Several years ago, as a group of skunkworks engineers inside 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 recounting the early days of Also, which outbid Rivian earlier this year.
“We realized the only way to do this well is to build everything,” said Scaringe, who sits on Also’s board.
The result, unveiled Wednesday at an event in Oakland, is a pedal-assist electric bike called the TM-B that’s more than just a bike, according to Scaringe and fellow president Chris Yu. “This is a whole product platform that we’re going to build in the microspace,” Scaringe said. And Scaringe wasn’t kidding. During Wednesday’s event, Also also revealed two four-wheeled vehicles, one of which will be delivered to Amazon.
At a quick glance, this “more than a bike” looks like a bike, albeit an elegantly designed one that has a few hidden features. But Yu argues that what lies beneath the surface is what makes the TM-B special and exciting enough to enter a crowded e-bike market.
The TM-B will come in various trims, including the entry-level and performance and base versions.
The launch version has identical specs to the performance trim, including a battery that has an estimated range of 100 miles, 10 levels of support, shock absorbers and an air fork for the suspension, and two riding modes, including ‘sport’ which zips the rider down the road. The version, which costs $4,500, is splashed with special “launch” colors of ube purple and blue and will go on sale this spring.
The performance trim, which also retails for $4,500, is expected to hit the market in the first half of 2026. The base version, which has a battery with up to 60 miles of range, five support levels, air shocks and a coil-over suspension and a standard ride mode, is expected to cost less than $4,000 in Yu’s next half.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco
|
27-29 October 2025
All bikes are equipped with front and rear LED lighting with integrated turn signals and have a top speed of 28 miles per hour. The Biomotion design illuminates the rider’s legs as they pedal on the TM-B, which has 24-inch wheels. The TM-B can also be equipped with all-terrain tires, pedals and a trail ride mode that gives riders more manual control on the trail.
The battery is removable and features USB-C fast charging up to 240 watts that allows users to power up their devices.
There is a built-in safety feature to keep the battery safe and the bike safe too. The safety system is activated as soon as the rider is off the bike and automatically locks the battery, wheels and frame. If tampered with, the rider will receive a notification via the Also app and the bike will emit a loud honking sound.
As a side note: This honking sound can be developed by the rider as he navigates the city streets.
“You get a push notification in the unfortunate event that it starts moving away because we have LTE and GPS and we have a real time, location,” Yu said on stage Wednesday. In a worst-case scenario, if the bike is picked up and placed in a vehicle, the owner of the e-bike can remotely disable it.
“You can brick it,” Yu said. “And that’s the key, because since we have every board, every piece of software, every part of the bike, that means no part of it can be used.”
The technology inside the TM-B
Everything was developed by the Also team (and often supported by Rivian in the early days), including the removable battery, power electronics, software, firmware, and a pedal-by-wire propulsion system that has no mechanical connection between the rider’s pedaling and the bike’s drivetrain. In particular, the system enables regenerative braking, meaning that power is sent back to the battery.
Even the tools to build those components were designed here, according to fellow CTO Jonathan Hall, who spoke to TechCrunch ahead of the event.
All trims have several distinct design and functional features, including a central touchscreen integrated between the steering wheel. Perhaps most interesting is the modular top frame that allows the user to change from a solo, bench, or utility load setup in seconds.
The standard solo seat has two water bottle cages. The utility has an integrated rear rack and a water bottle cage mount and can carry around 77kg of additional cargo. It also offers a third bench option. And all of this can be replaced in seconds and without tools.
In particular, the software of each installation is aligned with that user and synchronized with the central touch screen.
As with Rivian, Also’s software is a central figure in its electric bike and will continue to be used to develop new features, Yu told TechCrunch. For example, the software is used to provide accurate navigation and ETA to the rider by closely integrating the movement and speed of the ebike.
“Because we know so much about your experience, we know what level of assistance you’re at, we know what load you’re at, we know the average speed you’re going — we can give you a really, really accurate ETA,” Yu said while showing the TM-B on stage. “It sounds simple, but you’re using it as a vehicle to get somewhere. It’s important to know when you’re going to get there.”
The helmet
The company also developed an in-house helmet called the Alpha Wave Helmet that uses a new technology to improve rotational impact protection and a redesigned strap so the user can tighten it – without snapping – with one hand.
The helmet has numerous technological features beyond protecting your brain, such as integrated lights and a sound system with four windproof speakers and two noise-canceling microphones. The helmet syncs with the bike’s ‘gate’ central touchscreen or the rider’s phone so they can listen to music, take calls and get turn-by-turn navigation.
