Germany: 245,900. Netherlands: 86,000. Austria: 19,455. These are the figures for officially reported bicycle thefts in 2024 in three European countries where many people ride bicycles. The number of unreported cases is likely to be much higher. For several years now, both ebike manufacturers and component manufacturers have been trying to curb bicycle theft with electronic solutions. Thanks to GPS tracking, it is sometimes possible to locate a stolen ebike even several weeks after it has been stolen. However, whether it is actually returned to its original owner usually depends on the investigating authorities.
Usually. Component manufacturer Powunity has now decided to extend its protection beyond tracking. Together with a partner company from the Netherlands, it wants to actively arrange for bikes to be recovered. This Powunity Recovery Service will cover large parts of the European Union as well as Norway and Switzerland. What makes it special is that if the recovery attempt is unsuccessful, you will receive a new BikexTrax GPS tracker from Powunity free of charge, along with the corresponding subscription including the recovery service. With these additional services, of course Powunity wants to offer you even better theft protection. At the same time, the idea behind this is to gain certain advantages over comparable solutions on the market, such as the Bosch ConnectModule or the Bikefinder GPS tracker.
Former customs investigators on the case
For the actual investigative work, Powunity cooperates with Investigation & Recovery Service (IRS). This private detective agency specialises in locating, identifying and securing various vehicles. According to its own statement, this also includes ebikes. It has offices in Hengelo in the Netherlands and in Aschau in Austria. Founder Gerrit Walgemoet, a former customs investigator himself, works with IRS for Dutch and foreign insurers. IRS holds a licence from the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security for this activity.
Anyone who uses Powunity’s recovery service can report the theft of their ebike 24/7, i.e. around the clock, in the Powunity app. This triggers an automatic notification to an alarm centre. Professional recovery is then initiated. If the detectives find the bike, Powunity also covers the cost of returning it.
Search on all frequencies
A number of technical aids are used to track down stolen bikes. These include GPS data, LTE-M, narrowband IoT, Bluetooth and Beacon technology. This significantly increases the chances of locating the stolen goods, even in underground car parks and basements, and of overcoming any jamming signals. To finally secure the ebike, the relevant local authorities are then usually called in.
You can manage the recovery service in the Powunity app. When setting up the function, you enter the tracker’s identification number in the app, along with your personal details and information about your ebike, such as the brand, model name and colour.
Special launch offer for the Powunity Recovery Service
To launch the service, Powunity has set the price for the recovery service at 59.90 euros per year. Anyone booking the offer for the first time will also receive a free subscription to Biketrax. After the first twelve months, you will then have to pay to use the GPS tracker. This costs 3.95 euros per month with a monthly cancellation option or 39.50 euros for twelve months. The GPS tracker itself currently costs 199.90 euros.
