When it comes to EVs, Polestar has been one of the hottest names to watch in 2022. The Swedish company is poised to hit 50,000 orders by the end of the year thanks in part to a 125 percent jump in sales during the first half. Now, it’s planning to pivot its EV success to the increasingly competitive world of electric two-wheelers.
As reported by The Verge, Polestar’s CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, confirmed the company’s intentions to build its own electric bike with the help of Allebike, a previous collaborator that helped Polestar make a non-electric mountain bike.
A bike company — Polestar choosing to turn its attention to e-bikes isn’t even necessarily the most interesting part of Ingenlath’s confirmation, it’s how the company plans to go about its e-bike ambitions.
Unlike other major brands, Polestar plans to do more than license its name for an e-bike — it wants to help design and make it. As noted by The Verge, Polestar actually designed the frame in its previous collab with Allebike.
This is what Ingenlath told the publication:
“I always hated that marketing stunt of buying a bike and then just putting your brand on it.”
Ingenlath isn’t wrong. While companies like Jeep and Bugatti have entered the e-mobility space, their forrays have been in name only. The e-scooters from both companies merely carry their branding, while the actual manufacturing of the scooters is outsourced by more established companies (in Jeep’s case, by Razor).
Realistically, Polestar doesn’t currently have the name recognition to sell e-bikes based on its branding alone, but it’s still nice to see a company with skin in the game.
This isn’t Polestar’s first brush with e-bikes. The automaker has previously worked with Cake to devise a Polestar edition of the company’s high-end Makka bike. The results are pretty spiffy, and leverage the Polestar’s battery to charge the Makka as it’s being carted around on a specially designed rear tow bar mount.
The move to test the e-bike water also shows what a burgeoning market electric mobility has become. E-bikes occupy more than just a hobbyist space, they’re full-on commute replacers. Having tested a brand-name e-bike, the Super73-Z Miami, I can attest to just how luxurious an e-bike can feel.
A growing trend — Clearly, EV-makers have recognized an opportunity in the e-mobility space, and with the backing of battery tech and manufacturing expertise, it’s a natural transition for an EV company.
Upstarts like Polestar aren’t the only ones interested in e-mobility, either. Legacy automakers like BMW have kickstarted their own ventures to a pretty exciting effect — love it or hate it, BMW’s CE 04 moped has a bold design.
There’s no release date for Polestar’s first e-bike. For now, we’ll have to hope its brush with Cake, and their tasteful lineup of feature-rich e-bikes, has rubbed off in a good way.
