For moving larger loads around, the electric assistance of an e-cargo bike makes riding a lot easier and makes travelling longer distances a more practical option. In fact, there are many more cargo bike options available with a motor than without.

The frequent starts and stops for traffic in urban settings and on delivery runs make getting a cargo bike – whether assisted or non-assisted – moving from a standstill harder than a steady run.

Likewise, any hills you encounter on your ride will be a lot easier with electrical assistance.

But the motor and battery add yet more weight to an electric bike over a non-assisted bike.

Any cargo bike tends to be heavy, due to the extended wheelbase (which means more frame material), substantially built carry area, and chunky wheels and tyres. The frame is often made of steel too.

The Surly Big Dummy cargo bike has a long wheelbase.

Even the lightest cargo bikes start off at over 20kg; 30kg is more typical, even before you add extras such as seats or a box. In contrast, a normal bike is likely to weigh well under 20kg, even if it’s heavily built.

A typical electric cargo bike motor will add just under 3kg, while you can expect even a low-capacity battery to double that. A high-capacity battery can weigh over 4kg, so a double-battery configuration could add over 11kg to the cargo bike’s weight.

Riese & Müller’s electric cargo bikes weigh around 35kg and the electric Cube Cargo Hybrid can weigh close to 50kg, for example.

Electric cargo bikes are built tough, however, and you can expect to be able to carry a load of over 200kg (including the rider) on many models. That’s a lot of mass to get moving, and the motor and battery – even with their additional weight over a non-assisted cargo bike – are definitely an asset.

Electric bikes are also, generally speaking, quite expensive.

A quality electric bike motor system is likely to increase the price of an electric cargo bike by around £1,000 over a pedal-only cargo bike.

You can expect higher maintenance costs for an electric bike over a normal bike too, due to the extra wear on the drivetrain, the possibility of electrical issues and the impact of the extra weight on tyres, wheels and brakes.

With a heavy frame and often sporting small wheels with chunky tyres on a long wheelbase, don’t expect a fast or lively ride from a cargo bike, whether electric or not.

On the other hand, an electric cargo bike can be surprisingly agile and will enable you to zip around stationary traffic and through bike-only shortcuts to get to your destination faster.

What about battery range?

Simon Bromley

If an electric cargo bike is going to be used extensively, it’s possible the battery won’t have enough capacity to last an entire day.

This means you’ll either need to swap in a spare battery, recharge during the work day (which can take several hours), or suffer through the arduous task of pedalling without assistance.

The stop-start nature of urban riding means the battery is likely to be drained more quickly as well.

Types of electric cargo bike

Simon Bromley / Immediate Media

Electric cargo bikes typically have an extended wheelbase over a conventional bike. That allows the inclusion of a cargo-carrying area either fore or aft of the rider.

Often, cargo bikes will have smaller wheels than a standard bike, or different-sized wheels front and rear, so the load can be carried lower on the frame and the centre of gravity of the bike is lower.

Both of these design features improve handling compared to strapping a load to a conventional bike.

Many cargo bikes enable you to add different load carriers to suit different uses.

Cube Bikes

Cube’s Cargo Hybrid, for example, enables you to fit seats inside its front hopper so you can carry children. The Mycle Cargo comes with footrests and removable pads for its rear rack, so you can carry passengers. You can also fit child seats to it.

Cargo bikes with a built-in box often go by the Dutch name bakfiets (which translates as ‘box bike’). It’s a popular way to carry goods and luggage, but also enables you to fit seats for children for the school run and other excursions. Bakfiets is a brand name for a Dutch maker of cargo bikes as well.

Other electric cargo bike designs, such as the Surly Skid Loader, include a beefed-up front and/or rear rack on a more conventional, shorter-wheelbase bike frame.

That has the advantage of manoeuvrability, but may limit how much you can carry. They’re generally less stable too, because a poorly distributed rear load may tend to shift the bike’s centre of mass behind the rear-wheel axis and a large front-end load can affect steering.

Electric cargo tricycles

Solskin / Getty Images

Not all electric cargo bikes are technically bikes, because tricycles with three wheels are available as well.

The configuration usually includes two wheels at the front, as with the Raleigh Pro Electric Cargo Trike. This enables the fitment of a large front container for goods or passengers (this is sometimes referred to as a ‘tadpole’ trike).

An advantage is that stability isn’t a problem and it’s easier to park because you don’t need a kickstand.

Cube Bikes

Cube’s Trike Concept electric cargo bike has double wheels at the rear and a mid-frame pivot so you can lean into corners. Cube says having the load at the rear and a conventional-looking front means it’s easier to steer and see where you’re going.

In some cases, such as the Tern Quick Haul, you can hitch up a trailer for even more carrying capacity.

Electric cargo bike motors

George Scott / Our Media

Most electric cargo bikes have their motors mounted in the bottom bracket, where it’s central and can provide power to the rear wheel through the cargo bike’s drivetrain.

Other electric cargo bikes may have a rear-hub motor – the Mycle Cargo is an example.

Recognising the potential of the electric cargo bike market, both Shimano Steps and Bosch, brand leaders in electric bike motors, have released cargo-specific versions of their electric bike drive systems.

These have high torque output and a power delivery curve that’s geared to getting the extra weight of a loaded electric cargo bike moving.

Bosch

Bosch’s Cargo Line motors give 85Nm torque and 250 watts of assistance, and can provide up to 400 per cent of the rider’s power output. They also provide walk assist and a hill hold function so your bike won’t roll back downhill if you stop. Bosch offers an anti-lock braking system for electric cargo bikes using its system.

Shimano has a range of three Steps cargo bike motors with 250 watts power output, either with 85Nm or 65Nm of torque. Like Bosch, it offers ABS.

Shimano also has automatic gear shifts as an option and free shift, where you can initiate a gear change when you’re not pedalling. Shimano’s drivetrain tech includes Linkglide, designed specifically to be more durable for electric bike use.

Other brands provide motors that are fitted to electric bikes, although they may not be specifically designed or tuned for high-load, low-speed cargo bike use.

In the EU, a separate class of electric cargo bikes can be powered by more powerful 1,000-watt motors and throttle operated rather than requiring pedal input to provide assistance.

Riders must hold a licence to operate them and, as electric bike law dictates for other ebikes, assistance is speed-limited at 25kph.

Which brands make electric cargo bikes?

Tern Bicycles

Electric cargo bikes are sold by quite a range of brands. Some are well-known, but others are smaller outfits that specialise in cargo bikes. Brands with an extensive range of electric cargo bikes include Riese & Müller from Germany, Tern from Taiwan and Surly in the US.

We’ve already mentioned Dutch brand Bakfiets, which makes exclusively electric and pedal-only cargo bikes.

Some big players see the potential in electric cargo bikes too; Raleigh and Cube sell a range of models and Specialized is about to launch its own electric cargo bikes.

Accessories

Steve Sayers / Our Media

Many electric cargo bikes offer the ability to fit more than one battery to up the bike’s range.

Shimano, for example, has opened up its Steps electric motors so you can fit multiple batteries, including high-capacity options from third-party battery makers.

That opens up very high battery capacity options of up to 3,000Wh from four batteries, to give the range for intensive day-long use.

Often, there’s a variety of accessories sold by the cargo ebike’s maker. If the bike doesn’t come ready-equipped to carry cargo, the brand may sell purpose-made boxes or open baskets.

You may be able to buy seats for transporting children or adults, rain covers and lockable tops. Some electric cargo bikes have been designed to accept standard accessories such as child seats. We mentioned fitting a bike trailer above.

Many electric cargo bikes come ready-fitted with other useful accessories such as a kickstand, which needs to be extra-robust to handle the weight of the bike and its load. Often, you’ll get lights too, which may be powered by the motor’s battery.

What else to consider?

Tern Bicycles

The main issue with an electric cargo bike is where to store it. Most are substantially larger than a standard bike, so you need extra room, particularly if you have boxes attached for load-lugging.

The Tern Quick Haul is designed so you can stand it on its rear rack when not in use, but you may need a dedicated storage area such as a garage to store an electric cargo bike.

Where you store the bike needs to be on the flat too – you’re not going to want to lug a 30kg electric bike up stairs. Walk mode can make off-bike manoeuvring easier.

You may also need an electric power output close to where you keep your electric bike. Many electric bikes have removable batteries, so you can take them indoors to charge, but some may not. It may be more convenient anyway to charge the battery in situ.

Charge times can be several hours, so if your bike is used intensively, you may need spare batteries to keep the motor running. Electric bike batteries are usually quite expensive, so spares will add significantly to the purchase cost.

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