Polestar reveals limited edition e-bike collaboration with Swedish start-up Cake

In addition to announcing its single-motor Polestar 2 prices - available from £45,900 in the UK - the Swedish auto company utilised IAA Mobility 2021 - better known as the Munich Auto Show - to reveal a first-of-its-kind pairing: a limited edition electric bike, called the Makka from (also Swedish) start-up Cake, which pairs with the Polestar 2.

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This isn't just a limited edition of the Makka though - an e-bike which already existed in an earlier format; although the Polestar edition does come with signature gold-accented rear suspension - but a full-fat collaboration in which car, bike, charging and systems synergise. 

The idea behind the project is, in essence, to assist the way we traverse cities, or perhaps explore rural outbacks where cars cannot easily reach. Certain urban hubs - such as Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, as just a handful of many examples pulled from our minds - are so traffic heavy with cars that it may not always make sense to get stuck in a jam. So why not drive your Polestar 2 to an out-of-town stop, release the Makka from the rear tow bar, then shoot off into town with less delay?

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It's an interesting idea, although not a completely original one. Companies far and wide have for many years been exploring ways to speed up, for example, deliveries in urban areas. Indeed, in the heart of Munich, the very city where IAA 2021 took place, the postal service use pedal tricycles down the bike lanes rather than on-the-road vans full of letters. It's just that, until recent times, such solutions haven't necessarily been electrified or as  efficient. 

The key thing to this Polestar and Cake project, however, is the way in which car and bike 'talk' to one another. The e-bike, which attaches to the rear of Polestar 2 in a currently not-operational prototype tow bar and cable combination, share the same operating system and the Makka can even recharge from the car as required. The systems know the overall battery capacity and range potential in a pairing. 

Far from just being mere concept, however, this Cake and Polestar 2 project is set to launch in the future - likely from 2022 or beyond, depending on how much additional work needs to be done - although there's currently no price.

So does it make sense? Perhaps not for many right now. In many ways, though, it's a savvy exploration of the conversation around mobility beyond the traditional formats - maybe you can have your Cake and eat it when it comes to getting about town, eh? Plus, with EVs growing exponentially in terms of purchase/leasing interest, who knows what the future holds. No doubt it'll be different to what was once the norm. 

Source : https://www.pocket-lint.com/cars/news/polestar/158273-polestar-cake-ebike-collaboration