Van Moof: the Tesla of electric bikes

Van Moof is the maker of electric bikes you’d love to steal, says Thomas Ricker on The Verge. The new model of the Electrified S2 bike comes with a glossy coat of paint – giving it more of a premium look than the rough, anodised aluminium frames of the older models – and the iconic front and rear lights have been redesigned and are now better integrated into a re-engineered aluminium frame, now devoid of welding seams. “The result is incredibly sleek, approaching a fit and finish we’ve grown accustomed to seeing on highly refined products from Apple or Tesla.”

VanMoof’s bikes have an “unusual and eye-catching geometry”, agrees Martin Love in The Guardian. “It’s a look that is not to everyone’s taste, but once you realise how clever these bikes are in every other respect, you’ll quickly begin to fall into line.” The new S2 has an intelligent motor that generates more power with greater efficiency and an increased range of 93 miles, as well as a “smile-inducing turbo boost”. To ride, the S2 is “whisper quiet and very comfortable”.

If you’re worried about the bike looking a little too appealing, VanMoof has a “grand strategy of securing its bikes by making aspiring thieves move on to targets that are easier to steal and sell”, says Ricker. The Stealth Lock is “unlike any bike lock you’ve seen” – a metal bolt can be pushed into place either manually or electronically by the accompanying app. Should anyone persevere, the bikes sounds an alarm.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Obviously a determined thief can “simply walk or drive off with the bike”, says Micah Toll on Electrek. And “that’s where VanMoof’s GPS integration comes in” and the company takes matters into its own hands. VanMoof employs its own teams – known as BikeHunters – that physically track down and presumably steal back your bike for you, all for a nominal fee of £100. And if they can’t get it back, they replace it.

Reservations open for S2 at £2,398, see VanMoof.com/en_gb/bikes

This article was first published on MoneyWeek.com