Bosch eBike Systems latest anti-theft measures “make resale nearly impossible”

Bosch eBike Systems has extended its anti-theft measures through software, making it more difficult to sell stolen eBikes and providing further assurances to the second-hand market, indicating further maturation of the eBike market.

Revealed the new tech at huge show CES in Las Vegas this week, Bosch eBike Systems latest anti-bike theft solutions allow riders to mark their eBikes as stolen through the eBike Flow app. This makes stolen components permanently identifiable across the brand’s digital eco-system – meaning that second-hand buyers, dealers and authorities will get an instant warning when attempting to connect to the eBike via the eBike Flow app, including serial numbers of the components marked as stolen.

The new feature is a new update for the eBike Flow app, so there is no additional hardware required.

Theft is thought to be a significant barrier to bike purchases and more significantly for (typically) higher value eBikes. Bosch’s previous anti-theft measures have included the eBike Lock in 2018, which was supplemented by eBike Alarm and Battery Lock alongside other software measures.

Bosch listed the customer benefits of the new solution:

1.System-wide devaluation: Stolen eBikes become worthless to thieves. The”stolen” status is visible to bicycle dealers, potential second-hand buyers, authorities and other eBike Flow app users, making resale nearly impossible.

2.Increased chance of recovery: The ecosystem-wide identification significantly improves recovery likelihood. When a bicycle dealer connects the eBike to the Bosch Diagnostic Tool, or a potential buyer tries to pair it with the eBike Flow App, a warning is displayed, making the stolen property easily identifiable.

3.Access restriction as deterrent: It renders the eBike less useful for an unauthorised person by permanently blocking the connection to the eBikeFlow App. This prevents access to functions like over-the-air updates or individual ride mode adjustments.

4.Owner control and simplicity: The eBike can be marked as stolen with just a few clicks in the app, and only the registered owner can remove the flag once the eBike is recovered. This action also provides the option to immediately create a theft report for the police