Will Segway’s cheap but powerful cargo e-bike ever hit UK shores? Plus Brompton goes solid state and Bosch adds stunt tracking

It’s time to find out what’s been going on in the e-bike world this week. We’ll start with a very modern twist on a classic…

Solid-state crew: Brompton and Ilika announce partnership

Solid-state batteries for e-bikes have been popping up at tradeshows and rumour mills for a while now — but they might finally be heading to an e-bike near you thanks to a partnership between Brompton and Ilika. The folding favourite and the Romsey-based battery specialist have just signed a £214k 12-month joint development programme to integrate Ilika’s “Goliath” 10Ah solid-state prototypes into Brompton’s battery packs.

By replacing the liquids in traditional e-bike batteries with ceramic or polymer electrolytes, solid-state batteries become non-flammable, which makes transportation and storage far less risky. They also boast higher energy density, so they are smaller, weigh less, and charge faster, which are all hugely attractive features for folding e-bikes.

Trials are set to begin in mid-2027.

Lime twist: anti-Forest petition hits 1,500 sigs, and hire bikes

Forest scored a mighty hit on social media recently by linking up with the legendary One Pound Fish Man to promote its £1 rides (inspired work, Forest marketing team)… but the e-bike hire provider has gone down less well in Richmond, where residents are unhappy about the council’s decision to allow Forest exclusivity to to operate in the borough from this summer onwards. A petition started by resident Esther Van de Pette argues that a single provider is hugely detrimental to people living in and commuting to the area.

”Removing a widely used and familiar provider risks disrupting established travel patterns, increasing reliance on already constrained buses and trains and potentially increasing car journeys at peak times,” says the petition, which has attracted over 1,500 signatures. “This runs counter to wider objectives around sustainable and independent travel for young people.”

Meanwhile, some 200 miles and a border crossing away, Swansea Council has announced plans for a £750,000 e-bike hire scheme, according to Wales Online. Consisting of 500 bikes, the scheme is part of a package of wider transport improvements that include a riverside shared-use path along the River Tawe. No word on who will provide the hire bikes yet, but there’s a certain citric operator that may need more business this summer.

Bosch e-bike update adds stunt support

Bosch has delivered a late Easter gift for users of its e-bike systems with the eBike Flow v1.34 update. The headline feature here is “Trick Check,” which uses the motor’s inertial sensors to identify stunts including jumps, wheelies, manuals, and stoppies, which sync to the Flow App. No word on whether it can estimate the number of teeth you’ve lost when you go OTB.

Other new features include the ability to record heart rate statistics in the Flow App, support for mounted phones in portrait mode (and an accompanying physical mount), plus expanded support for mechanical hub and derailleur gears fitted with gear sensors.

Segway Muxi released in US with minimal price tag

Segway’s new range of bikes caught our eye at CES earlier this year, and its Muxi is finally seeing the light of day. To recap: the Muxi is a cruiser-style short-tail cargo bike with traction control, hill start assist, a 190kg payload capacity, Apple Find My integration, and a “lost mode” if it’s nabbed. But the most shocking new announcement price: it’s retailing in the US for just $1,699 (about £1,255), which is unfathomably low for a bike with so many high-end extras.

Could it be coming to the UK? Segway told us it has “nothing to share regarding future UK or European plans” at this stage. Any potential crossing of the Atlantic would also require a significant hardware switch; the current 750W US motor and 20mph top speed would need to be reined in to meet our regulations. We live in hope, though…