No, that isn’t a typo it’s called the “Bik.e” although we’re unsure how you would pronounce that out loud. It’s made by Volkswagen (XETRA: VOW.DE) and it folds up in a remarkably clever and efficient manner (read: German manner) into something that fits into the spare tire well of your car. The Bik.e features a nifty in-frame lithium-ion battery pack that powers a hub motor on the rear wheel. The range is 12.5 miles and the top speed is, wait for it, 12.5 miles.

The lack of pedals would be an issue for me, anything over 12.5 miles and you’d be left slapping your feet on the ground for forward momentum like Fred Flintstone, although this could be quite fun it would get unfun as soon as you need to go uphill. The Bik.e is designed to charge whilst in your car so you don’t have to worry about pulling it out every night and looking for a free socket. I’m assuming it is aimed at people who work or study on large campuses and need a way to zip around during the day without breaking a sweat.

No official word on a production run from Volkswagen (there is a hint of it in the video) although we think they should at least make a few, I’m sure Jonathan Ive would pick one up for a start.

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Via Fast Company