Originally Posted by bargainguy

Not the first time we've seen this. Remember the Lee Iococca e-bike?

What really happened here: GM had a partnership with BionX, a manufacturer of electric hub motors and batteries, to develop a mid-drive (crank) motor. BionX had a good rep for hub motors. It was being used in several Trek electric bikes, and was also sold as a stand-alone kit DIY for conversions of standard and folding bikes. But BionX went belly up this year, leaving a lot of folks on the hook - including those that had invested in their technology and system.

So now GM has some leftovers from the BionX departure, and they're planning to use them. I wish them luck. There is a reason BionX went belly up - they had a hard time competing with cheaper Chinese import hub motors. Bosch and Panasonic have the lead in developing mid-drive motors, so whatever GM brings to table is several years behind unless they have something truly revolutionary. We'll see.