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Volkswagen’s e-bike adds radar and smart glasses
Volkswagen’s premium e-bikes add a rear camera, radar, blind-spot alerts, smart glasses and up to 160 km of range.
Image: ITzine
Volkswagen has brought car-style safety technology to electric bicycles, adding a rear camera, radar-based blind-spot warnings and optional smart glasses to its new premium e-bike lineup. The bikes were developed with n+, a company that previously worked with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
The lineup targets short urban trips, where cyclists can be difficult for drivers to spot. Volkswagen’s answer is an e-bike equipped with displays, lighting and rider-assistance systems normally associated with passenger vehicles.
Smart View, radar and rear camera
The main system is called Smart View. A screen mounted on the handlebars shows the feed from a rear-facing camera, allowing riders to check traffic behind them without repeatedly turning their heads. A radar system monitors vehicles in blind spots and warns when traffic is approaching quickly.
A light strip built into the bike’s top tube also improves visibility. It acts as a daytime marker, turns red when braking and switches to amber when the rider signals a turn.
© Volkswagen
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There are two versions: Sport and Crossover. Both provide pedal assistance up to 25 km/h, offer a range of up to 160 km, and support optional battery boosters.
Smart helmet and head-up display glasses
Volkswagen and n+ are also offering connected riding equipment. The smart helmet links to the bike over Bluetooth and synchronizes its lighting with braking and turn signals. An integrated accelerometer can detect a fall and send a notification to emergency contacts.
© Volkswagen
The most distinctive accessory is a pair of smart glasses with a head-up display. They can show navigation, blind-spot warnings and other ride information directly in front of the cyclist’s eyes.
The pricing makes the positioning clear: the Sport costs $3,999, while the Crossover costs $4,349. The smart helmet adds $399, and the smart glasses cost $499. Volkswagen is presenting the bikes as a technology showcase rather than a mass-market product, extending vehicle-style assistance and safety systems to two wheels.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via ITzine
