Meet the Tern HSD: Our Best Compact E-Cargo Bike for City Life

Small enough for city streets, strong enough for everything you need to carry, and built to take the stress out of everyday life.

Mighty but Mini

A compact electric cargo bike that surprises with big-bike capability. The new HSD carries passengers and cargo with exceptional stability, while staying nimble in crowded streets and remaining delightfully easy to ride. Smart, strong, and effortlessly smooth, it’s everything you need from a cargo bike, without the unwieldiness you’d expect from one.

SEE THE MODELS

A mom on Tern HSD e-cargo bike with a kid on the rear passenger seat and a dog in the front pet carrier.

Passenger Capacity

190 kg

Max Gross Vehicle Weight

Smart System

Bosch eShift

Engineered for Heavy Hauls

HSD carries big without riding big. The latest frame is even stiffer, minimizing flex for a stable, composed ride. Optimized geometry, a longer wheelbase, and a lower center of gravity further improve stability at speed and when fully loaded. Despite being shorter than a regular bike, HSD carries up to 190 kg (419 lb), including 80 kg (176 lb) on the rear rack.

A man rides a Tern HSD with an adult passenger on the rear seat and a dog in the front pet carrier.

Set It Up Your Way

Supported by a full range of accessories to meet different needs, HSD shifts roles as your life moves along. Carry a child from toddler to teen in any weather, fit an adult friend or partner comfortably in the back, or bring your dog for the ride. Add racks, panniers, or tow a trailer—HSD configures to fit your life, your way.

1 Child

1 Adult

Sun Protection

Rain Protection

Pet

Space-Saving Design

Tern HSD e-cargo bike parked vertically in the corner

Vertical Parking

Your family eBike is best protected from the elements and theft when kept indoors, but space is often a luxury in the city. HSD parks vertically, shrinking to the footprint of a potted plant so it fits neatly into tight corners.

A guy rolling Tern HSD cargo e-bike vertically through the elevator

Vertical Rolling

Who says electric cargo bikes can’t handle tight living spaces? Flip HSD upright and roll it vertically through narrow hallways and into elevators. Vertical rolling makes moving and storing a cargo bike convenient, even in small apartments.

A man loading a flat-folded Tern HSD cargo e-bike into a car trunk

Flat-Folding

Most cargo bikes are too bulky to load into a car. But not HSD. Its patented Physis Handlepost™ folds down in seconds without tools, turning HSD into a flat, transport-friendly package that fits in the back of an SUV or van with room to spare.

Certified Safe

Cargo Bike Safety
EN 17860 (190 kg)

HSD’s frame and fork are third-party tested and certified to EN 17860, the European safety standard for cargo bikes, using forces scaled to a 190 kg test load. This ensures it can safely support the weight of everything and everyone on board.

Rear Rack Safety
ISO 11243

Strong and stiff with a heavy-duty 80 kg max load capacity, the Atlas H Rack is ISO 11243 certified through rigorous third-party testing, so you can carry your cargo and passenger with peace of mind.

Electrical Safety
UL 2849

The full HSD e-bike is certified to UL 2849, covering the battery, motor, charger, wiring, and controls as an integrated system for advanced electrical and fire protection, providing reliable performance during riding, charging, and storage.

Bosch Motor Upgrades

Bosch Gen 5 Perfomance and Perfomance PX motors on Tern HSD Gen 3 e-cargo bike

Bosch Motor Upgrades

More Power

Bosch Gen 5 Performance and Performance PX motors pack more power and torque into every ride, turning that steep, avoided hill into an easy climb—even with a heavy load.

Less Weight

400 g lighter than previous generation motors for improved handling and efficiency.

Virtually Silent

Refined to achieve exceptionally low motor noise, delivering a quiet, unobtrusive ride experience.

Bosch eShift

Adaptive & Precise Shifting

HSD features Bosch eShift technology to take the effort out of shifting, delivering precise gear changes exactly when needed. On a heavily loaded cargo bike, the drivetrain is under constant strain, especially with an electric motor. eShift helps optimize shifting under load, reducing unnecessary drivetrain stress and promoting smoother operation for improved durability over time.

High-Torque Ready: 3X3 NINE

German-crafted 3X3 NINE, available on HSD S9i, is a 9-speed internal gear hub engineered for the heavy-duty demands of e-cargo bikes. A 554% gear range, wide gear steps that reduce the need to shift frequently, and a fully sealed gearbox result in consistently reliable, low-maintenance performance on hills and flats, while auto downshift ensures easier starts.

Watch: A Developer’s Look at the New HSD

What’s New & Improved?

Why HSD?

It Hauls More, Safely

It Hauls More, Safely

Rugged New Frame

Ultra-stiff, third-party tested and certified to handle a best-in-class max load capacity of 190 kg.

Robust Rear Rack

Built tough to support up to 80 kg, and spacious enough for an adult passenger or big cargo.

Reliable Braking

Count on Magura hydraulic disc brakes for dependable stopping, even when heavily loaded and in the rain.

It’s a Smart eBike

Bosch display and control unit on HSD handlebar

electronic ebike lock and battery lock connected to Kiox 300 Display

ebike alarm and GPS tracking feature connected to display

Mark as Stolen feature displayed on eBik Flow App

It’s a Smart eBike

Bosch Smart System

Connected riding through the Flow app, with smarter insights, personalized bike settings, and enhanced theft protection*, all supported via Bluetooth connectivity to your phone.

* May require Bosch ConnectModule and/or Flow+ subscription. Find out more.

Bosch eShift

Wireless for a clutter-free cockpit, with fast, precise shifts that adapt to your effort and riding condition.

* On HSD S9i

eBike Lock & Battery Lock

Use your phone or Kiox 300 display as a digital key to lock the motor and battery while you’re away, disabling these major components and making them useless to thieves.

Smart Alarm & GPS Tracking

Smart Alarm triggers acoustic and visual alerts and sends automatic notifications to your phone if your bike is disturbed. You can also see its location and track its movement, and quickly create a theft report with key details to support recovery.

Mark as Stolen

In the event of theft, use your phone to mark your e-bike or battery as stolen, helping deter resale and improve your chances of recovery.

It’s Got the Upgrades You Want

Suntour Suspension Fork on Tern HSD Gen 3

Cane creek suspension seatpost on Tern HSD S9i

It’s Got the Upgrades You Want

Gates Belt Drive

Silent and smooth, it far outlasts chains, resists salt and grit, and requires virtually no maintenance—just hose it down and ride.

* On HSD S9i, P5i, and P00

Suntour Suspension Fork

Smooths out rough roads for a more comfortable ride. Third-party tested and certified to support up to 190 kg max load.

Cane Creek Suspension Seatpost

Absorbs pesky bumps and vibrations to reduce road impact on your body, keeping your ride comfortable, more enjoyable, and longer-lasting.

* On HSD S9i

AXA Frame Lock

Reliable and convenient security for your e-bike, keyed alike with the Bosch battery so you can use a single key for both.

Why Choose Tern?

Our Commitment to You

At Tern, we are committed to ensuring you get the best bicycle ownership experience with a bike you’ll enjoy riding for years to come. All Tern bikes are backed by a 10-year limited warranty*, and for components like the battery that are essential for keeping our Bosch electric bikes on the road, we pledge to ensure the availability of replacement parts for a minimum of 7 years from the date of purchase.

* Available to riders who sign up for Tern Care.

Local Expert Service

E-bikes are complicated machines that require regular service by trained professionals. HSD is only sold through Bosch-certified local Tern dealers to guarantee it is built and tuned by experienced mechanics, and that you’re within reach of expert support to keep your bike in optimal condition.

The Bosch Difference

With a longstanding track record of automotive and electronics excellence, Bosch brings the same high-quality standards they’ve become synonymous with to the e-bike world, supplying precisely-engineered, certified e-bike systems backed by a vast network of well-trained, well-supplied dealers and service centers you can count on.