VW Launches Car & e-Bike Combo

WOLFSBURG, Germany – Over a decade ago the Car & e-Bike folder concept was already being developed for Volkswagen by a Dutch design agency. It resulted in a prototype called ‘Tango’. That one never made it. Volkswagen own ‘Bik.e’ will definitely see production, and possibly even before the end of the year.

It’s widely considered as a threat to the current e-Bike trend; as car makers are to equip all their vehicles with electric folding bikes stowed as a spare tyre, sales of regular e-Bikes will surely be affected. It looks like that this is becoming reality as Volkswagen recently showed its micro mobility concept called ‘Bik.e’. 

The Volkswagen Bik.e is an electric folding bike weighing just under 20 kgs; top speed is 20 km/h and comes with frame integrated batteries which are continuously charged by the car’s electronics. Bik.e's folding mechanism enables the bike to sit above the spare tyre in the wheel well without taking up any of the luggage space of most vehicles, according to Volkswagen.

Remarkable is the fact that the Volkswagen Bik.e doesn’t comply with the current e-Bike legislation as it is clearly not a pedal assisted electric bicycle. The VW bike operates with a twist-and-go grip turning it into a vehicle that needs homologation according to EU laws. But as the VW cars already undergo such homologation procedures it will be interesting to see what this will bring about for the Bik.e.