Uber appears poised for a major expansion of electric bicycles on its ride-hailing app.

Uber imported about 8,000 e-bikes to the U.S. within a span of two weeks this month, signaling the ride-hailing app plans to accelerate alternative modes of transportation, according to container-ship data analyzed by Ocean Audit for USA TODAY.

"That's a remarkable number," said Steve Ferreira, CEO of Ocean Audit, which provides analysis of freight data to help companies save costs. "They’re putting their production on fast-forward."

The move is likely related to increased tariffs that take effect Jan. 1, when the cost of importing bikes would rise due to President Donald Trump's trade dispute with China, Ferreira said.

"It's a huge cost savings for them" to import them now, he said.

Shipping invoices indicate the bikes were made by Hong Kong's Progear China Co. and imported from China, with many initially destined for warehouses in California.

It's unclear when and where Uber will roll out the e-bikes, which provide users with a boost using a small electric motor that makes it easy to go uphill.

Ferreira said it's not uncommon for companies to import items to avoid upcoming tariffs and then store them for a period of time until they're ready to sell or use them.

According to shipping invoices, the bikes were imported through a limited-liability company known as Social Bicycles.

Social Bicycles is part of dockless bike-sharing firm Jump, which Uber acquired earlier this year. Jump had more than 12,000 bicycles in 40 cities across six countries in 2017.

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Uber recently started offering Jump e-bikes in certain cities through its main app.

An Uber spokesperson was not immediately available for comment Friday. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has directed the company to diversify its services by adding electric scooters, e-bikes and mass-transit connections through its app.

The move is part of a spike in bike-sharing networks in urban markets throughout the U.S., especially dockless bikes that can be unlocked with a smartphone. Dockless competitors include Limebike, MoBike, Ofo and Spin.

Uber rival Lyft earlier this year acquired bike-share network operator Motivate, whose operations include New York's Citi Bike network and the Ford-branded GoBike program in San Francisco.

The U.S. had more than 100,000 bikes in ride-sharing networks at the end of 2017, more than double a year earlier, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.