Rivian spinoff Also finally starts e-bike deliveries after delays
▼ Summary
– Rivian spinoff Also will begin delivering its $4,500 Launch Edition TM-B e-bikes next week, with all orders expected to ship by September after months of supply chain-related delays.
– Also originated as a Rivian skunkworks project in 2022, with design help from Jony Ive’s firm LoveFrom, and was spun out in March 2025 with $105 million in backing from Eclipse.
– The company attributed the delivery delay to global supply chain stress, specifically a spike in demand for raw materials and electronic components, but declined to specify which parts were affected.
– Also plans to expand beyond e-bikes, developing four-wheel pedal-assist cargo vehicles for Amazon and an autonomous delivery vehicle for DoorDash.
– As of late July, customers expressed frustration on Reddit over poor communication and missed shipment promises, with some canceling their reservations.
Rivian’s e-bike venture, the spinoff company Also, is finally ready to start shipping its first models to customers next week, putting an end to a frustrating stretch of delays tied to undisclosed supply chain problems.
On Friday, the company confirmed to TechCrunch that the Launch Edition of its TM-B e-bike, priced at $4,500, has left the manufacturer and is now heading to its U. S. warehouse. Also expects all Launch Edition orders to be fulfilled between next week and September.
The project traces its roots to 2022, when it existed as a secret skunkworks initiative inside Rivian. CEO RJ Scaringe wanted to add an e-bike to his lineup of electric vehicles aimed at outdoor enthusiasts. The team spent years refining the concept, even bringing in Jony Ive’s design firm LoveFrom to shape an early prototype, a detail TechCrunch first reported in 2025.
By March 2025, Rivian had spun Also out as an independent company, backed by $105 million from Eclipse. The startup unveiled the TM-B in October of that year, initially targeting a “Spring” 2026 release. But supply chain disruptions pushed that timeline back, and the company eventually reset expectations for July.
“The primary factor driving our updated summer timeline is current stress on global supply chains. A rapid, industry-wide spike in demand for raw materials and electronic components has impacted key parts required for the TM-B. This has temporarily delayed our planned manufacturing ramp-up and pushed our first delivery dates past our original spring window,” the company explained in a June support page update. “Our engineering and production teams are working around the clock to minimize these constraints without cutting a single corner on safety or quality.”
Also has not specified which components caused the holdup.
The TM-B is just the beginning for the startup, which prefers to describe itself as a “vehicle” company. Also is developing four-wheel pedal-assist cargo vehicles for Amazon and an autonomous delivery model for DoorDash.
For now, though, the immediate challenge is getting the first e-bikes into customers’ hands while managing the next hurdle for any hardware startup: customer service. On Friday, the last day of July, frustration boiled over in the r/ALSOmicromobility subreddit, where buyers vented about the repeated postponements.
“I’m really frustrated by the lack of communication and the actual miscommunication/lies from Also regarding shipment timelines,” the original poster wrote. “Why do they keep making these promises about shipping timelines just to blow right past them without any communication or actual updates? It really makes no sense.”
“Hey we’ve still got a few business hours left in July. Maybe we’ll get an email later this morning ☺️,” one user replied.
Others had already reached their limit.
“Couldn’t wait any longer and canceled my reservation,” another wrote.
(Source: TechCrunch)
