Exclusive: Rivian’s secret upcoming e-bike revealed in leaked images
We’ve known for years that the electric truck maker Rivian has been working on smaller, two-wheeled electric vehicles. After spinning out a micromobility startup, ALSO, to develop and market the vehicles, we’ve been counting the days until the company’s apparent unveiling next month. But now the wait may be over early as leaked images reveal the e-bike expected to be unveiled by the new electric startup.
The images come from a behind-the-scenes marketing video released by ALSO, sharing their eclectic, bohemian approach to filming what appears to be their big upcoming launch video. In a cheeky move, they included several scenes with the unreleased model, though they blurred the bike beyond recognition.
Apparently, they weren’t quite cheeky enough, though, as when I scrubbed frame-by-frame through the video, I could see multiple frames with partial images of the bike and at least five frames that fully reveal the bike before the censoring effect was added in the editing stage.
The images show a silver-colored electric bike with what appear to be 20″-ish wheels, front and rear suspension, and a large enclosure above the bottom bracket, giving the bike an appearance somewhere between a traditional electric bicycle and a more modern moped or motorbike.
A large rear rack hovers over the rear wheel, seemingly disconnected from the rear, further strengthening the argument that the blurry chainstay is actually a rear swingarm providing full suspension. The front suspension appears to be an inverted fork, which would usually indicate a higher tier of componentry.
It’s unclear if the battery is removable, but if so, it may be the shoe-sized protuberance at the front of the enclosure. A large headlight approximately matching the proportions of one seen in ALSO’s teaser videos can be seen on the bike’s headtube, conveying a bit of the Rivian design theme that still runs through ALSO’s veins.
The images reveal the likely physical design of the bike, speaking to a unique frame and comfort-oriented, higher-end road-worthy components. But what we can’t see from these images is the tech that has gone into the bike, which is likely to be substantial considering the support that ALSO receives from electric automaker Rivian’s engineering prowess.
The current video, now available on the company’s blog page, appears to have the frames in question removed, potentially revealing that the company has since discovered the mistake and updated the video to remove the incriminating frames. Whoops.
Electrek’s Take
Well, this is interesting. I feel a bit bad spoiling the launch, but I don’t work for ALSO, I work for my readers. And the details we get here are fascinating. ALSO, there is so much more to the story of this e-bike.
It definitely looks like ALSO went with an innovative design approach, which we were all expecting. This isn’t some run-of-the-mill electric bike with a pile of parts selected à la carte from a catalog. This looks like a purpose-built commuting machine, which is exactly what ALSO said they were trying to do from the beginning – to build new vehicles.
That being said, I’m a bit worried about the path to profitability for ALSO with a bike like this. Assuming this is a street-legal Class 3 e-bike, which would seem likely as we can see bicycle pedals in multiple frames, then this is going to be a high-end (i.e., expensive) bike that requires pedaling to reach 28 mph (45 km/h), or could perhaps be throttle-limited to 20 mph (32 km/h). The throttle would be a good bet for a bike launched in the US, since if it doesn’t have a throttle, then story over. It’s dead on arrival. Thank you for playing, ALSO. Sorry, Americans just don’t buy throttle-less electric bikes en masse.
The bike’s design shows that it uses a lot of custom componentry, and the fact that it is also likely brimming with neat, innovative technology from ALSO’s engineering team further pushes that price tag up. I love that ALSO has taken their own approach and built something unique. But what scares me is that this smacks of VanMoof, CAKE, and other premium electric two-wheeler companies that ultimately folded. They, too, came in with big funding, tech-forward innovation, and slick-looking designs. None of that prevented their ultimate demise (though yes, I know they are both brands are now clawing their way out of bankruptcy under new ownership).
And it’s not that bikes like those from VanMoof and CAKE weren’t good. They were great – at least with service issues from VanMoof aside. They were full of refreshing innovation. It’s what made them special. But it’s also what made them expensive, pricing them out of accessibility for the masses and leaving them unable to sustain the burn rate of startups carrying large payrolls. And even in those cases, the companies had the advantage of launching in Europe, a market where riders are accustomed to spending thousands of dollars more on their bikes and using them as true car replacements.
But the US isn’t Europe. There’s a reason that the best-selling electric bike in the US is a $999 folding e-bike from a scrappy, lean startup that rose to become the largest e-bike company in the US while carrying a fraction of the workforce of the bigger guys. Lectric eBikes taught Americans that good e-bikes could cost less than a grand and get them anywhere in their city without breaking the bank. Sure, ALSO’s bikes will be nicer. But will they be 4-5x nicer?
It’s impossible to say how much ALSO will charge, but I’d bet we’re looking at a bike that falls somewhere in the $3.5-5.5k ballpark. The lower end of that range would mean ALSO knows it can’t price out its customers or it won’t succeed. The higher end of that range would mean the company is basically competing against premium e-bike brands like Riese & Müller. But the problem is that premium brands have been leaving the US because the market just isn’t there, at least not for the volume to make them sustainable.
And perhaps that’s ok for ALSO. Maybe the deep pockets from Daddy Rivian mean that ALSO can float for years without making a profit, helping them roll out more models in wider price ranges across multiple styles and markets. It’s too soon to tell and I’m basing this conjecture on a few pixelated screengrabs from a quirky behind-the-scenes video shoot.
But hey, we’re barely a month away from finding out for sure. I’ll see you guys back here on October 22nd with hopefully as many answers as we still have questions.
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Electricity demand is surging in Texas, and solar, wind, and battery storage are meeting it.
According to new data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), electricity demand across the Texas grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) hit record highs in the first nine months of 2025. ERCOT, which supplies power to about 90% of the state, saw demand jump 5% year-over-year to 372 terawatt hours (TWh) – a 23% increase since 2021. No other major US grid has grown faster over the past year.
Solar and wind keep ERCOT’s grid steady
The biggest growth story in Texas power generation is solar. Utility-scale solar plants produced 45 TWh from January through September, up 50% from 2024 and nearly four times what they generated in 2021 (11 TWh). Wind power also continued to climb, producing 87 TWh through September – a 4% increase from last year and 36% more than in 2021.
Together, wind and solar supplied 36% of ERCOT’s total electricity over those nine months. Solar, in particular, has transformed Texas’s daytime energy mix. From June to September, ERCOT solar farms generated an average of 24 gigawatts (GW) between noon and 1 pm – double the midday output from 2023. That growth has pushed down natural gas use at midday from 50% of the mix in 2023 to 37% this year.
Battery storage is filling in the gaps
Batteries charge during the day when wind and solar generation are the highest, and they produce electricity when generation from wind and solar slows down. ERCOT began reporting battery output separately in October 2024 in its hourly grid data, and it’s clear that batteries are now helping to smooth out evening peaks. This past summer, batteries supplied an average of 4 GW of power around 8 pm, right as solar production dropped off.
Natural gas is flatlining
Natural gas is still Texas’s dominant power source, but it isn’t growing like it used to. Between January and September, gas-fired plants generated 158 TWh of electricity, compared to 161 TWh in 2023. Gas comprised 43% of ERCOT’s generation mix during the first nine months of 2025, down from 47% in the first nine months of 2023 and 2024.
More demand growth ahead
The EIA expects Texas electricity demand to keep rising faster than any other grid in the US. In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the EIA projects ERCOT’s demand will climb another 14% in the first nine months of 2026, reaching 425 TWh. That means Texas will need even more solar, wind, and battery storage to keep up with its breakneck growth.
Read more: This $900 million solar farm in Texas is going 100% to data centers
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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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GM is recalling nearly 23,000 Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models due to a defect where the tire tread could fall off.
GM is recalling more Chevy Equinox EV models
In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GM said it has decided to issue a safety recall for certain Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models from model years 2025 to 2026.
This time, it isn’t necessarily GM’s fault. The vehicles may be equipped with 21″ all-season tires that Continental Tire is recalling.
According to Continental, the tires were produced during the week of October 6, 2024, and may have a defect where the tire tread could partially or fully detach. The records show the defect is due to a nonconforming tread base rubber compound.
Owners of affected vehicles may notice unusual tread wear or bulging, vibration while driving, or tire noises. GM is unaware of any incidents related to the defect, but is issuing the recall out of an abundance of caution.
On September 18, 2025, GM inspected the assembly plant and confirmed there were no suspect tires in stock. The 21″ tires come standard on RS trims and are optional on LT1 and LT2 grades.
Although GM is recalling 22,914 Chevy Equinox EVs and Cadillac Optiqs, it estimates that only about 1% of them have the defect.
The recall includes:
- 2026 Cadillac Optiq: 214
- 2026 Chevy Equinox EV: 1,832
- 2025 Cadillac Optiq: 3,468
- 2025 Chevy Equinox EV: 17,400
GM dealers will check all four tires and replace them if needed, free of charge. Dealers were notified on October 16. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed out on December 1, 2025.
You can contact Chevrolet’s customer service number at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac’s at 1-800-333-4223. GM’s recall number is N252525030. Owners can also call the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit the nhtsa.gov website for more information.
The Chevy Equinox EV is now the third best-selling EV in the US, trailing only the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. Meanwhile, Cadillac’s entry-level Optiq SUV is the fifth-most-popular luxury EV. The recall is minor and only affects a small percentage of models, so it’s not expected to have a major impact.
If you want to test one of them for yourself, we can help you get started. Check out our links below to find available Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models near you.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pausing F-150 Lightning, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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