eBikeLabs launches upgraded anti-theft system for e-Bike fleets

E-Bike fleet technology firm eBikeLabs has upgraded its eBikeSafe anti-theft system, designed specifically to deter and inhibit thieves targeting electric bike sharing schemes.

Showcased at this week’s MOVE 2020 mobility event in London, the integrated system replaces hardware locks and instead blocks the wheel of the e-Bike using the motor itself.

The only practical way to bypass eBikeSafe is to destroy parts of the drive system which will make the e-Bike inoperative. eBikeLab’s vehicle control unit is uniquely paired with the battery making it impossible for them to work separately, so when a user locks the e-Bike through the smartphone app or the operators back end, every electronic component is shut off.

This means thieves will be unable to use the e-Bike properly or resell the battery due to the component identities being linked. The motor also uses both the thief’s own force as well as any battery energy to counter any movement.

eBikeSafe works even if the electric bike has an empty battery, and can be integrated into any e-Bike equipped with a wheel motor. The e-Bike will continuously emit a loud noise and flash its lights during a theft attempt.

eBikeLabs created the new anti-theft technology in response to other forms of security on the market which it feels didn’t quite do enough to prevent and deter thieves. Other e-Bike fleet security measures, such as electronic frame locks, are breakable and can be reasonably easily navigated by thieves, whereas electronic cable locks, while a little better in providing additional security to e-Bikes, are still breakable.

eBikeLabs has designed the anti-theft system specifically for bike sharing schemes, in a bid to prevent theft forcing e-Bike sharing companies to drop or abandon operations. Several bike share schemes such as Mobike and Ofo have abandoned their operations in many locations as a result of theft, vandalism and cash flow issues.

The firm believes understanding the local problem, and the behaviour of thieves operating there, is the most important factor in choosing a theft deterrent system, and those fleets which adopt the most reliable anti-theft measures will become more sustainable and profitable as a result.

In February last year, the firm was selected by Allianz France to participate in a co-acceleration programme with Toyota Tsusho Europe, dedicated to working on new and urban mobility challenges in the e-bike mobility market, such as dockless bike-sharing schemes.

eBikeLabs is currently awaiting a global patent for its eBikeSafe technology.