/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22269791/red_bike_bbdc99c6_d4fd_4e4b_a5d9_7e941d27f36e.jpg "Polestar CEO doesn't want the company's first electric bike to be a marketing gimmick")
© Photo: PolarsternPolestar makes its own electric bike. In a recent interview with The Verge , Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath confirmed that the company is working with Swedish company Allebike on a battery-powered two-wheeler, which he previously worked with on Polestar's non-electric mountain bike.
But with those words, Ingenlath said he knows what it feels like when an auto company turns onto the bike lane. “I always hated that marketing gimmick of buying a bike and putting your brand name on it,” Ingenlath said in an interview.
Ingenlath's skepticism is justified. When you hear of automakers releasing their own electric bikes, it's often just a brand licensing deal. Think Jeep electric bikes, those Hummer bikes from the last decade or the new Hummer electric bikes. In other cases, it's a high-profile project that ultimately falls victim to corporate cost-cutting, like General Motors' Ariv electric bikes.
"I've always hated the marketing gimmick of buying a bike and putting your brand name on it."
Polestar's first electric bike won't be a licensing deal. Pointing to the Polestar-made Allebike mountain bike, he noted that "this frame is actually our frame." Ingenlath said he admires how bike engineers "fight for every gram" when designing a frame that will stand up to the rigors of cycling while retaining all of the components.
"Yes, that's something we're looking at," he added.
Polestar isn't the only automaker seeing the potential in electric bikes. Porsche recently introduced the premium Sport and Cross electric mountain bikes. The German automaker has also acquired two e-bike subsidiaries in recent months: Croatian e-bike company Greyp and Fazua, an e-bike motor manufacturer specializing in lightweight motors.
BMW has also released several electric bike concepts that could go into production alongside its cyberpunk-themed electric moped. And Rivian has filed a trademark application for a new line of electric bikes.
In addition to collaborating with Allebike, Polestar has also worked with electric motorcycle brand Cake on a customized version of the Swedish company's Makka moped. The two companies unveiled the concept as “a new and unique electric mobility package that combines the versatile on-road capabilities of the Polestar 2 with the city-centre convenience of the CAKE Makka,” with photos showing the Cake moped mounted behind the stand. Polestar 2 Sedan.
Polestar is likely to market its new electric bike on similar terms. "I'm all for mobility pluralism," Ingenlath told The Verge . "I hate it so much when people say, 'Ah, we don't need cars.' I mean, obviously we need cars. I like having a car. But I don't want to use it every day. I like to use it when I like to use it.
And he adds: “Bikes, buses, any means of transport. shake".
