Yahoo Autos Why Automakers Are Suddenly Obsessed With E-Bikes
Who’s stoked to ride a bike built by Porsche?
The rise of electric bikes has been rumbling away for a few years now. In 2022, e-bike sales even outpaced electric and hybrid car sales here in the U.S. In fact, the global e-bike market is predicted to become an $80-billion industry by 2027. It should come as no surprise, then, that new brands are popping up in the e-bike space all the time. Sure, legacy bike builders like Specialized and Giant remain popular, but startups such as California-based RadPower Bikes and Dutch company VanMoof are helping drive new customers to two wheels. Car companies, already invested in battery and electric motor technology, are taking note.
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While most automakers pivot to EVs with the release of electric vehicles like the Kia EV6 or the Rivian R1T, others are also looking to add two-wheeled creations to their lineups.
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Like father, like son.
In the last 12 months alone, General Motors unveiled an electric bike that matches the stylings of its new Hummer EV, and Polestar announced plans for a limited edition e-bike of its own. But why?
“The Polestar editions of the Cake Makka and Allebike Alpha is a way of displaying our brands’ shared desire to accelerate the shift towards sustainable mobility,” a Polestar representative told Jalopnik.
Polestar has so far unveiled special-edition models created in partnership with bike maker Cake, and last year teased its ambitions to create a bespoke electric e-bike with Allebike. On that model, due to be unveiled later this year, the collaboration goes much deeper than a few design tweaks made to an existing ride.
According to Polestar, that upcoming collaboration is about “co-engineering and co-designing” the new bike. Projects such as this, Polestar says, are all about learning and uncovering values shared with different companies “with a true interest in biking and mobility.”
