General Motors launches pre-orders for its first e-bikes

Last November, General Motors announced its plans to launch electric bicycles. It wanted the public's opinion on what the brand should be called, so it announced a crowdsourcing campaign. GM has since announced the name—ARĪV, which is pronounced like "arrive"—and has started taking pre-orders in select European countries.

GM will be releasing two models under the ARĪV brand. One is called Meld, a compact e-bike; while the other is called Merge, a folding e-bike. The Merge can be folded easily so you can roll it along on its two wheels when folded.

Not much is known about the bikes, but its motors are capable of speeds of up to 25km/h with four levels of pedal-assisted power. Its bikes e-battery have ride times of up to 64 kilometers on a single charge. It charges in approximately three and a half hours. It also comes with a walk mode that can be engaged to walk the bikes up steep terrain more easily.

The bikes were engineered and designed in GM facilities in Oshawa, Ontario and in Michigan. These come with standard safety components. You can expect to see integrated, rechargeable front and rear LED safety lights for better visibility and oversized brake rotors for more stopping power.

As expected, these bikes connect to an ARĪV app via Bluetooth. You can get riding metrics like speed, distance, remaining battery level, motor assist level, distance traveled, and more. There are plans to include a mode in the app that will help riders get to their destinations sweat-free.

The ARĪV Merge and Meld also come with Quad Lock mount, which securely attaches a smartphone to the electric bokes. And, of course, you can charge your phone via an integrated USB port.

The bikes are available for pre-order on www.BikeExchange.com in countries like Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.