A few years ago, when the Skunkworks team of engineers within Rivian set out to develop an electric micromobility vehicle, a question arose. “What do we build in-house?” Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said in an interview reflecting on the early days of Also, which spun off from Rivian earlier this year.
“We realized the only way to do this well was to build everything,” says Scaringe, a member of Also’s board of directors.
The result, revealed at an event in Oakland on Wednesday, is a pedal-assist electric bike called TM-B that’s not just a bike, according to Scaringe and president Chris Yu. “This is a whole platform of products that we’re trying to build in microspace,” Scaringe said. And Scaringe wasn’t kidding. During Wednesday’s event, it also unveiled two four-wheel drive vehicles, one of which will be supplied to Amazon.
At first glance, this “more than a bicycle” looks like a bicycle, but it’s a sleekly designed bicycle with some hidden features. But Yu insists that it’s what lies beneath the surface that makes the TM-B special and attractive enough to enter the crowded e-bike market.
The TM-B is available in several trims, including the Launch Edition, Performance Version, and Base Version.
The Launch Edition features the same specs as the Performance trim, including a battery with an estimated 160 miles of range, 10 assist levels, air shocks and air forks for the suspension, and two riding modes, including a “Sport” mode that lets riders sprint. Priced at $4,500, the Launch Edition features a special “Launch” color scheme of purple Juve and blue and will be available this spring.
The performance trim will also retail for $4,500 and is expected to go on sale in the first half of 2026. The base version, which has a 60-mile battery range, five levels of assistance, air shocks and coil forks for the suspension, and one standard ride mode, is expected to cost less than $4,000 when it hits the market in the second half of next year, Yu said.
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All bikes are equipped with front and rear LED lighting with integrated turn signals and have a top speed of 20 mph. The Biomotion design illuminates the rider’s legs as they pedal on the TM-B with 24-inch wheels. The TM-B can also be equipped with all-terrain tires, pedals, and a trail ride mode that gives the rider more manual control over the ride.
The battery is removable and features up to 240 watts of USB-C fast charging, allowing users to power up their devices.
There are also integrated security features to keep your battery and bike safe. When the rider leaves the bike, the security system is activated and automatically locks the battery, wheels and frame. If tampered with, the rider will receive a warning via the Also app and the bike will emit a loud horn sound.
As a side note, that horn sound can be played by riders as they drive through city streets.
“We have LTE and GPS, we have real-time location information, so if you start moving unfortunately, you get a push notification,” Yu said on stage Wednesday. In the worst-case scenario, if the bike is physically lifted and placed in a vehicle, the e-bike owner could remotely disable the bike.
“You can break the bricks,” Yu said. “And this is important, because we own all the boards, all the software, all the parts of the bike, so this means we can’t use any part.”
TM-B internal technology
Everything was developed by the Also and Rivian teams, including the removable battery pack, power electronics, software, firmware, and pedal-by-wire propulsion system where there’s no mechanical connection between the rider’s pedaling and the bike’s movement. In particular, this system allows for regenerative braking, which means power is sent back to the battery.
The tools to build these elements were also designed here, according to Also CTO Jonathan Hall, who spoke to TechCrunch ahead of the event.
All trims feature some great design and functional features, including a central touchscreen display integrated between the handlebars. Perhaps most interesting is the modular top frame that allows users to change from a solo, bench, or utility cargo setup within seconds.
The standard solo seat comes with two water bottle cages. The utility setup has an integrated rear rack and one water bottle cage mount to carry approximately 77 additional pounds. We also offer a third bench option. All of these can be replaced in seconds without tools.
In particular, each setup’s software is tailored to its user and synchronized with the central touchscreen.
Like Rivian, Also’s software is the backbone of the company’s electric bikes and will continue to be used to roll out new features, Yu told TechCrunch. For example, by tightly integrating the movement and speed of an electric bike, software is used to provide riders with accurate navigation and ETA.
“Because we know your experience so well, we know your assist level, your ride load, your average speed. We can give you a really accurate ETA,” said Yu while showing off the TM-B on stage. “It sounds simple, but you’re using this as a vehicle to get somewhere, and knowing when you’re going to get there is important.”
helmet
The company also developed its own helmet called the Alpha Wave Helmet. This helmet uses newly developed technology to improve rotational impact protection and a redesigned strap that allows users to tighten with one hand (without snapping).
In addition to protecting your brain, this helmet has a number of tech features, including integrated lights and an audio system with four windshield speakers and two noise-cancelling microphones. The helmet syncs with the bike’s central “portal” touchscreen or the rider’s phone, so they can listen to music, answer calls, and receive turn-by-turn navigation.
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