Now that’s SMART!

An aspirational name, the Smart eBike was a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz Smart and electric drive specialist BionX, with design consultation from renowned German designer Kalle Nicolai.  Produced in the early 2010s, it represented one of a handful of attempts by established automobile manufacturers to enter the premium e-bike market a bold, if commercially limited, experiment that resulted in a machine that was as eye-catching as it was polarizing.

SMART e-Bike

Design & Build

The Smart eBike is a genuine head-turner of alien appeal. During extended city testing, it proved impossible to go anywhere without being approached about it from middle-aged observers to teenagers firing questions. Must be the Mercedes-Benz effect, Smart being a subsidiary of the German automotive giant. 

The frame is constructed from aluminium alloy and the bike uses a carbon belt drive, which is both quiet and elegant, and crucially avoids rust ideal for urban all-weather commuting. There are no multiple cogs, as an SRAM 3-speed internal hub is integrated directly inside the motor, and the battery is centrally mounted to help distribute the weight toward the front of the bike. 

Owners who have spent time with the bike consistently report that it exudes Mercedes performance, design quality, fit, and finish built mostly in Germany.  The wiring is fully routed through the frame for a clean, uncluttered look, and the bike comes in two colour options: white with green accents, or grey with orange trim.

Performance

The Smart eBike is powered by a 350-watt gearless direct-drive hub motor from BionX compact, durable, and very quiet because it doesn’t rely on gears. What makes it especially unique is the SRAM I-Motion 3-speed internal hub built right inside the motor unit, so you get clean, internally geared shifting combined with the gearless electric drive a genuinely innovative combination that also enables the Gates carbon belt drive system. 

The brushless BionX motor can propel the bike forward with up to 15 mph of assist, and in real-world testing it was easily possible to reach 16 mph before the weight became apparent. Pushing beyond the limit through pedalling alone, around 21 mph was achievable but the effort required was considerable, like doing leg curls on a gym machine. 

The motor offers four levels of pedal assist and also features a regenerative braking mode a feature that was rare and genuinely impressive for its era, charging the battery as you slow down.

The system is torque-sensing, meaning it responds to how hard you are actually pedalling rather than just whether the pedals are turning, which produces a far more natural and seamless assist experience than cadence-only systems.

Handling & Ride Quality

In terms of pure riding experience, the Smart eBike delivers a refined and floaty character. The ease of the ride, the sensitive brakes, the ability to arrive without breaking a sweat, and that smooth, almost spaceship-like feeling on the move all stand out as genuine positives. 

The braking is particularly impressive very sensitive and capable of stopping the bike in a shorter distance than a conventional bicycle, thanks to the Magura hydraulic disc setup at both ends. 

However, the bike’s significant weight is its most persistent shortcoming. At 26.1 kg, carrying the Smart eBike up even a single flight of stairs is a real ordeal. If you don’t live on the ground floor, the experience becomes genuinely unpleasant and after a casual power-assisted ride where little physical effort is exerted, lugging it upstairs may be the only exercise you get from the outing. 

Most of the weight sits toward the rear because of the hub drive motor, though the centrally mounted battery does partially offset this toward the front.  Handling in traffic is nevertheless manageable, and the 26-inch wheels give it more road stability than smaller-wheeled urban bikes.

Technology & Connectivity

 The bike’s backlit BionX display is removable for safe storage and shows speed, distance, and battery capacity, while also powering front and rear LED lights. There is also a USB outlet below the headlight for charging a phone or other device while riding. 

An optional ANT+ dongle and smartphone mount allow pairing with an Android or iOS device for additional ride statistics and GPS mapping, though for most everyday use the standard BionX display is sufficient. 

The app integration was innovative for its time, though the app has since been discontinued a cautionary reminder of the long-term software support risks when buying into brand-new tech from an automotive company testing the e-bike waters.

Real-World Ownership

In the long-term owners should be pleased with the performance and local dealer support. But parts availability may prove to be a genuine concern. Battery replacement costs were flagged early by owners as a major issue one Canadian dealer quoted around CAD $1,600 per battery, ordered individually and shipped from Europe.  Even spoke replacements proved problematic, with one owner reporting that Mercedes didn’t stock individual spokes and suggested replacing the entire wheel at significant cost for what should have been a trivial repair. 

SMART e-Bike compared to rivals

Specialized Turbo (2012–2014 era)

Specialized’s Turbo was the Smart eBike’s most direct premium rival, and in many respects the more capable commuter. It offered a higher-powered motor (530W), a higher assisted top speed (28 mph in the US version), and better long-term brand support through a global dealer network. Where the Smart had the advantage was in design refinement and the sophistication of the BionX torque-sensing system, which felt more natural than Specialized’s cadence-based assist at the time.

Trek Super Commuter+

Trek’s premium e-commuter offered a more practical, lighter package with full carrier integration and broad dealer support. Trek’s established service network was a significant advantage over the Smart’s limited Mercedes dealer base, particularly for parts and warranty claims.

Riese & Müller Delite (contemporary)

The German brand Riese & Müller offered a closer philosophical match premium German engineering, high-quality components, and a refined riding experience. R&M had the edge in practicality, offering full suspension options and a broader range of configurations. However, at similar price points, the Smart’s design was far more distinctive.

Today’s Premium Urban E-bikes (e.g., Specialized Turbo Vado SL, Cowboy 4)

Compared to modern equivalents, the Smart eBike’s limitations are stark. Contemporary bikes like the Specialized Turbo Vado SL deliver a similar urban philosophy but with half the weight (~12 kg), integrated connectivity, over-the-air updates, and ranges exceeding 80 miles. The Cowboy 4, at a similar premium price to the Smart, offers integrated lighting, automatic assist, and a polished companion app, the kind of holistic smart-bike package the Smart eBike was trying to be, but a decade too early.

Verdict

The Smart eBike was a genuinely ahead-of-its-time concept a beautifully engineered, head-turning urban e-bike with premium components, a torque-sensing motor, regenerative braking, and a belt drive, at a time when most e-bikes were little more than basic city hybrids with a clunky battery strapped to the frame.

In practical terms, the sheer weight might rule it out for many urban commuters, while the heavyweight price may further marginalized it. The ease of the ride, the sensitive brakes, and that floaty, spaceship feeling were genuine selling points but after carrying it upstairs even once or twice, many riders may find themselves reconsidering. 

The build quality is hard to fault there is unmistakable Mercedes DNA running through it but at £2,500 it was always an expensive proposition, especially as parts supply was never reliable and the software ecosystem faded quickly. 

As a collector’s piece and a fascinating historical footnote in the e-bike story, it remains compelling. As a daily commuter recommendation in 2025, modern rivals have comprehensively overtaken it in every practical metric. But for what it was a bold German automaker’s first serious attempt to bring automotive quality to two electric wheels it deserves genuine respect.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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