Porsche continues to expand its e-bike offerings with plans for a new drive system built with Dutch company Ponooc Investment B.V.
After years of investing in the e-bike industry, Porsche has taken another step by committing to the creation of an in-house drive system.
The car company announced a new joint venture this week with Ponooc Investment B.V., which will help Porsche develop the drive system over the next few years. Once finished, the company will launch a “new generation of Porsche e-bikes by the middle of this decade.”
Although Porsche has designed and sold e-bikes before, those models used drivetrains designed by existing bike companies, like Shimano. Now, Porsche’s e-Bike Performance GmbH, based near Munich, will develop its own electric drive systems. The company plans to design the motors, batteries, and software.
“We see great potential for Porsche in the e-bike segment. This is why we are consistently expanding our activities in this area,” said Lutz Meschke, deputy chairman of the Porsche AG executive board.
A Dutch company, Ponooc Investment B.V. serves as the venture capital fund for Pon Holdings. That’s the same Pon Holdings with financial ties to Cannondale, Schwinn, Santa Cruz, Cervelo, Focus, and others.
A Big Push for E-Bikes
Porsche has pursued an aggressive strategy of e-bike investment in the last few years. In February, Porsche acquired a 20% stake in e-bike drive system manufacturer Fazua. The agreement also included an option to buy more shares, allowing the possibility for majority ownership in the future.
Just weeks before that, the car company acquired a majority stake in Croatian e-bike manufacturer Greyp. After owning around 10% of the company since 2018, Porsche Ventures became Greyp’s majority stakeholder in November 2021.
Porsche also released a line of branded e-bikes in early 2021, inspired by the company’s electric sports car, the Taycan. The company designed two models: the eBike Sport and the eBike Cross. The latter is a full suspension mountain bike, while the eBike Sport aims for everyday use, according to BikeRumor. Both bikes used the Shimano STEPS EP8 drive system.
Now, Porsche fans can expect a fully designed e-bike from the company — in a few years, anyway.
