The Mercedes Formula E Team Makes Electric Bikes Now
No, eBike, I am your father. Photo: N+ Works
Motorsport teams are always on the lookout for new ways to part fans from their hard-earned cash. Whether it’s branded baseball caps, swanky sunglasses or mini replica helmets, they’re experts at it. And now, the Mercedes Formula E squad has a new line of electric bikes desperate to deprive you of a few thousand dollars.
The range of four electric bikes has been created in partnership with bicycle builder N+ Works. The collaboration between the bike maker follows a similar partnership with the Mercedes Formula 1 team to build a bougie road bike inspired by each year’s F1 racer.
Now, N+ has worked together with the Mercedes EQ team to create four electric bikes, which start at $3,450.
The range includes the Formula E Team eBike, the Silver Arrows eBike, the Silver Arrows Sport eBike and the Championship Edition eBike, which was designed to honor the squad’s win in last year’s Formula E World Championship.
The Formula E Team eBike from N+ Works. Photo: N+ Works
All four bikes feature aluminum frames and forks, hydraulic disc brakes and carbon belt drive. They also include a display integrated into the handlebars to show your speed and battery level, which is pretty neat.
Also, N+ claims that all four bikes can recharge in three and a half hours, despite their varying battery sizes.
The “budget” Formula E Team eBike has a range of 40 miles and will hit 20mph thanks to its 250W motor and 7ah battery. The Silver Arrows eBike adds more battery, up to 17ah, which increases the range to 75 miles and the price to $4,500.
The Sport eBike will set you back $4,950 and lives up to its name with a bigger 500W motor that helps power it on to a top speed of 25mph.
Screen time. Photo: N+ Works
However, this pales in comparison to the Championship Edition eBike, which offers front suspension, a dual motor setup and twin 10Ah batteries that can power it up to 28mph for up to 75 miles. This $5,800 bike is also the only model offered as a single-speed, while the other three include a constant-variable transmission.
All four of these e-bikes look like a lot of fun. They have very sleek frames that hide the fact that they’re electrically-powered pretty well. I’m a fan of their styling.
They might not pack in tech directly lifted from the championship-winning Formula E team, but it’s a pretty neat collaboration that has spawned some very nice looking bikes.
It’s a shame the color options aren’t more inspiring. It’s a choice between black, silver or black and blue. But maybe next year when the team is rebranded in McLaren orange we might get a jazzier color palette.
