The Vanmoof 10 Electrified is an e-bike that doesn’t actually suck

E-bikes get a bad rap, and deservedly so. Early models were ugly, heavy, repair-prone, and expensive. In fact, calling them bikes at all can be stretch–some throttle-controlled models, like the 50 mph Stealth Bomber, are more like souped up scooters. Leave it to the Netherlands, the most bike-centric country in the world, to bring some sanity and design chops to the category. The new Vanmoof 10 Electrified is everything an e-bike should be. It’s light (42 pounds), reasonably priced ($2,998, compared to the $11,000 Stealth Bomber), and dependable (just plug and play). More importantly, it doesn’t look like an e-bike. That likely explains the 2014 Red Dot Design Award, the Oscar of the industrial design community. Judges gushed over the scratch-resistant aluminum frame, and the integrated LED lights flanking the top tube. Dutch engineers also managed to pack five battery cells in there without bloating the frame–no small feat.