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Bosch Battery Lock: Digital Anti-Theft Protection for Ebike Batteries

Battery Lock function for ebikes featuring the Bosch Smart System

The new year begins with good news for ebike riders whose ebikes are equipped with a Bosch Smart System drive. The world’s leading drive system manufacturer is introducing a function called Bosch “Battery Lock”, which is designed to significantly reduce the risk of your ebike battery being stolen.

If you love your ebike, there is hardly anything you would find more distressing than having your bike stolen. For those who ride an ebike with a Bosch drive, there is a small consolation: with both older motors and the current Smart System, the motor becomes uninteresting to thieves as soon as the corresponding lock function is activated in the respective app. However, this did not apply to the ebike battery. Until now, thieves have been able to literally make a profit from this.

Bosch wants to put a stop to this in the future. This is digital, called “Battery Lock” and is designed to make a battery stolen in this way worthless to thieves. You can find out exactly what this will look like here in a nutshell.

1. How is an ebike battery protected against theft so far?
2. How does “Battery Lock” differ from such a solution?
3. Can “Battery Lock” be used on any Bosch ebike?
4. What serves as a key for the function?
5. How can I still share my ebike battery with others?
6. Does the function also include the DualBattery system?
7. What forms of digital anti-theft protection does an ebike with the Bosch Smart System have so far?
8. When will Bosch Battery Lock be available and under what conditions?

1. How is an ebike battery protected against theft so far?

Both Bosch and most other ebike drive system manufacturers protect their batteries with a mechanical lock. This either locks the battery mount directly on the ebike – for example, on frame batteries and rack-type batteries – or the battery compartment on batteries that are fully integrated into the frame.

Additional anti-theft protection is provided by mechanical solutions such as the katt’fix battery lock. This is a stainless steel band that encircles both the frame and the battery, creating another barrier for thieves. In addition to variants for frame batteries, the manufacturer now also offers variants for intube batteries.

katt'fix lock for ebike batteries
katt'fix lock for ebike batteries

2. How does “Battery Lock” differ from such a solution?

The new Bosch product is a digital protection system. It complements the mechanical measures. When you lock your ebike, you simultaneously lock its battery. If thieves manage to bypass the mechanical lock and insert the battery into another ebike, the motor will automatically be deactivated there, according to Bosch. This means that the thieves can no longer use the motor or the associated battery on a stolen ebike – neither for themselves nor for others. In view of such technological hurdles, Bosch expects the risk of theft to decrease.

Setting the Battery Lock function for ebikes featuring the Bosch Smart System in the Bosch eBike Flow app
This is what activating Battery Lock in the app will look like.

3. Can “Battery Lock” be used on any Bosch ebike?

No, the function is explicitly limited to ebikes featuring a Bosch Smart System, which was introduced by the manufacturer for the 2022 season.

4. What serves as a key for the function?

Initially, you have to activate “Battery Lock” in the Bosch eBike Flow app. After that, you can specify several keys in the app. In addition to the respective smartphone with the eBike Flow app, the two displays Bosch Kiox 300 and Bosch Kiox 500 can be used for this purpose.

Confirmation of activation of the Battery Lock function for ebikes featuring the Bosch Smart System on the ebike display
The display not only shows the confirmation of activation of the function, but can also be used as a key for it.

5. How can I still share my ebike battery with others?

If you use one or more ebike batteries with others, you can continue to do so. However, you must first temporarily deactivate “Battery Lock” in the eBike Flow app.

6. Does the function also include the DualBattery system?

Yes, according to the manufacturer, the function extends to all ebike batteries installed. This means that all conceivable battery combinations in the smart system, including the Bosch PowerMore 250, are covered.

Banner batteries for ebikes featuring Bosch drive

7. What forms of digital anti-theft protection does an ebike with the Bosch Smart System have so far?

With “Battery Lock”, Bosch is expanding its range of digital solutions to protect your ebike from theft. The Bluetooth-based “eBike Lock” function allows you to activate and deactivate motor assistance using a smartphone and, alternatively, Bosch Kiox 300 or Bosch Kiox 500. If a Bosch ConnectModule is installed in the ebike, “eBike Alarm” can also be added. Thanks to this function, the ebike sends a two-stage alarm in the event of an attempted theft, shows you the current location and, with the tracking and a theft report, supports the work of the investigating authorities in recovering the bike.

8. When will Bosch Battery Lock be available and under what conditions?

Bosch will present the function for the first time at the CES 2025 electronics show in Las Vegas, which begins today. However, the anti-theft protection will not actually be available in the app until next summer. Bosch did not give an exact date in an initial announcement.

Important: Just like “eBike Alarm”, “Battery Lock” also requires you to use the eBike Flow app as a paid subscription to Flow+. This costs either 4.99 euros per month or 39.99 euros per year.

Products mentioned in the article

Pictures: Bosch eBike Systems

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