Smarter eBiking in the future

Stuttgart/Reutlingen — Noticeably more comfortable, tailored to personal requirements and riding style, and getting smarter every day: Bosch eBike Systems provides a unique eBike experience with the smart system and writes the next chapter of future eBike mobility. “With our Connected Biking solutions, we complement the physical riding experience with a digital experience”, says Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems. “Now we are going one step further with the smart system. It provides digital features for endless riding enjoyment, which can be continuously enhanced. This is how we make the eBike fit for the mobility of the future.”

The eBike that evolves over time

The eBike Flow app is the central connection to the eBike with the smart system and thus perfectly connected with all eBike components. New and improved functions can be loaded directly onto the eBike via updates 'over the air'. For eBikers, this means: Your eBike with the smart system from Bosch is constantly evolving after purchase and the personal eBike experience is constantly enriched with new digital functions and services.

Increasing individualisation of the eBike

Features such as the customised riding modes in the new eBike Flow app are just the beginning. The technology of the smart system from Bosch eBike Systems is the basis for the further development of the eBike in terms of connectivity, individualisation and new services. The eBike is increasingly becoming a digital hub that offers a more personalised experience based on data and can be seamlessly connected with third-party services. “In the future, the eBike will automatically adjust to the rider’s personal needs. It adapts to our riding style, suggests routes that we enjoy and guides us safely from A to B. It gets to know our preferences and interests and thus offers a perfectly tailored eBike experience”, explains Fleischer.

Safety as a central topic of digitalisation

Individualisation, performance measurement, maintenance and service — there are countless possibilities with the smart, connected eBike. There is great potential in particular around the topic of safety. Digital solutions and services will ensure greater safety when riding — such as the virtual guardian angel that accompanies cyclists on their ride and calls for help in an emergency. They will also help to protect the eBike even better against theft — from digital locking of the bike to GPS tracking. “The future of smart eBiking is exciting and will offer a variety of new possibilities. One thing is for sure: Digitalisation will make eBiking more and more comfortable, easier and also safer. As a result, the riding enjoyment and experience come more to the forefront”, says Fleischer.

The eBike as part of the Internet of Things

Today, the connected eBike experience is still closely linked to the smartphone, which is connected to the Internet and can exchange data with the eBike via Bluetooth. In the future, however, people will not only be connected to their own eBike while cycling, but will be able to access their eBike from anywhere — whether it is in the garage or perhaps at the train station where it was parked in the morning. The eBike itself will even become part of the Internet of Things (IoT) — just like refrigerators, washing machines and lawnmowers already are. This makes the eBike part of the mobility of tomorrow, able to exchange data with other road users and the entire environment and communicate with them in this way; for a comfortable and safe riding experience.

Bike-to-X communication offers potential for road safety

The connectivity of eBikes with other vehicles and the infrastructure could increase road safety, especially in the city. This allows eBikes to connect with cars or trucks and give riders early warning. This would significantly reduce the dangers of blind spots for cyclists, for example, and prevent many of the accidents that occur when turning. Fleischer explains: “While the Car-to-X communication is slowly advancing, the Bike-to-X communication will certainly remain a pipe dream for many years to come. But we see great potential here to make eBiking even safer.”

Bosch with know-how in key technologies of the future

Unique expertise is available to Bosch eBike Systems for designing the connected eBike experience. As a pioneer, the company has significantly advanced the development of the eBike with innovative products and solutions. In addition, as part of the Bosch Group, Bosch eBike Systems contributes the Group’s expertise in important key technologies of the future: AIoT, i.e. the combination of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. This means, for example, that the arrival time of eBikers is estimated dynamically based on the experience of other cyclists and no longer just statically estimated according to the map.

eBike connectivity is redefining mobility

The prerequisite for fascinating new riding experiences in the connected world is the perfect interplay of hardware and software. The goal is to create seamless connectivity and further merge the cycling experience with the digital experience. “We are convinced that the fully connected, smart eBike will redefine the mobility of tomorrow, both for short trips in everyday life and for extended rides in leisure time”, says Claus Fleischer. “The smart system equips the eBike with more intelligence, comfort, and safety for the mobility of the 21st century. This is how we are turning our vision of the eBike mobility of the future into a reality, step by step.”