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Rivian's TM-B electric bike

(www.theverge.com)
190 points hasheddan | 1 comments | 22 Oct 25 18:00 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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legitster ◴[22 Oct 25 21:25 UTC] No.45675359[source]▶
So the interesting thing about this is the ... peddle-by-wire drivetrain? So unlike a normal e-bike, when its battery dies it turns into a stationary bike.

I love ebikes and generally like what Rivian does, but in a very competitive market it's hard to see the appeal of this.

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_carbyau_ ◴[22 Oct 25 23:06 UTC] No.45676285[source]▶
In the next sentence:

"It features a new pedal-by-wire drivetrain called “DreamRide” developed in-house. The rider pedals a generator, which replenishes the battery,"

So uh, keep peddling?

Yes, the motion->electric->motion circuit is not as efficient as direct pedal but you are explicitly not stranded.

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blacksmith_tb ◴[22 Oct 25 23:29 UTC] No.45676468[source]▶
If that worked well though, why pack a large battery in the first place? My suspicion is that pedaling provides a small percentage of the energy needed to move you and the bike and your cargo.
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1. seanmcdirmid ◴[23 Oct 25 01:03 UTC] No.45677047[source]▶
I'm pretty sure its regulatory. As long as the rider has to pedal to get the bike going, it isn't classed as a moped with restrictions on being used on trails and such. Yet having pedal power mix with electric assist power is complicated, so this might actually be an economy compromise.

Note that China, who doesn't have the same regulatory burdens we do, they got rid of pedal assisted e-bikes for their own market long ago because they make the unit more expensive and less functional (or you see pedals on some of them, but they are never used, most people use them with throttles only).