VanMoof’s PowerBank is a series breaker and problem solver

VanMoof, manufacturer of some of our favorite electric bikes, has just announced the PowerBank, a range extender that also charges the internal battery of the company’s S3 and X3 models. Not only does the emotional support battery promise to relieve anxiety by extending the VanMoof e-bike shuttle by 45 to 100 km (28 to 62 miles); it also addresses VanMoof’s biggest limitation: non-removable batteries that allow for a sleek look, but it may require the 19kg (42 pounds) bikes to be picked up indoors to be charged.

I had a new VanMoof S3, improved for 2021 (more on that later), with the PowerBank since Friday. After 3 hours in the hall on two 90-minute rides, I can attest to the extensive range and easier loading. It’s not cheap and it’s not perfect, and I did not go as far as VanMoof claims, but the PowerBank makes a compelling case to buy.

The PowerBank capacity of 378Wh is attached within seconds (about 20 of them). It has an on / off button so you can choose when to charge the larger 504Wh battery found in both the large S3 and smaller X3 e-bikes. It loads from a standstill or while riding, adding an extra 2.8 kg (6.2 pounds) to the total weight of the bike. This is a reasonable (and inconspicuous) trade-off if it means never having to lift the bike up the stairs to your apartment again. It also adds $ 348 / € 348 / £ 315 to the cost of a bike starting at $ 1,998 / € 1,998 / £ 1,798.

The PowerBank sits in a permanent holder that you must first attach to the S3 or X3 e-bikes. The PowerBank battery is then locked in the frame and locked in place with the supplied key and further secured with two Velcro straps. A third velcro strap is used to prevent the charging cable from swinging around as it swings toward the bottom of the top tube and into the charging port of the bike. I drove on some bumpy brick roads and heard not a single rumble from the meeting.

The thick velcro straps, though inelegant, blend nicely into the dark black S3 model. But the straps and bulky battery shake visually on the smaller, light blue X3 e-bike.

Although this is the first time for VanMoof, series extenders are not uncommon among e-bike manufacturers, especially not for electric mountain bikes. Last month, Specialized announced the Como SL shuttle bike with an optional range of $ 449.99, which he said has reached about 55 km.

This weekend I tested a PowerBank on a brand new VanMoof S3 on a 76.7 km round trip from Amsterdam to the coastal town of Castricum on the Sea and back. This is past the 60 km range of a VanMoof driven at maximum power, and far beyond the 47 km I managed during my S3 series test in April 2020. VanMoof claims that a fully charged S3 battery connected to a PowerBank has a range between 105-250 km (65-155 miles), depending on the level of powered assistance you use. I was nowhere near that.

I drove at full power (level 4) on exceptionally flat Dutch terrain using the Turbo Boost button liberally. Slightly more than half of my tests were directly in a fairly strong 14-wind wind, the rest benefited from a 6-knot wind. In total, I would estimate that I could drive about 80 km (50 miles) before the S3 and PowerBank batteries were empty. In other words, the VanMoof PowerBank, coupled with the new S3, increased my range by about 70 percent compared to 47km (29.2 miles) I drove last year.

In my test, I noticed that the S3 battery drained faster than the PowerBank could recharge it while driving at maximum power with lots of Turbo Boost buttons. (VanMoof confirmed this behavior after completing my testing.) Instead of stopping on the way home and recharging (or driving in a less fun economy mode), I used a 20 -minute ferry-wait around the S3 battery was only 15 percent left. I probably would have made it the last 7.9km at home, even without the supplement, but the point of having a PowerBank is to avoid anxiety, and I was in a hurry to get back.

As for my butt, I have to respect the VanMoof’s personal saddle. It’s surprisingly comfortable and the first time I’d ridden it – my S3 rating bike was fitted with a different saddle last year. While I did notice a bit of discomfort down there when I got on the bike for my return trip, it was much less than expected.

Despite my test running under the lowest reached for the PowerBank, VanMoof still stands by its numbers. “It will have to give most riders an extra distance of 45 to 100 km, depending on the circumstances and the level of use of an individual,” the company said in an email in response to my findings. My aggressive riding style, weight (190 pounds / 86 kg), height (183 cm) and environmental conditions during the test seem to make me an outlier.

A few other observations …

VanMoof e-bikes does not provide a USB charging port for phones mounted on the handlebars, and the advent of the PowerBank does not change that. In my opinion, this is supervision. With a series extender, riders can travel longer distances, often requiring GPS navigation on a phone that works at peak brightness and is paired with Bluetooth headphones for turn-by-turn directions and perhaps music playing over your 4G / 5G play connection. My iPhone, which was three years old, was not up to par, meaning he had to tie it to another battery I had to carry in my jacket. I forgot the cable when I stopped at a ferry crossing and almost tilted myself.

VanMoof says a USB port was considered, but was eventually postponed due to ‘waterproofing reasons’. ‘Shame.

I should also note that the S3 I tested was one of the models that recently added support for Apple’s Find My tracking network. Although it was the main item, VanMoof’s X3 and S3 e-bikes were also upgraded with improved displays on the bike that are more visible in direct sunlight, and electronic sliders that are more accurate. I complained in my review last year about the readability of the screen and it has been slightly improved. More importantly, the e-shifter looks a lot better in terms of the S3 variation I reviewed during the April 2020 launch. Right now I said it believed in 2 out of 100 shifts, but the automatic four-speed on my new S3 had about 1 in 100+ shifts during my three hour drive. I characterize a fault as an unexpected mechanical “sound” sound, a surprising freewheel from the pedals if you expect to experience resistance, or a clear feeling of being in the wrong gear.

VanMoof, unlike many e-bike manufacturers, is able to continually improve the hardware and software of its e-bikes because it has a dedicated factory and a relatively strict control over a supply chain of custom VanMoof parts. This means that it does not have to compete for Shimano shifters or Bosch cars, which, for example, left many bicycle manufacturers without parts for months after the recent increase in demand for e-bikes. Good thing too. The co-founders of the company told me last year that the first shipments of the S3 and X3 models were plagued by issue rates of as high as 10 percent.

VanMoof says it has also improved the internal wiring of its bikes for better weather resistance, added new pedals for better grip and new mudguard valves to reduce excess mud on wet roads. It has also made the ship cabinets more environmentally friendly – important if you take into account that VanMoof will ship approximately 12 000 of the giant cabinets per month from September 2020.

All this means that the 2021 S21 and X3 models, the ones with the “Find with Apple Find My” label under the top tube, are the best VanMoof e-bikes yet, which really says something. The new PowerBank option is just a icing on the cake.

All photos by Thomas Ricker / The Verge, unless otherwise stated