E-bikes get a bad rap, and deservedly so. Early models were ugly, heavy, repair-prone, and expensive. In fact, calling them bikes at all can be stretch–some throttle-controlled models, like the 50 mph Stealth Bomber, are more like souped up scooters.

Leave it to the Netherlands, the most bike-centric country in the world, to bring some sanity and design chops to the category. The new Vanmoof 10 Electrified is everything an e-bike should be. It's light (42 pounds), reasonably priced ($2,998, compared to the $11,000 Stealth Bomber), and dependable (just plug and play).

More importantly, it doesn’t look like an e-bike. That likely explains the 2014 Red Dot Design Award, the Oscar of the industrial design community. Judges gushed over the scratch-resistant aluminum frame, and the integrated LED lights flanking the top tube. Dutch engineers also managed to pack five battery cells in there without bloating the frame–no small feat.

The Electrified is a "pedelec," meaning the 250-watt motor won't engage unless the pedals are moving. With the help of a crank-mounted sensor, an on-board computer system calculates the rider's pedaling output and adjusts the motor output accordingly. It's all part of Vanmoof's take on smart power assistance technology, something we've seen before in e-bikes to varying degrees, like in the Faraday Porteur. The company says its own implementation can seamlessly boost a rider's own pedaling power by as much as 80 percent. That extra juice makes climbing a steep incline or rushing to make a yellow light feel as effortless as traversing a stretch of flat pavement.

A small key fob and "dashboard" interface, mounted near the handlebars, allows the owner to turn the bike on and off remotely and view battery life and motor power at a glance. A full charge from empty takes 3 hours, and yields between 19 and 37 miles of power. Mileage will vary depending upon mode, rider weight and weather conditions. Speed tops out at 18 mph–fast enough to pass most cyclists on the way to work, but not so fast that a cop would pull you over. The GPS tracking chip, controlled by a smart phone app, is another feature worth considering. Several Electrified 10s were stolen during a recent Vanmoof pilot program, and police recovered each one.