At the upcoming IFA show in Berlin, Volkswagen will unveil a new e-bike it calls the world’s safest,  thanks to a suite of rider safety technologies. Developed and produced by high-end bicycle company N+ under license from Volkswagen, the Smart eBike uses radar, camera, display, and crash detection systems previously reserved for automotive applications.

At the heart of the new e-bike is Smart View, a fully integrated, radar-activated, rear-view camera system, the first of its kind on a production e-bike, according to Volkswagen. It is complemented by a connected safety ecosystem spanning intelligent lighting, wearable head-up display glasses, and a crash-detecting smart helmet, each engineered to close the specific safety gaps that leave cyclists vulnerable in traffic.

“The Volkswagen Smart eBike demonstrates how technologies already established in the automotive sector can be intelligently transferred to two wheels,” said Peter Jost, CEO of Volkswagen Accessories. “The optional, radar-activated, rear-view camera is an unprecedented innovation for production e-bikes, and reliably detects approaching traffic and helps address the blind spots that can leave riders vulnerable. By combining this technology with intelligent lighting and connected rider equipment, the e-bike shows what modern assistance systems can achieve—enhancing awareness, supporting safer decisions, and giving riders greater confidence in everyday traffic.”

The e-bike’s onboard Smart View system combines a high-resolution, full-color handlebar display with a radar-camera unit built into the rear mudguard. The radar continuously monitors traffic up to 230 ft (70 m) behind the rider, detecting vehicles and other road users approaching at greater speed, unaffected by wind noise or ambient sound, while the integrated camera streams a live rearward video feed to the display.

Riders can use the display in three modes: a continuous dashboard view showing speed, pedal assist level, power output, battery status, and trip data; a continuous rear-camera feed; or Auto Mode, in which the display switches automatically to the rear-camera view the moment the radar detects an approaching vehicle. When approaching traffic is detected, an orange alert bar appears across the camera view, or a blind-spot warning tell-tale appears on the dashboard view if that is what is displayed at the time.

The system is designed to remove the single greatest blind spot in everyday cycling: knowing what is approaching from behind without turning away from the road ahead. Quiet roads, headwinds, and the near-silent profile of modern electric vehicles all erode a cyclist’s ability to hear approaching traffic in time to react. Volkswagen said Smart View’s radar detection gives riders several seconds of warning, often well before a vehicle can be seen or heard, supporting safer decisions when merging past obstacles, positioning for a turn, or simply holding a line in heavy traffic.

Smart View is also integrated with the e-bike’s full-length LED strip lighting built into both sides of the top tube of the bike’s frame. The strips glow amber as side marker lights during normal riding and automatically increase in brightness the moment the radar detects an approaching vehicle. The same strips double as turn signals and brake indicators, working in sync with an integrated rear brake and tail lamp and illuminated front and rear Volkswagen emblem lighting.

Smart Glasses, which include a head-up display similar to that of a fighter plane, complement the Smart View system. Once paired over Bluetooth, the wearable Smart Glasses project radar-activated blind-spot alerts, turn-by-turn Google Maps navigation and live ride data, including speed, distance and battery status, directly into the rider’s natural field of view using a microOLED display. An intentional eye movement to the top right of the lens activates and deactivates the display, keeping the view clear the rest of the time. Weighing 1.6 oz (47 g), about the weight of a golf ball, Smart Glasses are designed to be worn as everyday sunglasses on and off the bike.

The e-bike’s safety ecosystem is completed by the Smart Helmet, which extends the e-bike’s radar, lighting, and camera technology onto the rider. Equipped with more than 500 lumens of high-visibility front, rear, and side LED lighting, the helmet automatically mirrors the e-bike’s brake and turn signals, so a braking or turning rider is signaled to traffic from both the bike and the helmet simultaneously.

It is certified to the NTA 8776, a Nederlandse Technische Afspraak or Dutch Technical Agreement, standard for higher-speed e-bike riding, incorporates the MIPS system to help reduce rotational forces in angled impacts, and includes built-in crash detection that can automatically alert emergency contacts with the rider’s location following a serious impact. An IP67 rating makes it fully dustproof and waterproof, and its 1350-mA·h battery runs from three hours in constant use to 30 h in beacon mode via USB-C charging.

The new Volkswagen Smart eBike isn’t the first foray into the automotive world for N+. Founded in 2019, the company’s mission is to develop micromobility products that are fast and fun. It says it “downstreams” motorsport innovation by partnering with F1 teams to apply the latest in drivetrain, electrification, composites, and components to create a new high-performance micromobility segment.

The Dusseldorf-based e-bike developer collaborated in 2025 with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team to produce a series of e-bikes and traditional road bikes that carry the racing team’s colors and logo. Previous collaborations include similar projects with Ford, McLaren, and Red Bull Racing.

In addition to a display at the Volkswagen booth during IFA Berlin, visitors to the show’s Mobility Track will be able to test ride the Smart eBike with Smart Glasses and Smart Helmet, complete with a live demonstration of Smart View’s radar-activated rear camera. IFA Berlin will take place September 4-8.

The Volkswagen Smart eBike, Smart Glasses, and Smart Helmet are available to order at www.smart-bike.net.