Transcending is a core concept, but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind…

A couple of weeks on from reflecting on the FOAK Valley of Death, I’ve been thinking about what comes next. Not just for early-stage innovation, but for the wider cargo and light electric mobility ecosystem. The conversation has moved quickly, helped along by some high-profile announcements that seem to signal a new phase of maturity. One in particular caught my attention.

The last week has been filled with headlines surrounding Also (a Rivian spinout) and their bold entry into the mobility market. The core message behind the launch? The theory of “transcending mobility.”

Also’s TM-Q
(Image Credit: https://ridealso.com/products/quad)

As serendipity would have it, that same principle of transcending has been bouncing around my head ever since returning from the International Cargo Bike Festival in Utrecht. The timing feels apt. Because if there’s one thing this corner of the mobility world could use right now, it’s a bit of transcendence — though perhaps not quite in the way the marketing teams mean it.

Transcending the bike-shaped bias

It’s still a space largely populated by people who love bikes. That’s no bad thing; it’s what built the movement. But it does mean the ecosystem often ends up designing, selling and defending products that enthusiasts find charming, but that don’t quite work for the mainstream.

There’s a tendency to accept quirks, compromises and costs that everyday users simply won’t tolerate. The culture still romanticises mechanical simplicity while the wider logistics world obsesses over uptime, total cost of ownership and serviceability. It’s an admirable passion, but one that can quietly limit commercial relevance.

Transcending the dependence on government

There’s also an enduring expectation that government will fix it through funding, regulation, or infrastructure. But history rarely supports that optimism.

Policy can accelerate, but it seldom leads. Real growth in cargo and light electric logistics will come from shifting the model: from pushing ideas people should try, to pulling demand through clear commercial advantage. The opportunity is there, but it needs to be made commercially irresistible, not just politically appealing.

Transcending the novelty — back to basics

It’s easy to be drawn to tech, design and clever integrations, but the fundamentals remain stubbornly simple:

Does this vehicle get the job done faster, at lower cost, with less hassle?

That’s the benchmark that logistics buyers live and die by. If the product can’t compete on those metrics, no amount of connectivity or carbon saving will make the sale stick.

In most industrial markets, Lo-Fi still wins. Simple, repairable, unglamorous. Cargo mobility might benefit from keeping that mindset front and centre of its future development.

Transcending fragmentation

A quiet but critical part of the ecosystem has been the network of independent workshops and mechanics keeping fleets of defunct startup bikes operational — often with little recognition or support.

They’re holding up the practical end of what “uptime” really means. If continuity and reliability are going to become industry norms, there needs to be greater alignment between those designing the vehicles and those keeping them alive.

Transcending the tech trap

The sector has become overly reliant on IoT layers and app ecosystems that add complexity faster than they add value. Many assume a perfect world of connected riders, stable brands and uninterrupted service.

But what happens when the company folds, or the app sunsets, or the next “upgrade” renders the fleet obsolete? In commercial operations, reliability trumps novelty. This is a question that I found myself repeatedly asking myself when discussing the ‘latest and greatest’ smart features.

Until uptime rivals that of traditional vans, it remains a niche. Not a replacement.

Transcending the current mindset

Ultimately, this all points to the same challenge: the need to move beyond enthusiasm and towards scalable, durable systems that meet the expectations of modern logistics.

Perhaps this is what Also, and indeed Honda with their recent steps into light electric mobility through Fastport, are signalling. Not just another generation of vehicles, but a different mindset entirely: one that treats utility, serviceability and uptime as the true design brief.

Honda’s Fastport e-Quadricycle
(Image Credit: https://professionalvan.com/

If that approach helps redefine what a cargo or utility platform can be, it might just prompt the level of transformation needed for the sector to finally deliver on its potential.

A huge thanks to Tom, Jos and the ICBF team for hosting such an inspiring, collaborative and informative event. In a financial climate that’s been far from easy, creating a space that felt optimistic, open and solution-focused was no small feat. That’s exactly the kind of energy this sector needs right now!