We’ve been following Rivian’s quest to develop an in-house electrical two-wheeler for years now, courting again to 2022 once we noticed them poaching prime electrical bicycle expertise from corporations like Specialised. However regardless of years of growth work, nobody on the skin actually is aware of what the corporate’s micromobility startup ALSO is really engaged on. And because of a number of unusual teaser movies shared by the obvious skunkworks program, we nonetheless don’t know.
We had a fairly good concept that the corporate has its sights set on an honest-to-goodness electrical bicycle, a minimum of primarily based on what Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe stated again in 2023.
Rivian spun out a startup referred to as ALSO to focus its micromobility work, and so they’ve been arduous at work each on and offline. ALSO’s social media workforce has saved up a gradual drip of eclectic teasers, usually showcasing a single element with none rationalization or background. And it seems they’ve spent huge advert cash on getting these teasers in entrance of a giant viewers.
For instance, one publish showcases the copper windings of two completely different motor stators, showcasing what seems to be two completely different sizes of comparatively small-diameter hub motors, although maybe one is the stator of a mid-drive motor. Two motors could be shocking on an electrical bicycle. Whereas it’s been finished many instances, twin motors are often discovered on out-of-class e-bikes which can be basically small electrical bikes skirting bike legal guidelines. A single motor is lots highly effective for street-legal e-bikes, and thus twin motors would solely appear vital on one thing supposed for extra energy than a typical electrical bicycle.
One other clip exhibits a management board that has a surprisingly massive footprint for one thing that might conceivably be saved within the body or physique of a standard electrical bicycle. It additionally appears to have connections for 2 completely different motor section wires, implying driving a pair of motors from the only board. Again in 2010, I headed up an electrical bicycle startup creating a mannequin with a very enclosed entrance triangle, which may very well be an answer that might assist housing such large-format digital elements inside ALSO’s presumed e-bike.
A window within the massive circuit board additionally provides us a partial view of a pair of wheels that appear roughly bicycle-sized, additionally revealing a standard fork and disc brake rotor on the wheel.
The potential for twin motors and a few massive fairing to hide that circuit board would suggest the opportunity of one thing bigger than a typical e-bike, maybe even a moped or gentle electrical bike. The identical clip additionally seems to disclose an engineer engaged on a grey metallic element that appears suspiciously like a rear swing arm, which might lead us to consider that the bike would characteristic rear suspension.
Regardless of a few of these clues that might suggest one thing larger or extra highly effective than a typical e-bike, different teasers present individuals “driving” alongside a sidewalk on invisible bikes, miming pedaling actions, which might suggest useful pedals. And one other teaser shows a belt pulley of what may very well be a belt drive on the pedal drivetrain, although it may be a closing drive coming from a centrally mounted motor.
In one more unusual publish, the bike is totally blurred out, however we will see a rider holding what are seemingly a set of handlebars awkwardly near his waist, which might be a place extra generally seen on a standing electrical scooter than on an e-bike or e-motorcycle. Nonetheless, he may additionally be straddling the bike and easily standing nearer to the bars.
He additionally seems to be carrying a jacket with again armor, one thing hardly ever seen amongst e-bike riders however way more frequent within the motorcycling world (although I’ve advocated for it on e-bikes, too).
Alternatively, the bike or skate helmet worn by the rider nonetheless implies that we’re again within the bike world, not the moto-world.
Conserving the hype practice rolling, one other quick video exhibits a partial view of the battery in numerous phases of meeting. The cylindrical cells appear like 18650 or 21700 cells, utilized in many electrical automobiles, however mostly gentle electrical motorbikes and e-bikes. Whereas the digital camera is simply too zoomed in to find out the dimensions of the battery, it appears just like the cells are organized in a reasonably tightly packed configuration with frequent and close-spaced reversing of the cells. That is finished to weld the cells in collection – a vital step for growing the voltage of the pack.
However the pretty small variety of cells grouped collectively in a single orientation, maybe as few as six (although it may very well be extra as a result of restricted framing of the shot), would suggest a considerably small battery by bike requirements, doubtlessly round 20Ah or much less, if utilizing comparatively frequent 3.5Ah 18650 cells organized in a 6p configuration. That places us again in electrical bicycle territory (or an underspec’d electrical moped), although there may very well be a number of battery packs to extend the general capability.
However pushing again in the direction of one thing bigger is the subtle LED lighting setup, which makes use of two highly effective LED segments to create what is perhaps a excessive/low beam configuration. We hardly ever see such highly effective lighting on electrical bikes and discover this setup extra usually on seated electrical scooters and motorbikes. However then once more, ALSO is a part of Rivian and thus would simply profit from Rivian’s automotive-level elements and provide chain.
Then there’s a censored shot of two individuals on the bike in query, with a toddler strapped into a child’s security seat, implying a utility or cargo bike configuration that may enable for a passenger on the rear rack.
Plus, to make issues much more attention-grabbing, these pictures are all interspersed with inventive designs, unusual kinetic wind artwork, penguin furries, crystal prisms, nature themes, and different seemingly random motifs that both level to the inventive whims of ALSO’s social media of us or are simply random pink herrings to confuse us additional.
Mainly, there are a lot of clues, a few of them seemingly contradictory, none of which actually inform us that rather more than we already knew, which is that ALSO is constructing private electrical automobiles of some unknown sort.
The corporate says all shall be revealed on October 22, so we’re on the sting of our seats ready for that reveal. It may very well be a serious shakeup within the trade, or the corporate might go the route of mainly each different automotive firm that attempted to construct an e-bike and failed miserably. Time will inform.
However there’s one factor I can say for positive. I’ve coated e-bikes longer than simply about anybody else on this trade, and that is the weirdest freaking launch lead-up I’ve ever seen.
