Since 2009 the e-bike boom already accelerated, automotive manufacturers like Volkswagen, Ford, or latest Audi and Opel created eye-catching e-bike studies. A question was always: Will the vehicle reach production? Nearly as often as the question the answer was: „We do not know, but we analyze the possibility.“ Having seen quite a lot fascinating prototypes, I am more interested in concrete vehicles than in studies. Up to today I found two.

In 2010 Volkswagen presented an outstanding prototype of an e-bike. It was foldable by an intelligent mechanism and fitted into the space for the spare tire in the boot. Two years later they start to sell a pedelec with a battery on the rack and a motor in the front wheel – an average pedelec. Do they want to create the bike of the people?

Smart took another direction. In 2010 they showed a stylish pedelec with a rear motor and smart phone integration. 2011 realistic prototypes were published and now the company is on the way to conquer the market with a pedelec, which matches the style and the market segment of their car.