In recent years, several automotive manufacturers have jumped into the electric bicycle bandwagon chasing the rapidly expanding market and the low barrier to entry for lightweight two-wheeled electric vehicles.
Jumping into Electric Bicycle
Starting with Peugeot, which has created its own distinctive range of electric bicycles, SEAT of Spain previously collaborated with Silence of Barcelona to market its own line of seated and standing electric scooters.
On the other hand, GM created an electric bicycle in-house, however, the e-bike was abruptly discontinued at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Instead, GM recently displayed a HUMMER electric bicycle that was created under a licensing arrangement to go along with the enormous and repulsive HUMMER EV.
One of the strangest electric bike/scooter concepts we’ve ever seen was unveiled by ŠKODA, albeit there are no signs that it will go into production. Jeep entered the high-powered e-bike market through licensing deals, but its comparable endeavor to co-develop an electric scooter was a lot less successful.
The manufacturer of electric trucks and SUVs, Rivian, has added electric bicycles to the scope of its trademark. A move toward e-bikes is now much more as the company has also hired top talent in the electric bicycle industry.
Toyota’s E-bike: The New Future
Following its competitors in the auto industry, the Japanese automaker is partnering with an existing e-bike maker as part of a licensing agreement. The DOUZE Cycles x La mobilité Toyota cargo e-bike, based on the current DOUZE Hêta model, is the result of a partnership between the French e-bike manufacturer DOUZE Cycles and Toyota.
The forward cargo platform of the front-loading cargo e-bike can support a burden of up to 100 kg (220 lb). The e-bike has a 500 Wh battery and a Yamaha mid-drive motor with a range of 100 km (62 miles) with pedal assistance.
Now Toyota has become the latest in a long line of automakers dipping their toes into the electric bicycle market. Like many other automakers who have rolled out e-bikes in the past few months and years, Toyota isn’t allowing its firm to be left alone.
E-bike: Toyota’s Sustainability Roadmap
The chairman and CEO of Toyota France Frank Marotte stated that the new e-bike cooperation is a continuation of Toyota’s sustainability roadmap, which began with its early investment in hybrid vehicles and makes it difficult to overlook Toyota’s long-standing opposition to EVs. In his words:
“25 years ago, Toyota opened the hybrid road with the first generation of Prius, thus showing the way to decarbonization. The hybrid, of which Toyota has now become the world leader, is now at the heart of the multi-technology strategy of the brand which makes it possible to meet the specific mobility needs of each consumer. Soft and local mobility is one of these needs. It is therefore quite naturally, based on a common vision, that we entered into this partnership with DOUZE Cycles, a key French player in the cargo bike market. Because of Toyota’s history in France, it seemed extremely important to us that our partner has a production site on national territory.”
Toyota is well known for forgoing fully electric automobiles in favor of hybrid models that still rely on fossil fuels. Toyota may be coming up with EVs, or at least two-wheeled electric vehicles, after years of rejecting fully electric cars and after appointing a new CEO to replace the company’s anti-EV CEO.
