The winter season holidays are a time for taking a step back, relaxing and free yourself of any stress. This can be done by going for a drive. But if you want to be a little more active because you’ve just made a foodbaby over the last 2 days, this might be it.

We’ve covered alternative solutions to transport earlier this year as well when we became Scooter Journalism for one day. Today, in the spirit of Christmas and because car manufacturers have gone further with providing alternative mobility, we’re presenting these 2 e-Bikes wearing automotive badges.

Porsche and ROTWILD

In the white corner, brought in on its very own bike rack behind a Carmine Red Cross Turismo that’s featured in our other Christmas special, we have the Porsche e-Bike Sport, an elegant e-bike in cooperation with ROTWILD. This high-tech e-bike has a carbon frame, disc brakes, 11 electronic actuated gears, Fox dampers with 100 mm travel, and an 85 Nm Shimano EP8 motor. The latter gives the driver up to 25 km/h pedelec support. Porsche created a hefty boy, with the removable 630 Wh battery, but thanks to the use of carbon, it comes in at 22 kg. Tires are supplied by Continental to provide a high grip riding experience.

As said above, the Porsche e-Bike Sport has electronic actuated gears. This means the bike switches gears as if you’re operating a PDK. Brake lines and gear selector buttons are integrated into the steering wheel creating a very clean look to the bike. Thanks to the integrated MAGURA cockpit which is a tiny display that allows you to select different driving modes, the speed you’re going, and your range. You’ll get 125 km in ECO mode, 100 km in TRAIL mode, and 75 km in BOOST mode. In the seat mount, there’s an integrated aero taillight that looks proper futuristic. The red glow of the LED light reminding us of the Taycan’s rear light bar.

Mercedes-EQ

In the silver corner, brought in the back of the G-Wagon, we have the n+ Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team Silver Arrows eBike. Quite the mouthful really but it’s a stunning bike nonetheless. It’s gone for a minimalistic approach in brushed aluminum in true Silver Arrow fashion. N+ worked together with the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E team to produce 3 different e-Bikes, with the Silver Arrows bike being top tier. Specs on this bike are equally stunning as the ones from its Stuttgart neighbor. Unlike the Porsche e-Bike Sport, its frame is made from aluminum, giving it that shiny silver arrow look. Despite the lack of carbon, this bike comes in at just 20 kg. There’s no actual chain and gears. Instead, the Silver Arrow has a Gates CDX Carbon Belt Drive that can go maintenance-free for up to 30.000 kilometers.

Just like the Porsche, the EQ has brake discs yet the electric motor makes 75 Nm, 10 Nm less. The Silver arrow also has something called Pedal Assist Technology that senses the torque and power input of the rider and matches it with the power from the electric motor up to speeds of 25 km/h. The top model, which is this Silver Arrow, features a dual 252 Wh battery setup offering a range of up to 100 km. Finally, it has puncture-resistant tires, so no messing with tire swaps along the way.

ŠKODA

To help this test go smoothly we called upon the official car from the 2021 UCI Road World Championships: The ŠKODA Enyaq iV 60. Fitted with a livery that stands out beautifully, a roof rack, and some more onboard gadgets, it was definitely the car up for the job to guide this test in a safe way.

Two different worlds

There’s not really much comparison between these 2 e-bikes, rather it serves as 2 different options. Or two different worlds. The Porsche eBike Sport is a more high-end all-rounder. Thanks to the wide tires and the Fox suspension, the Porsche e-bike is equally at home both on- and off-road. In Boost mode, you can really properly feel the torque kicking in down low. It’s built tough and it feels like this too, with the added display and the different driving modes, it feels like you are the king of the world. Having an amazingly bright headlight and taillight integrated is part of the appeal the Porsche offers.

The Mercedes is solely directed towards on-road use which is perfectly fine. The belt-driven gear is really nice and changing the tension on the drive is just seamless. The thin tires and sitting position make it a real enjoyment to angle a bit into the corners. Pedal Assist works amazing and it feels like you’re just playing a game on the easy difficulty. That is until you go faster than 25 km/h and the electric motor cuts the power and it's back to reality. It also looks just like any other bike, you wouldn’t guess that this is an electric bike until you take a closer look.

Big Christmas budget?

In the end, it’s about how deep your pockets are and where you want to venture. The Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team Silver Arrows eBike retails for 4.440,00 € whilst the Porsche eBike Sport retails for 10.157,89 € (sold out during Christmas 2021). Costing more than twice the price of the Mercedes, it seems to be a hefty chunk of money to spend on a bike. But when it’s this well equipped and designed as any Porsche is, it makes sense. If you have the money to spend, get the Porsche. If you’re just looking for an excellent on-road e-bike, the Mercedes is also an amazing piece of engineering. And I can’t get over how good that brushed aluminum looks. If only Porsche offered some exposed carbon option for theirs...

Mobility Christmas: Car Manufacturers Launch e-Bikes