Stolen E-bike Batteries Could Be Made Worthless If Bosch Was Less Greedy

Electric bikes built astir Bosch’s smart thrust systems will beryllium getting a caller integer Battery Lock usability this summertime that would make stolen batteries worthless to thieves looking to make a speedy buck. Great thought — if only Bosch wasn’t being truthful greedy pinch nan rollout.

Battery theft is simply a awesome issue. I’ve personally had to move 2 stolen e-bike batteries coming successful nan Netherlands, wherever complete half of each caller bicycles sold are electric. The mechanical locks protecting each those removable batteries tin beryllium defeated pinch force, costing owners anyplace from $300 to $1,000 — successful nan suit of e-bikes built astir Bosch systems — to move nan stolen battery, successful summation to immoderate costs required to repair nan room housing.

Bosch says that Battery Lock supports respective integer keys that tin beryllium utilized simultaneously — successful nan style of nan Bosch Flow app and Kiox 300 and Kiox 500 motorcycle displays — aliases abnormal to banal batteries pinch family and friends. The integer fastener is compatible pinch each batteries successful nan Bosch smart system, including DualBatteries and nan PowerMore 250 Range Extender.

Once activated, Battery Lock will prosecute automatically erstwhile a Bosch-based e-bike is turned off. “If a locked artillery is inserted into different e-bike pinch nan smart system, it automatically deactivates its centrifugal support and renders nan afloat e-bike unusable for nan thief,” says Bosch successful a spot merchandise shared pinch The Verge. “This too makes reselling nan artillery pointless, which reduces nan consequence of theft.”

In different words, erstwhile thieves admit there’s nary marketplace for nan stolen Bosch batteries, they’ll extremity trying to bargain them. It’s each information of Bosch’s “vision of ensuring that nary e-bike pinch a Bosch strategy is stolen successful nan future.” Great!

Here’s nan catch: Battery Lock requires a Flow Plus subscription, according to nan Bosch:

Battery Lock tin beryllium installed over-the-air arsenic accustomed connected immoderate Bosch e-bike pinch nan smart strategy via nan e-bike Flow app and will beryllium disposable from summertime 2025 arsenic information of nan Flow+ subscription.

This is dumb. To beryllium an effective theft deterrent, Battery Lock needs to beryllium progressive connected each Bosch smart strategy batteries, whether nan proprietor subscribes to Flow Plus aliases not. Otherwise, location will still beryllium a sizable resale marketplace for thieves to profit from. Bosch does relationship owners a free twelvemonth of Flow Plus, which past costs $35 / £35 / €40 each twelvemonth thereafter.

It makes consciousness to put premium services for illustration an e-bike siren pinch GPS hunt and notifications down Flow Plus, for illustration Bosch does now. But Bosch smart thrust e-bikes already characteristic an integrated strategy fastener that requires a integer cardinal to activate nan centrifugal — nary subscription required — and nan aforesaid should beryllium existent for Battery Lock if nan company’s zero-theft imagination is to beryllium believed.