The Quest for a Cheaper E-Bike
As the number of battery-boosted bikes grows in the US, companies that refurbish second-hand cycles are looking to lower the barriers to bike ownership.
Used e-bikes are parked in Upway’s Brooklyn warehouse. The company is looking to expand the market for second-hand two-wheelers.
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At a warehouse in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, electric bikes are everywhere. Dozens of them line the space, some with cargo baskets, some with super-fat wheels, some with kids’ seats. A scrum of mechanics attend to a queue of inspections near a photo-shoot setup.
This is the New York City hub for Upway, a French-based company often described as the “Carvana for e-bikes.” It refurbishes and resells second-hand machines, offering them to new riders at a discount of about 40% compared to buying new, the company says. This is its first US location, with the warehouse giving the four-year-old firm a foothold in the US market. (It has a second site in Los Angeles.) And its arrival signals a new stage in America’s relationship for the world’s most popular EV.