Australia seems to be perennially behind on this stuff. Anyone got any good recommendations, preferably high-quality local manufacturers? I’m moving home this year and am in the market.
There are no local, let a lone high quality builders in Australia. The best you can do if price is no issue is an overpriced Yuba, or a severley overpriced Turn.
For a slightly better deal, maybe get an electric conversion.. but what to put it on? Maybe a Yuba Combi? I'm hoping Radwagon comes to AU soon.
If you are in a place with lots of cargo frames, you could bring it with you. Batteries, wheels and components we have.
'Urban Arrow' cargo bikes seem popular in Amsterdam (with piles of kids being the typical cargo). They seem to be available in Australia too.
As a car replacement Urban Arrow could work it is availoable and I have seen it. cargocycles.com.au lists most commonly available e-cargo bikes. I now remember that volitionebike.com is the closest thing to an AU company doing e-bikes but they are not rally cargo carriers any more than a standard bike. One could also if lucky find a Surly Trucker or a Kona Ute - but these always sell out and would have to be ordered in for next year.
For me, the Urban Arrow is a beast, about $10k and around 50kg. I'd go for something like the Yuba Spicy Curry long tail rather than a bakfiet such as the Arrow. With the long tial you can hop up on curbs and be nimble. Unlike Amsterdam, Aussie cities are not made for bikes. You would pretty much have to run the Arrow on the roads against cars, which when limited to our 250w/25kmh limits on e-bikes might not be so fun.