Derek Markham

To celebrate Earth Month, Upway, which offers refurbished certified pre-owned e-bikes at competitive prices, is helping to raise money for Re:wild through the sale of six one-of-a-kind e-bikes that were created through a collaboration with two NYC-based artists.

Electric cargo bikes and trikes and quadricycles are being put to a wide variety of uses, from hauling materials to passengers to tools to packages, but what if your passenger is, say, dead? It turns out that electric cargo bikes can also make a great hearse, enabling the deceased to get from service to cemetery as low-carbon as possible.

Ride1Up has established a strong reputation for building reliable e-bikes with quality components at an affordable price, and since it produced its first model in 2018, the company has made a name by delivering high quality e-bikes that are made to last — but which won’t break the bank. CleanTechnica’s Kyle Field has ridden and reviewed a whole slew of Ride1Up e-bikes, so you can have confidence that these bikes live up to their claims.

mtrl.bike, along with igus:bike, is behind the RCYL brand, which is taking pre-orders for these recycled plastic bikes, with a production run in the near future.

When a cargo e-bike is too much for your daily needs, but a standard e-bike isn't enough, then a utility e-bike might be just the right fit, and the Vvolt Slice Lite is a solid contender.

Fahrbike’s UrbanCarry line of cargo e-bikes look to be a great option for those looking for some affordable wheels that can carry both you and your gear, whether that’s children or the groceries or a workbag or three. Fahrbike has several UrbanCarry bikes to choose from — the Mini, the Pro, and the Mega — and has them all priced well under $2000.

The Screw-Bike is a one-of-a-kind electric bike built by YouTuber and mechanical engineer James Bruton, and while its incredible complexity makes it unlikely that something like this will ever end up on the market, it’s an amazing piece of e-bike engineering. The self-balancing Screw-Bike uses 4 in-line Mecanum wheels made from 3D-printed parts (and some plywood) to be able to travel in any direction and to turn on a dime, which may not be the most practical way to get around, but it sure looks like a helluva lot of fun.

A pilot program uses a special Mercedez-Benz eSprinter electric van as a mobile micro-depot which brings ONOMOTION’s standardized container modules to transfer points on its route, where the container is then off-loaded onto an ONO electric cargo bike which then completes the last-mile deliveries. With this system, the electric van can either go to the next e-cargo transfer point with another container, or both the van and the e-cargo bike can make deliveries in parallel, which can help decrease traffic congestion and improve delivery times.

Last month, New York City’s Department of Transportation authorized the use of electric cargo bikes on city streets, and put some key safety standards in place. On March 27, NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the amendments to the city’s traffic rules to allow the operation of “pedal-assist commercial bicycles,” saying “Achieving a safer and greener transportation future includes reducing the number of large, high-polluting trucks on our streets. Authorizing these new delivery options will better protect our environment and all road users.”

This electric trike is small enough to fit in bike lanes and bike paths, has an enclosure that offers some protection from the weather, and includes a variety of car-like features such as headlights and tail lights, turn signals, mirrors, and even a roll bar and a windshield with a power wiper. The Veemo looks like a velomobile, or a pod bike, or a semi-recumbent electric tricycle, but no matter how it’s described, it could help make commuting (and getting the groceries) lower carbon — and a lot more fun.