Stolen electric bikes built around Bosch motors will be harder to sell, service, and ride at the end of January. That’s when Bosch is rolling a new digital theft feature that lets owners mark the bike as stolen in the Bosch Flow app — no subscription required. Bosch rolled out a similar feature for expensive Bosch batteries last year, but it stupidly required a subscription to Flow Plus.
This free feature helps make stolen Bosch e-bikes unsellable
Buyers, service centers, and authorities will be alerted when connecting to a stolen e-bike.
Buyers, service centers, and authorities will be alerted when connecting to a stolen e-bike.
is a deputy editor and Verge co-founder with a passion for human-centric cities, e-bikes, and life as a digital nomad. He’s been a tech journalist for 20 years.
“If an e-bike or a battery is marked as stolen, it can be identified as such throughout the entire digital ecosystem of Bosch eBike Systems,” says the company in a press release. “This makes reselling the e-bike difficult and increases the chances of the owner getting the e-bike back.”
Bikes marked as stolen will send a warning to buyers and authorities when they attempt to connect to it via the Flow app. Dealers also receive the warning in Bosch’s diagnostic software when they connect to the e-bike for servicing. The stolen e-bikes are blocked from connecting to the Flow app, won’t receive over-the-air updates, and riders can’t switch riding modes.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Most Popular
Most Popular
- Meta’s historic loss in court could cost a lot more than $375 million
- Apple raises the Mac Mini’s starting price
- How the internet’s favorite squirrel dad made the hottest camera app of 2026
- Spirit Airlines shuts down after Trump’s war on Iran doubled jet fuel prices
- Anker’s discounted 2-in-1 USB-C cable is a great way to spend $15
