Skip to main content

California’s green transport solution – the electric cargo bicycle

An electric cargo bike, the 2x4 (two by four), developed by California-based NTS Works, can carry large objects into tight urban centres and other locations where deliveries by full-size vehicles can be difficult and costly, according to the company. The lightweight, compact 2x4 is only slightly larger than a conventional cycle and has a flat cargo bed in front that can hold up to eight grocery bags. An electric motor assists the rider when pedalling and is adjustable via a handlebar mounted display so
August 29, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
RSSAn electric cargo bike, the 2x4 (two by four), developed by California-based 7512 NTS Works, can carry large objects into tight urban centres and other locations where deliveries by full-size vehicles can be difficult and costly, according to the company.

The lightweight, compact 2x4 is only slightly larger than a conventional cycle and has a flat cargo bed in front that can hold up to eight grocery bags.  An electric motor assists the rider when pedalling and is adjustable via a handlebar mounted display so that even steep hills can be climbed with little effort.  The bike is stated to have a ‘real’ range of thirty miles.  

Asked why he developed the 2x4, Mr. Saiki states: “It’s the next step toward even cleaner and more affordable transportation.  It’s for someone who wants to do even better than an electric vehicle.  Riding 10,000 miles with the electric assist motor will only cost about US$22 in electricity.  It’s almost free to ride with virtually no impact on the environment.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Joined-up thinking for future ITS
    May 8, 2015
    David Crawford looks at a US model which, for modest federal funding, is producing substantive results. Outward and upward is the clear message emerging from the US$458,000, 2015 workplan of the US government’s ENTERPRISE (Evaluating New TEchnologies for Roads PRogram Initiatives in Safety and Efficiency) joint funding scheme for ITS research.
  • European machine vision industry in positive mood for 2013
    November 16, 2012
    A poll carried out by the European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) reveals that machine vision companies have overall positive business expectations for 2013 business in Europe. In a quick survey conducted by the association in October, 56 per cent of the participants expect their own business to grow above five per cent next year, and another 13.3 per cent think their sales will increase up to five per cent. Only eight per cent of the participants expect their company’s business to decline in 2013. Asked
  • Do buses need subsidies in congestion charging areas
    June 20, 2016
    David Crawford takes a look at the debate surrounding bus subsidies. Subsidies for public transport are a well-known and frequently-used policy tool directed at reducing the high environmental and social costs of peak-period traffic congestion. But at the end of last year the Swedish Centre for Transport Studies published a working paper entitled ‘Should buses still be subsidised in Stockholm?’ This concluded that the subsidy levels currently being applied in Stockholm could be nearly halved by setting bus
  • ITS industry needs more effort to get to the future
    January 19, 2012
    Eric Sampson, visiting professor at Newcastle University and City University London and ambassador for ITS-UK, provides a retrospective on the last couple of decades and takes a look at what the ITS industry still needs to do to get to where it needs to be