Porsche has been building bicycles for decades, and they’ve become quite popular among Porsche-driving enthusiasts who like to support the company in all of their endeavors. Back in 2010, Porsche introduced the Hybrid RS mountain bike (below), with a rear wheel hub electric motor to assist riders. It wasn’t exactly the most popular thing, as the electric assist was a short 30 miles and not very strong (note the small water-bottle-shaped battery and controller on the upright).
Built by Austrian EV bike manufacturer Simplon, the Hybrid RS was a half-measure at best, and not a very good one. As teased in the new Panamera Mission E Cross Turismo video (below), Porsche looks to be rolling out a new hybrid bicycle. This time the design appears to use advanced materials and larger integrated batteries to provide what we hope would be a longer range and more power assist. An added benefit, it provides the bike a futuristic look that matches the EV propulsion. It looks great.
There has been no indication of when it will reach production, but the bike looks to be ready for the spotlight. This would be a perfect little EV bike for my neighborhood, as the nearest grocery store is about 3 miles away, and I could easily nip up to the store with a backpack on. If I could get my weekly groceries without needing to pile into a sports car and do so without any emissions, I’d enjoy the ride.
Porsche EV App
Perhaps more interestingly, Porsche looks to be integrating the bike into a new app they’re also teasing. Porsche’s new app, as shown in the video above, appears to provide destinations for Porsche EV drivers to go to where their Turbo Charge stalls are available. In this theoretical application, there is a destination hotel with a Porsche-branded charger out front, and there are Porsche E-Bikes available to rent. The couple in the video booked a weekend at the hotel, charging for their Mission E, and a pair of E-Bikes to use in the surrounding terrain for a cute couples retreat. It’s a pretty nifty idea, but is it really going to be that seamless? Time will tell.
