IN BRIEF
UTO, formerly Eovolt, made its name with folding bikes. The Lyon-based company is changing tack with the OG200, a two-seater electric cargo bike on fat tyres, announced at €2,499. On the menu: 200 kg of payload, 100 km of range and a 720 Wh battery. The brand openly targets drivers rather than experienced cyclists. It remains a 34 kg machine, halfway between a scooter and a fat bike.
| Price | 2 499 € |
| Payload | 200 kg |
| Claimed range | 100 km |
| Battery | 720 Wh |
| Motor | Bafang H550, rear hub, 60 Nm |
| Tyres | Schwalbe Super Moto X, 4 inches |
| Drivetrain | Shimano Tourney, 7 speeds |
| Brakes | Tektro hydraulic, 4-piston callipers |
| Weight | 34 kg |
| Rider heights | from 1.55 m to 1.90 m |
| Colours | 3 |
Two saddles in a row, four-inch tyres and 200 kilos of payload: the OG200 looks like nothing much else in the electric cargo bike catalogue. And its maker is not trying to sell it to cycling enthusiasts — rather to those who never ride at all.
A folding bike specialist shifts up a gear
UTO is the new name of Eovolt, a brand based in Genas, in the Lyon metropolitan area. It was known for its folding and compact bikes, cut out for multimodal commutes and easy storage. The OG200 takes the opposite line: a big frame, two seats, and a mission to replace the car rather than complement the train.
This is not a bike designed for seasoned cyclists.
UTO, on the OG200
The brand is therefore explicitly targeting non-cyclists. The bet: convincing reluctant drivers to get in the saddle, even if that means offering them a machine that looks like something they already know.
Half scooter, half fat bike
The OG200 sits on Schwalbe Super Moto X tyres 4 inches wide, the kind usually found on fat bikes. The 720 Wh battery is tucked under the saddle, scooter-style. At the rear, a twin coil suspension built into the triangle is meant to spare the passenger; at the front, a telescopic fork whose real usefulness is open to doubt, given how wide the tyres are.
This choice of geometry has a well-known downside. Bikes with fat tyres and a flat saddle are not renowned for how well they pedal, as several tests in the specialist press have already pointed out. UTO owns that, in the name of its target audience.
200 kg on paper, 60 Nm in the legs
On the spec sheet, the 200 kg payload suggests two adults, or one adult with children and luggage. In practice, the motor — a Bafang H550 rear hub — puts out only 60 Nm of torque. That is modest for hauling such a mass up a hill, all the more so since the bike already weighs 34 kg empty. A weight that also comes back to haunt its owner every time it has to be wheeled out of a cellar or squeezed into a lift.
Equipment stays entry-level: chain drive with a Shimano Tourney 7-speed derailleur, and Tektro hydraulic braking with four-piston callipers — reassuring, that one, for slowing down such a load.
A €2,499 bet
The price works in the OG200’s favour. At €2,499, it sits well below the market’s two-seater cargo bikes for adults: longtails and midtails able to carry two grown-ups usually go for between €3,000 and €5,000. UTO announces three colours, two saddle heights for riders from 1.55 m to 1.90 m, and distribution through a network of 1,000 dealers.
The intention holds up: widen the range, reach those who have never really pedalled, offer an alternative to the second car. One could have dreamed of a more versatile format — a midtail with a classic saddle, for instance, which would also have spoken to everyday cyclists. As it stands, the OG200 is aimed first at drivers no one expected to let go of the steering wheel. If a few of them take the plunge, that will already be a first pedal stroke won.
