Des Moines' Bike-sharing company, BCycle, is adding 65 electric bicycles to their fleet.
Mike Armstrong, director of planning and communications at Street Collective, hopes the e-bikes will make it easier for Iowans with mobility issues to ride long distances.
"There's no throttle on it, but while you're riding, it'll give you that little boost," Armstrong said. "So if you're on a hill, it flattens that out... It gives you that little push to make it that much easier."
The bikes, which will be located across the metro at BCycle kiosks in Des Moines, Windsor Heights, and Clive max out at 18-20 miles per hour. That means they'll be allowed on Des Moines area trails.
Riders won't have to charge them. Workers will swap out e-bike batteries once they're parked, and batteries will be charged at their hub located at theDes Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) headquarters.