Delivery app DoorDash announced Thursday that it’s launching a trial run with electric bikes for its couriers in four major cities, including the District of Columbia, just in time to celebrate Earth Day.
San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver, British Columbia, are the other three cities selected for the trial run.
“[S]ince many people are already comfortable with riding a traditional bicycle, e-bikes are a great way to help reduce our carbon footprint and assist Dashers to navigate a city with ease,” the company wrote in a blog post announcing the partnership with e-bike maker GenZe, a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group.
According to DoorDash, the GenZe bikes’ electric-assist capability can last “20–25 miles off of one charge,” and, what’s more, “with throttle and pedal-assist, you can breeze forward at up to 20 miles an hour without pedaling at all.”
That certainly would come in handy in the hillier areas of the District, and not to mention the City by the Bay.
As for the bike itself, according to GenZe’s website, a basic model electric bike will set the buyer back $1,499. No retailers sell the bike in the D.C. metro area, but the company does sell its products online.
On its website, DoorDash says it hopes to expand the GenZe rental trial-run to other urban areas and possibly deploy “a simple day rental model” for the company’s couriers, called Dashers, in the future.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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