Electric cargo bikes are incredible machines that can do a lot of what a car can do (and a lot a car can’t do) for a fraction of the cost. They are also a lot of fun.
But even though $2,500 to $8,000 is not very much money compared to buying a car, it is still a lot of cash up-front for a bicycle. For a car-free family like mine, the cost was a no-brainer. We use it every day and are getting close to putting 10,000 miles on the Tern GSD we bought in October 2021. But folks often get sticker shock when they see how much some of these higher-end electric cargo bikes can cost. The problem is exacerbated by the relative lack of financing options available compared to the (often predatory) auto loan industry.
But what if you could lease an electric cargo bike instead? That’s the concept behind Wombi, which just launched in Seattle. For a monthly subscription fee, people can rent an electric cargo bike rather than buy one. Better yet, service as well as theft/damage insurance is included in the price. And let me tell you, service costs can really add up on these things.
Wombi launched in Los Angeles last summer, and Seattle is now the company’s second market. Wombi is the U.S. sister company to Lug+Carrie, which started in Australia in 2019 and operates in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. They currently offer three models of electric-assist Tern bikes: The Quick Haul budget mid-tail (retail starts: ~$2,500, Wombi starts: $115/mo), the HSD mid-tail (retail starts: ~$4,300, Wombi starts: $135/mo), and the GSD longtail (retail starts: ~$4,500, Wombi starts: $150/mo). You can also get the bikes outfitted with kid-hauling, pet-hauling and cargo-hauling accessories for additional fees. Users will have the option to buy the bike after 18 months as a subscriber, according to the Wombi website.
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