Vodafone provides a smart way to protect your E-Bike

E-bikes are everywhere. For a good reason— they’re affordable, environmentally friendly, and provide great exercise. No wonder their popularity has accelerated in recent years.

In 2022 alone, the EU exported 365 thousand electric bicycles. At the same time, the global e-bike market reached around 36.5 million units.

However, this boom has also led to a dramatic increase in bike thefts. Recent police statistics indicate that around 1.3 million bicycles are reported stolen annually across Europe.

What’s more, stolen bikes are notoriously hard to recover. So, if you consider an e-bike usually costs over 3000 euros, it’s understandable that owners are looking for better protection for their valuable assets.

Connecting anything, anywhere

Helping to pave the way towards digital, safer rides is IT’S MY BIKE.

Launched in 2018 by IoT Ventures, a German company developing pioneering IoT-based applications, IT’S MY BIKE helps owners track their bikes’ whereabouts through a global, platform-based solution provided by Vodafone Business.

Running on Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT), devices can talk and share information from anywhere, making it perfect for connecting hard-reach locations and meaning you can always locate your bike, wherever it is.

Utilising this technology, IT’S MY BIKE equips each e-bike with a GPS module and a Vodafone IoT SIM card that enables location monitoring via our powerful IoT platform.

Taking e-bike tracking to the next level

In contrast to other wireless technologies, our NB-IoT technology provides significant advantages due to its extended range, increased battery life, cost-effectiveness, and enhanced building penetration.

This enables the IT’S MY BIKE GPS module to track a range of actions, such as if a bike is moving or stationary. As well as its location, even from isolated areas such as basements or underground car parks.

For example, by using NB-IoT, IT’S MY BIKE can send a warning notification to owners if someone else is riding their bike.

It has other benefits too, such as an optional emergency assistance service that provides owners immediate support during theft or accidents. This means that if a fall is detected, a message is sent via the IT’S MY BIKE tech, triggering a call-out for emergency services to attend.

In addition, the solution is energy-efficient as the GPS tracker can be recharged from the e-bike’s battery without affecting the bike range.

By working together, we have successfully helped elevate IT’S MY BIKE’s operations and it plans to extend its services to encompass vehicle fleets and e-bike sharing soon.

This is an area where Vodafone already has strong credentials, particularly through our automotive arm. We not only support our business customers with urban mobility and fleet management, but we too are transitioning to electric vehicles within our own fleets.