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Volkswagen gives e-bikes a rear camera and radar
Volkswagen and n+ have unveiled e-bikes with a rear camera, radar, smart lighting, and connected gear aimed at safer city riding.
Image: ITzine
Volkswagen has unveiled a new electric bike lineup with features more commonly associated with cars: a rear-view camera, radar, a digital handlebar display, and smart lighting. Built with n+, the project is aimed at urban commuting, where rear visibility and being seen in traffic matter most.
The standout feature is Smart View, which combines a rear camera with radar that tracks fast-approaching cars. The live image is shown on a display integrated into the handlebar, reducing the need for riders to keep looking over their shoulder in dense traffic.
The lighting system is built directly into the frame as an LED strip. During the day it works as a running light, turns red while braking, and flashes yellow when turning. That is useful not just for the rider but also for drivers, who get clearer signals about what the cyclist is about to do before the maneuver happens.
Volkswagen is also building an accessory ecosystem around the bike. A smart helmet syncs with the lighting system, shows its own signals, and can detect a crash before sending a message to preselected contacts. Smart glasses display navigation and warnings directly in the rider’s field of view.
Key features mentioned by the company include:
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- Rear camera with video output to the handlebar display
- Radar for detecting fast-approaching cars
- LED light strip with daytime running, braking, and turn-signal modes
- Smart helmet with crash alerts for contacts
- Smart glasses with navigation prompts and warnings
For Volkswagen, this is also a move into a category where carmakers have long looked for new formats. Porsche and BMW have also released electric bikes and related accessories, but they have generally focused more on branding and mechanical design than on a package of electronic driver-assistance-style features. That makes Volkswagen’s approach stand out for bringing automotive sensors and signaling into the e-bike segment.
The timing also fits the market. In large cities, e-bike sales are growing faster than conventional bicycle sales, and buyers increasingly expect more than just an electric motor. If these features do not remain an expensive showcase, Volkswagen and n+ could soon find themselves facing a much broader field of rivals, from major carmakers to specialist e-bike brands.
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
