After months of mounting frustration, supply chain bottlenecks, and growing skepticism among its earliest adopters, Also\u2014the high-profile micromobility startup spun out of electric vehicle titan Rivian\u2014is finally set to begin deliveries of its inaugural product. The company confirmed on Friday that its Launch Edition TM-B e-bike, a high-end, modular machine retailing for $4,500, has commenced shipping from its manufacturing facility to U.S.-based warehouses. <\/p>\n
For the team at Also, this marks a critical inflection point. What began as a clandestine "skunkworks" project within the walls of Rivian has now transitioned into a standalone entity tasked with proving it can thrive in a crowded, capital-intensive, and notoriously difficult hardware market. While the company expects to fulfill all Launch Edition orders between next week and the end of September, the journey to this moment has been defined by the very logistical hurdles that often plague ambitious hardware startups.<\/p>\n
The genesis of Also dates back to 2022. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, looking to expand the brand\u2019s footprint beyond four-wheeled adventure vehicles, began exploring how the company\u2019s design language and focus on the "outdoorsy" lifestyle could translate to two wheels. This project remained a well-guarded secret for years, even enlisting the legendary design firm LoveFrom\u2014led by former Apple design chief Jony Ive\u2014to help refine the bike\u2019s aesthetic and engineering DNA.<\/p>\n
By March 2025, the project had matured sufficiently to justify its independence. Rivian officially spun out the venture as "Also," backed by $105 million in funding from venture capital firm Eclipse. The infusion of capital was intended to bridge the gap between concept and mass-market reality. When the company finally pulled the curtain back on the TM-B in October 2025, it promised a premium, modular platform that could justify its steep $4,500 price tag.<\/p>\n
Initial projections were optimistic, with a target ship date set for the spring of 2026. However, as the calendar turned to April and May, the silence from the company grew louder. By June, it became clear that the original timeline was untenable. The company issued a statement on its official support portal, citing "current stress on global supply chains" as the primary culprit.<\/p>\n
Specifically, the company pointed to an industry-wide spike in demand for raw materials and sensitive electronic components\u2014the "brains" of the TM-B\u2014which forced a recalibration of their manufacturing ramp-up. While Also has declined to disclose the specific parts that triggered the shortage, the delay pushed the shipping window to July, testing the patience of customers who had put down deposits months in advance.<\/p>\n
To understand the pressure on Also, one must look at the product itself. The TM-B is not designed to compete with budget commuter bikes found on Amazon. It is positioned as a lifestyle vehicle, modular in nature, and built with high-grade components that mirror the premium expectations set by the Rivian brand. <\/p>\n
In the world of micromobility, $4,500 is a significant barrier to entry. For that price, customers expect not just performance, but impeccable service, software stability, and a seamless ownership experience. When a company misses a delivery window, that "premium" brand promise begins to fray.<\/p>\n
Also\u2019s ambitions extend far beyond the consumer e-bike market. While the TM-B is the flagship, the company is positioning itself as a comprehensive "vehicle" manufacturer. This pivot toward B2B (business-to-business) applications is likely the key to their long-term financial viability. <\/p>\n
By diversifying its portfolio into the logistics sector, Also is hedging its bets against the volatility of the consumer retail market. If the TM-B serves as the "halo" product to build brand equity, the commercial contracts with Amazon and DoorDash serve as the bedrock of the company\u2019s future revenue.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most immediate challenge facing Also today is not the manufacturing of the bike, but the management of its community. In the modern era, hardware delays are amplified by social media. A quick glance at the r\/ALSOmicromobility<\/em> subreddit reveals the toxicity that can develop when communication gaps remain unfilled.<\/p>\n On the final day of July, the forum was alive with frustration. Users who had expected delivery by the end of the spring or early summer were expressing feelings of abandonment. "I\u2019m really frustrated by the lack of communication and the actual miscommunication\/lies from Also regarding shipment timelines," one user noted. The sentiment was echoed by others who questioned why the company continued to promise dates it ultimately failed to hit.<\/p>\n For a startup, the "vocal minority" on Reddit can easily become the dominant narrative if not addressed. Some customers have already opted to cancel their reservations, citing the uncertainty as a dealbreaker. This highlights a critical lesson for new hardware companies: in the absence of information, customers often assume the worst.<\/p>\n In its most recent update, Also has struck a tone of transparency mixed with resolve. The company maintains that its engineering and production teams are working "around the clock" to ensure that the delay does not result in compromised quality or safety. They argue that the decision to push back the date was a strategic choice to avoid shipping an inferior product\u2014a decision they hope will be vindicated once the bikes arrive on driveways this month.<\/p>\n The company’s leadership faces a delicate balancing act. They must appease the early adopters who feel slighted, while simultaneously proving to their investors at Eclipse that they can manage a complex global supply chain.<\/p>\n The situation at Also is a microcosm of the current state of the transportation startup sector. We are witnessing a shift where "micromobility" is being redefined not as cheap hobbyist gear, but as an essential part of the future urban transit infrastructure. <\/p>\n As the first TM-B units roll out from the warehouse, the coming six weeks will be the ultimate test for the startup. If the bikes arrive and meet the high expectations set by their price point, the months of delay will likely fade into a footnote in the company\u2019s history. If, however, the bikes suffer from "first-run" quality issues\u2014a common ailment for new hardware companies\u2014the reputational damage could be difficult to repair.<\/p>\n For now, the team at Also must execute. They have the pedigree of Rivian, the backing of Eclipse, and the design influence of the best in the business. But as any veteran of the transportation industry knows, all of that capital and talent is secondary to the simple, difficult task of delivering the product on time. As the summer winds down, the eyes of the industry remain fixed on the shipping docks, waiting to see if the reality of the TM-B lives up to the years of hype.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After months of mounting frustration, supply chain bottlenecks, and growing skepticism among its earliest adopters, Also\u2014the high-profile micromobility<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[2103,2104,62,51,727,671,1840,796,60,61],"class_list":["post-1590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-startups-funding","tag-also","tag-bike","tag-finance","tag-high","tag-inside","tag-launch","tag-road","tag-stakes","tag-startup","tag-venture-capital"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1590"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1590\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packmailer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Official Responses and the Road Ahead<\/h3>\n
\nImplications: Can Also Scale?<\/h2>\n
Lessons for the Industry<\/h3>\n
\n
Looking Toward September<\/h3>\n