Latest news with #InfiniteMachine
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
a16z-backed Infinite Machine shows off cheaper, modular electric scooter
New York-based micromobility startup Infinite Machine has revealed a seated scooter called Olto that will cost $3,495 when it starts shipping later this year. The Olto will feature 40 miles of range, pulled from an easily swappable 48V lithium-ion battery. Infinite Machine says the Olto will have a top speed of 20 miles per hour in bike lines and '33mph off-road,' powered by a 750W rear hub motor. There is a headlight with high and low beams, as well as turn signals, to help with visibility on the road. Infinite Machine is also promising the Olto is modular, with the ability to attach or detach elements you might find on a larger cargo bike, like a child carrier, rear rack, or basket. There are even fold-out pedals that can provide pedal-assist propulsion via a chain connected to the rear wheel, which lets the rider use the Olto sort of like an e-bike. And Infinite Machine says the Olto can seat two people, supported by the vehicle's dual-suspension frame. It's a hefty price tag, but it's less than half of what Infinite Machine is charging for its flagship Cybertruck-style two-wheeler, the P1. That vehicle, which the startup has begun shipping to its first customers, costs $10,000. The Olto is the newest entry into the always-churning market for electric two-wheelers. That churn has been difficult to navigate, especially in the United States. One of the leading American e-bike brands, Rad Power Bikes, has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs and recently changed its leadership. International brands have struggled to find a foothold in the U.S., too, contributing to the bankruptcy restructurings of VanMoof and Cake. Infinite Machine began turning heads with the design of the P1 scooter in 2023. It ultimately secured $9 million in late 2024 in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. Founder and CEO Joseph Cohen told TechCrunch at the time that his goal for Infinite Machine was to ultimately have vehicles in every major city around the world. In the near-term, though, Infinite Machine is focused on the U.S. market — which is a challenging place to sell vehicles like the Olto. 'We think that what we can bring as an American company is an amazing product sensibility that doesn't exist with the products in the market, and that's the angle that we're taking,' Cohen told TechCrunch last year. 'We are coming into this category and saying, you know, these plastic things that look like printers, we can do it better. We can make something that feels like your favorite car — but not a car, but something that extends to the city.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
WIRED
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- WIRED
Infinite Machine's Olto Is Unlike Any Ebike You've Ever Seen
Jun 12, 2025 10:00 AM The startup wants to cut through the commuter ebike market with a $3,495 sit-down electric scooter that can still ride in city bike lanes. Photograph: Julian Chokkattu When I met with Infinite Machine to see its Cybertruck-esque electric scooter in 2023, it was outside a small garage by the waterfront in Red Hook, Brooklyn—the right kind of space for a scrappy, young startup. But on a recent visit, the team got a serious upgrade: a renovated and roomy warehouse in Long Island City, Queens, with high ceilings, a fresh coat of paint, more employees, proper machinery, and a showroom for passersby to ogle the P1 scooter—which the company finally began shipping this month. The P1 was always going to be a niche product. America doesn't have the scooter culture found in many other countries, and potential riders of the original $10,000 Vespa-inspired vehicle need a motorcycle license. That puts a limit on your growth as a burgeoning company. That's where the Olto comes in. Designed in a little over a year, the Olto is meant to be a mass-market electric bike that doesn't look like any ebike that came before. It can carry two passengers, can reverse, and has a footrest that can transform into pedals—all designed to ride on the bike lane. Start From Scratch Photograph: Julian Chokkattu Ebikes tend to look a lot like bikes. That also means that, like a normal bike, you'll probably need to haul it indoors somewhere secure for storage, or risk locking it up outside with a bike lock. Infinite Machine decided to come up with a fresh design from the ground up that puts the Olto somewhere between a sit-down scooter and an ebike. The mix of steel and aluminum results in an ebike with clean lines and curvy edges, something the company hopes will not draw so many Cybertruck parallels in this political climate. It comes in silver or black, is weatherproof, and is meant to be parked outside on the curb. You can pop out the battery from under the seat—there's a button to open it on the handlebar—but you don't have to store the UL-certified battery indoors. Just bring it in to charge when it needs the juice (it takes about 5.5 hours with the included charger or 3 hours with a fast charger). Otherwise, you can leave it in. What about bike thieves? The company has a suite of tools for theft prevention under the term Infinite Security. All Olto ebikes come with GPS and internet, so you can track yours via the companion app (iOS and Android will be available at launch). As a redundant measure, there's a secure spot to install an AirTag for peace of mind. If someone tries to tamper with the bike, an alarm will ring and you'll get a notification on your phone. The steering and motor also lock up, so it'd take considerable effort to move the 178-pound ebike. Much of this is powered by the secondary battery, which will keep running for 30 days if you've removed the primary battery from the Olto. If you're still wary, there's a spot to attach a U-lock on the kickstand. Photograph: Julian Chokkattu Photograph: Julian Chokkattu Speaking of accessories, Infinite Machine has an array of first-party accessories, from a phone mount to a rear rack and kid carrier, that you can configure with the Olto when placing your order. There are also some mounting points if you want to add third-party accessories, like the mounts for a bottle cage under the seat. Pedal or Throttle You can turn on the Olto with the power button, an NFC tag, or use the app. Like some modern electric cars, it can auto-unlock or auto-lock based on your proximity to the device (if you want). There's a little internal pocket on the stem with a USB-C port to charge a phone, and higher up top is a rectangular display that shows battery life, the mode the Olto is in, and the battery meter. On the right handlebar is the twist throttle, an R button to reverse, and a Boost throttle to get a little oomph from the motor if you need it. On the left is a button for turn signals, a button to open the seat to access the battery, and a very loud horn. You can also toggle the headlight settings here between high and low beams. The Olto comes with rear-view mirrors, but they're an optional install, and there are hydraulic disc brakes with internal wiring for a clean look. The seat is pretty comfy and can fit two people. There are pull-out footrests for the passenger and footrests for the driver. These latter footrests can be converted into pedals if you want to put some work into your ride rather than relying on the throttle (and maybe extend the range closer to the estimated 40 miles). Converting from footrest to pedals is somewhat confusing, but once you have it down pat, it takes seconds. Photograph: Julian Chokkattu The Olto has three modes: Class 2, Class 3, and Offroad. You'll have to choose the type based on local speed laws for bike lanes. In Class 2 mode, you can go up to 20 miles per hour and have full access to the throttle. In Class 3, you can only use the pedal-assist function, but the top speed jumps to 28 mph. In Offroad, you get the full power, and the Olto can ride as fast as 33 mph. You may see localized settings for these modes based on the laws of the region you're in. It's powered by a 2-kilowatt rear-wheel hub motor that's software-limited to 750 watts. My short ride around Long Island City was smooth and felt almost exactly like riding a typical ebike, except maybe a little more comfortable thanks to the wide seat and thick tires. (It handled a paved road with no issues.) Pedal-assist mode was less polished, but I was using a preproduction model, and the company said it's actively working out some kinks in this mode ahead of the launch. There's no resistance, and I had to pedal hard initially before it quickly ramped up speed, but all of this is expected to be tuned up, with plans to add resistance soon. The Risk There's always going to be concerns when you buy an expensive product from a new company—will Infinite Machine go the way of Dutch ebike brand VanMoof? The company has a sizable investor list, with most funds hailing from Andreessen Horowitz's American Dynamism Fund, along with angel investors like and Letitia Wright. Photograph: Julian Chokkattu Joseph and Eddie Cohen, the founders (and brothers), also tell me there will be a portal to purchase spare parts for the Olto, and the company will be partnering with a nationwide bike repair network for servicing in case issues arise. Still, the company has only just started shipping its first product, the P1, and it'll need to prove it can handle the scale it expects with the Olto ahead of its fall launch. The Olto is manufactured in China, though the company says it's planning to move some production to Malaysia. It did not disclose the manufacturer. 'We created this because we want to build a generational company that is making amazing products for decades and decades into the future, which is very ambitious,' Joseph Cohen says. 'To bring two vehicles to production with under $10 million is really unique … But we're humble because this is a challenging market—there's kind of a graveyard of companies—and we're trying to be smart in every way and learn from our mistakes and keep our risks low." We'll have to wait and see how it plays out, and if folks sharing the bike lanes will be intrigued or aggravated with the Olto, pedals or not. Preorders are available today—you can put down $100, but if you pay the full deposit, your order will be prioritized to ship when the Olto is ready this fall.
Engadget
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Engadget
The Olto is a future-forward e-bike that can accommodate two passengers
Infinite Machine made waves with its retro-futuristic P1 electric bike. That one was built for speed, but the company is back with something that's more for urbanites commuting to and from work. The Olto boasts 40 miles of range and a top speed of 33 MPH, with a 20 MPH limit while riding in the bike lane. Just like the P1, the Olto e-bike looks both futuristic and retro, with a design that can only be described as "Cybertruck meets a scooter from Tron ." This bike could be a boon for commuters, as it can accommodate two riders at the same time. The design is also fairly modular, so riders can add accessories like child carriers, rear racks and baskets, among other items. The battery is easily removed with one hand, for nighttime charging, and can reach 50 percent in just an hour at the outlet. This removable battery also helps with security, as the battery is typically one of the most expensive components of an e-bike. However, that's not the only security feature that Infinite Machine has implemented here. The company claims the Olto "virtually theft-proof." Each bike is connected to the internet and tracked in real time with precise GPS coordinates. There's an app to keep an eye on things and the vehicle features a dedicated slot for AirTags. Once parked, the bike automatically locks the steering and wheels, making it difficult to move. If someone tampers with the vehicle, an alarm will sound and an alert gets sent to the owner's phone. The phone also doubles as the key. Now for some bad news. All of these high-tech features come with a high-end price tag. The Olto costs $3,495. Preorders are available right now, with shipments going out later in the year.
