won’t take the place of your Harley, but they will make life a bit easier for the two wheeled enthusiasts looking to break into the electric market.
While the bikes are still new and GM has just started taking orders for European countries, there have been a few details revealed about the e-bikes. The bikes will be able to take riders up to speeds of around 15 MPH, hold a charge for around 40 miles and will take about 3.5 hours to fully charge. And to help out with knowing where your e-bike’s charge level is at, how far you’ve ridden or how far a particular location may be, the e-bikes will be able to connect to a smart device app for those particular details, and more. The new bikes from GM will also feature a slick smart device mount to allow riders to keep their hardware safe during their ride.
GM joining the electric bike growth shows the future of the electric motor industry. Countries like Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands will be the first to get the initial launch of GM’s new e-bikes, but more countries both inside and outside of Europe will begin to surface. The e-bikes will sell for a very reasonably competitive price at $3200 for the compact Ariv Meld, and $3800 for the fold-able Ariv Merge. You can head on over to Bike Exchange to place your pre-order starting today. Shipments are expected to start in the second quarter of the year.
While the e-bike fad is still very much a niche industry, there are plenty of cities across the world that have seen a rise in the electric two wheeling market. General Motors isn’t the only big company to dive into electric powered bikes, as Audi, BMW, Ford and even Harley Davidson have either distributed their own line of electric bikes, or are setting up to join the market.
It seems unlikely anyone looking to switch to an electric bike won’t find themselves taking on cross-country trip due to the meager battery life and slow top-speed, those centered around the urbanized way of living could find much more use out of the convenient e-bike industry. Keep your eyes peeled for more on the exciting future of the electric bike industry.
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