At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking that this is just another car manufacturer’s attempt at producing a bike, however what VW are offering is a bit different. This isn’t actually a bike at all but rather an electric scooter, see there are no pedals! The concept is that it will fold neatly and occupy the space normally taken by the spare tyre in your car’s trunk. As you drive along the car will charge the bike so that when you arrive at your destination you can unfold the bike and zoom about the city.
Apparently this is not just another car show concept and will definitely see the light of day. The batteries are good for 12.5mph and offer a range of about 12.5 miles but remember there are no pedals so if you run out of juice you are going to be stuck! The concept is that you can drive to the city, park on the outskirts, and use the VW Bik.e (as the concept is called) to continue your journey.
While this is a great looking design, I can see a couple of issues. Firstly, where does the spare tyre go now and what happens if you get a flat? Secondly, this is going to be expensive and maybe you would be better just buying a bike. Remember that a bike has a range of much more than 12.5 miles and with a decent level of fitness should be able to average close to 12.5mph! There are also some issues with how this concept complies with EU rules since the current legislation for power assisted bicycles require pedals.
If you want to hear what the marketing people at VW have to say about it here’s a video from the car show.
