Volkswagen is stepping deeper into the e-bike world. Together with partner n+, the carmaker will unveil the Volkswagen Smart eBike at IFA Berlin next month, promoting it as “the world’s safest eBike” — a claim built on technology borrowed directly from the automotive sector.
The centerpiece is Smart View, described as the first fully integrated, radar-activated rear-view camera system on a production e-bike. A radar-camera unit housed in the rear mudguard continuously scans traffic up to 70 metres behind the rider, while a full-colour handlebar display can show a live rearward feed, ride data, or switch automatically to the camera view the instant a faster vehicle approaches. An orange alert bar and blind-spot warnings flag incoming traffic several seconds before it can be seen or heard — a real concern in an era of near-silent electric cars.
The radar also talks to full-length LED strips on the top tube, which brighten automatically during an overtake and double as turn signals and brake lights. Beyond the bike itself, VW is pairing the system with 47-gram heads-up display glasses that project blind-spot alerts and navigation into the rider’s field of view, plus a MIPS-equipped smart helmet with over 500 lumens of lighting, mirrored brake and turn signals, and automatic crash detection that can notify emergency contacts.
Visitors to IFA’s Mobility Track will be able to test the complete ecosystem on a demo course. Whether riders want this much car tech on a bicycle remains an open question — but the blind-spot problem it targets is very real.
Source: Cycling Industry News