VanMoof Announces Two New Electric Bikes
VanMoof recently revealed two new electric bikes, the X2 and S2. Both of them can charge to 100% in four hours or half that in 80 minutes. The range is reportedly 150 km or about 93 miles. Many of you might be wanting to know the top speed: 25-32 km/hr or 15-19 mph. Reservations were opened up to the public on June 7, for $100 / €100, and the first 2000 orders will be discounted considerably: $2,398 / €2,398 from the normal price of $3,398 / €3,398.
One thing that distinguishes VanMoof from other bike makers is the extent of its security measures. GSM and Bluetooth sensors are integrated into its smart bikes to track them if they are stolen. For a fee, owners can sign up for the company’s bike hunters program. When one of their smart bikes is stolen and is covered by the program, bike hunters will be dispatched to recover it based on the bike’s tracking data. If it can’t be recovered in 2 weeks or less, the owner gets a replacement free of charge.
While the bike theft measures might sound overly involved, the bikes protected by it cost between $2,000 and $3,400. Another security measure is a locking pin in the rear hub, which can’t be cut or melted with a torch. If that isn’t enough, an integrated alarm will sound if someone is tampering with the bike. The point of having such beefed up security is to not only prevent thefts but also to have potential thieves learn that VanMoofs are so much harder to steal, and that they would have better luck elsewhere.
“We can build bigger and tougher locks, or we can truly solve the problem by making our bikes pointless to steal in the first place. Using smart technology we’ve created a bike that can take perfect care of itself, leaving no more worries for the rider,” said VanMoof co-founder Taco Carlier.
The advanced security may be very appealing to urban dwellers who don’t own cars or trucks because it should decrease the risk of bike theft, which is very real in many cities.
VanMoof seems to have a very careful approach both to design and manufacturing, “Electrified bikes’ parts are designed in-house and then manufactured to spec by some 200 suppliers (tires being an obvious outlier). It’s a strategy not unlike Apple’s, with VanMoof wanting to own every aspect of the product and the customer experience. It’s this Jobsian approach to product design that allows VanMoof to seamlessly integrate features like the matrix display and Stealth Lock into the Electrified S2 and X2.”
Image Credit: VanMoof
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