Toyota is the latest car company to jump on the electric bike bandwagon
Author: Micah Toll
Automakers have seen the writing on the wall for the car industry, as millions of new e-bike riders opt for lighter and more efficient vehicles. Now Toyota has become the latest in a long line of automakers dipping their toes into the electric bicycle market. The e-bike manufacturer DOUZE Cycles has partnered with Toyota in France to create the DOUZE Cycles x La mobilité Toyota cargo e-bike, based on the existing DOUZE Hêta model. The front-loading cargo e-bike can carry up to 100 kg (220 lb.) of payload on its forward cargo platform. The e-bike is powered by a Yamaha mid-drive motor and features a 500 Wh battery rated for 100 km (62 miles) of range on pedal assist. Toyota has famously eschewed fully electric vehicles, instead investing heavily in hybrid vehicles that maintain a dependency on fossil fuels. After years of opposing fully electric cars, and after replacing the company’s anti-EV CEO, Toyota may be warming up to EVs - or at least two-wheeled electric vehicles. It seems that Toyota isn’t focusing its e-bike efforts on just France, but has also made headway in the US. A Denver Toyota dealership, seen below, has been spotted carrying Aventon’s electric bicycles. Several automotive manufacturers have also jumped on the electric bicycle bandwagon in the last few years, chasing the rapidly expanding market and the low barrier to entry for lightweight two-wheeled electric vehicles.