Also Begins Shipping Its $4,500 E-Bike After Supply Chain Setbacks

A Long-Awaited Launch

Also announced it has begun shipping its TM-B e-bike to customers, marking the first deliveries for the Rivian spinoff after a series of postponements that stretched an initial spring 2026 target into late summer. The Launch Edition, priced at $4,500, left the manufacturer's facilities bound for Also's U.S. warehouse, with the company projecting all pre-orders will reach customers between early August and September.

The timeline shift reflects a broader pattern in hardware startups: ambitious product roadmaps colliding with the messy realities of global manufacturing. Also blamed component shortages and raw material constraints for the delays, though the company declined to specify which parts caused the bottleneck. In a June update, the startup acknowledged that an industry-wide surge in demand for electronics and materials had strained its manufacturing ramp.

At DailyTechWire, we've tracked similar supply chain pressures across Asia's electric mobility sector, where battery cells, motor controllers, and even aluminum frames have faced allocation challenges as legacy automakers and new entrants compete for the same inputs. The difference for a startup like Also is scale: without the purchasing power of established brands, even a few thousand units can expose vulnerabilities in supplier relationships.

From Skunkworks to Standalone Company

Also began inside Rivian in 2022 as an experimental project championed by CEO RJ Scaringe, who saw e-bikes as a natural extension of the company's outdoor-focused electric vehicle lineup. The team spent several years refining the concept, at one point engaging Jony Ive's design consultancy LoveFrom to shape early prototypes.

Rivian formally spun out Also in March 2025, with Eclipse leading a $105 million funding round. The startup unveiled the TM-B that October, positioning it as a premium offering in a crowded e-bike market where European brands like Cowboy and VanMoof have struggled with profitability and after-sales support, while incumbents such as Trek and Specialized leverage dealer networks for service.

The TM-B's $4,500 price point places it in the upper tier of consumer e-bikes, competing against models from Specialized, Riese & Müller, and other brands that bundle high-end components with warranty and service infrastructure. For Also, the challenge is proving that a direct-to-consumer model can deliver the reliability and support that premium buyers expect, especially when delays erode trust before the first unit ships.

Customer Patience Wears Thin

As July ended with no deliveries, frustration bubbled over in online communities dedicated to the startup. Users on a dedicated subreddit questioned why Also repeatedly communicated timelines it couldn't meet, with some canceling reservations rather than wait further. The disconnect between company updates and actual shipment dates underscored a common pitfall for hardware startups: optimistic forecasting that ignores buffer time for manufacturing hiccups.

For Also, the immediate task is not just delivering bikes but managing the customer service demands that follow. E-bikes require ongoing support for firmware updates, mechanical adjustments, and warranty claims. Companies like Peloton and Cowboy discovered that hardware at scale demands service infrastructure that can quickly overwhelm a startup's operational capacity.

The backlash also highlights a shift in consumer expectations. Buyers accustomed to Amazon's two-day shipping and Tesla's over-the-air updates have little patience for vague timelines and delayed communication. In mobility, where safety and reliability are paramount, early missteps can define a brand's reputation long before product quality has a chance to speak for itself.

Beyond Two Wheels

Also describes itself as a vehicle company rather than strictly an e-bike maker, signaling ambitions that extend well past the TM-B. The startup is developing four-wheel pedal-assist cargo vehicles for Amazon's last-mile delivery operations, as well as an autonomous delivery vehicle in partnership with DoorDash. These projects represent a bet that urban logistics will increasingly favor smaller, electric-powered formats over traditional vans and trucks.

The cargo vehicle segment is drawing significant attention across Asia and Europe, where companies like Fernhay in the UK and Onomotion in Germany are piloting pedal-electric cargo bikes for parcel carriers. Amazon has tested similar vehicles in select European cities, seeking alternatives that navigate narrow streets and pedestrian zones more efficiently than diesel vans. For Also, securing Amazon as a customer could provide the volume and revenue stability that consumer e-bikes alone cannot deliver.

The DoorDash autonomous project is more speculative, entering a field where Nuro, Starship Technologies, and others have spent years refining sidewalk and curbside delivery robots with mixed commercial results. Regulatory hurdles, unit economics, and public acceptance remain unresolved, and Also will need to demonstrate technical differentiation in a space where well-funded competitors have already claimed mindshare.

The Path Ahead

Also's immediate priority is executing on TM-B deliveries without further setbacks. Each bike that reaches a customer on time and functions as promised rebuilds credibility; each service issue or delayed shipment compounds the reputational damage from the initial delays. The startup must also begin scaling production beyond the Launch Edition if it hopes to reach the volumes that justify its $105 million raise and support development of cargo and autonomous vehicles.

The broader question is whether Also can sustain momentum in consumer e-bikes while pursuing commercial vehicle projects. Hardware startups often struggle with focus, spreading engineering and capital across multiple product lines before establishing dominance in one. Rivian itself faced similar questions as it launched both a pickup and an SUV while promising a delivery van for Amazon, a strategy that strained resources and contributed to production delays.

For Also, the next few months will reveal whether the company can transition from a well-funded spinoff with compelling prototypes to an operational business that ships on time, supports its customers, and lays the groundwork for the cargo and autonomous vehicles that represent its longer-term vision. The TM-B is not just an e-bike; it's a test of whether Also can execute at the unglamorous, detail-heavy work of manufacturing and service that separates successful hardware companies from those that remain perpetually in pre-order limbo.