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

  • People to power reporting of weather-related road conditions
    November 28, 2013
    Citizen reporting offers the potential of gathering timely information about road conditions without the need to invest heavily in equipment or to dispatch inordinate numbers of staff to visit and report from various locations. What could be better than an army of motorists and other road users sending in reports of conditions they encounter on their journeys? Back in 2003, Wyoming DOT set up a system of enhanced citizen-assisted reporting as a way of gathering weather-related information on road conditi
  • ITS technology reduces congestion, improves workzone safety
    July 17, 2012
    As the road-building season gets under way in the US, the Federal Highway Administration has just published a White Paper which deals with the use of ITS technology in work zones. On 30 April 2009, the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published a White Paper which was prepared by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to inform public agencies about the use of ITS to manage construction work zones. This is a particularly relevant topic given the large number of construction projects that are ex
  • Joining old and new in Canada’s Highway 407
    June 17, 2016
    David Arminas visits Canada’s Highway 407 ETR to see how the concession is working and hear about new arrangements for the roadway’s extension. The Toronto region is North America’s eighth largest metropolitan area and its roads become notoriously congested. In 1997 Highway 407, a 68km concrete toll motorway which skirts the northern edge of Toronto, was opened and initially operated by the province and CHIC - a consortium of four leading Ontario-based companies. Finance came from the Ontario Financing Auth
  • The benefits of Lidar
    March 21, 2022

    While Lidar is gaining ground in the ITS industry, it has not yet reached the level of mass adoption where it shows up frequently in requests for proposals (RFPs) from cities and DoTs.