Skoda’s e-bike concept comes with ABS, cruise control and a heated saddle

Skoda has packed its Klement e-bike concept with tech that you’d normally except to find on its cars. That includes cruise control, anti-lock braking and a heated saddle and handlebar.

The Klement includes inductive charging of its 1250Wh batteries, so that it doesn’t need to be plugged in to reach its 60km-plus range. The 4kW rear hub motor is designed to keep the e-bike rolling at up to 45kph and the e-bike uses regenerative braking to top up the battery when you need to slow down or hold your speed on a downhill.

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This means that the e-bike can be controlled via a single accelerator/brake control, rather than needing separate brakes. Skoda’s target weight for the Klement is 25kg.

There’s also smartphone connectivity, something that many e-bikes already offer. This lets you check battery level and provides other functions such as emergency calling and remote diagnostics.

Skoda says that the Klement is designed to look ahead at the future of micromobility. It also looks back to the company’s past: Skoda was founded 125 years ago by Laurin and Klement and began its life making bicycles.

According to Guido Haak, Head of Product Management at Škoda, “Micromobility is becoming increasingly important in cities. By presenting the Klement at the Geneva Motor Show, we are showcasing our vision for the future of micromobility: sustainable, innovative, electric and with a pure, modern design.”

Skoda says that agile vehicles like the Klement make the daily commute to work in densely populated urban areas easier, for example, and are therefore becoming increasingly important there. This two-wheel concept was designed to cater for young people who are looking for a sustainable alternative to a car and who expect it to be easy to use, fun, as well as faster and more convenient than a conventional bicycle.

But what you don’t get with the Klement are any pedals: there are just pegs to rest your feet on, rather than any rider-driven mechanicals. The footrests are pushed forward to accelerate and pivoted backwards to slow down.