By Derek Markham, Source: Treehugger

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An ambitious Dutch cycling company wants to redefine the urban bike commute with their “intelligent” electric assist city bike, the Vanmoof 10 Electrified.

Vanmoof already produces a line of distinctive-looking traditional Dutch bikes, but their latest development combines smart sensors, an onboard computer, GPS tracking, and an electric assist system capable of boosting the power you put into the pedals by 80%, all of which help this model become the “smartest bike in the city”.

The Vanmoof frames are anodized aluminum, and the Electrified has an integrated 209Wh battery system built into the top tube, as well as a dashboard with a battery meter and power indicator (which also functions as a remote control).
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The bike is driven by a 250W electrical motor on the front hub, which has a range of 30km to 60km, depending on riding conditions. According to Vanmoof, it takes just three hours for the battery system to be fully charged from an empty condition, and the bike is said to be easy to pedal in freewheeling mode as a traditional non-electric-assist bike.
The bike is driven by a 250W electrical motor on the front hub, which has a range of 30km to 60km, depending on riding conditions. According to Vanmoof, it takes just three hours for the battery system to be fully charged from an empty condition, and the bike is said to be easy to pedal in freewheeling mode as a traditional non-electric-assist bike.
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The Electrified features disk brakes on both the front and rear, a two-speed automatic drivetrain that includes a fully-enclosed chain (goodbye, greasy clothing and getting your pants stuck in the chain), and is illuminated by a 40 lux bright LED headlight and tail light for better visibility.

One innovative feature sure to be appreciated by urban bike commuters is a built-in GPS tracking system, allowing for owners to trace the location of their bike if it’s been stolen (or possibly if they just can’t remember where they parked it last night).

Vanmoof initially opened up sales of the bike during a pre-production period, but because all 200 of those are already pre-sold (at a cost of €1998 (~ $2598 USD)), the rest of us will need to wait until April of 2014, when the Vanmoof 10 Electrified will be available at select bike dealers.