CAKE and Polestar team up on new electric moped to crush city traffic

Two Swedish EV brands today announced the release of a new electric moped version designed to slice through city traffic and look good while doing it. Electric car maker Polestar and electric motorbike maker CAKE have teamed up to release a new Polestar limited-edition of the CAKE Makka e-moped.

We first covered the launch of the CAKE Makka in 2021, when the lightweight electric moped became the most accessible and most affordable new model in CAKE’s lineup.

The electric motorbike maker was previously known for higher-power and higher-speed electric motorcycles that ran the gamut from highway-capable rides to off-road dirtbikes.

The Makka became CAKE’s purely urban-focused electric motorbike, offering a lower top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) that allowed it to slide in under moped-friendly regulations in many countries. That means most riders won’t even need a motorcycle license to ride it.

A week after the original Makka launch in 2021, CAKE returned with its first Polestar Makka version offering a bespoke color.

The model was designed to mount on the back of a Polestar electric car and could even be charged by the vehicle while being towed behind it.

The first version of the Polestar edition Makka quickly sold out, and so it comes as no surprise that CAKE and Polestar have returned with another version of the popular electric moped.

CAKE Makka Polestar edition launched

The new limited-edition CAKE Makka Polestar edition comes with a slim headlight, Öhlins suspension, and a detachable rear carrier that allows for several utility configurations such as boxes, racks, passenger seats, and more.

A 1.55 kW nominal motor offers up to 2.8 kW of peak power, providing a top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph). The motor pulls power from a 48 V and 31 Ah battery with 1.5 kWh of capacity. That battery should be good for around 55 km (34 miles) of range per charge, which makes it an ideal urban runabout for cruising city centers.

The electric moped will technically be sold and delivered by CAKE, but will be available only in Polestar markets via the Polestar Additionals webshop starting today.

It will come with a retail price of $5,300. That’s quite a bit higher than the original CAKE Makka debut price of $3,800 in 2021, though to be fair we’ve seen the Makka’s price walk up to $4,470 over the last year.

Polestar has shown a growing interest in two-wheeled electric vehicle partnerships, with the company’s CEO Thomas Ingenlath recently announcing that Polestar will expand an ongoing partnership with Allebike to create a new electric bike.

That partnership previously led to a pedal bike, but Polestar appears set to bring batteries into the equation for the latest model.

At the same time, Ingenlath was careful to strike a distinction between Polestar and other automotive companies that white label their way to an electric bike, despite that being quite close to the case with the CAKE Makka Polestar Edition.

Ironically, at the same time that Polestar is expanding into two-wheelers, CAKE has its eyes set on four-wheelers.

Don’t expect an electric sedan from CAKE though. Instead, the electric motorbike maker announced yesterday that it is working on developing an electric ATV with semi-autonomous driving capabilities.

Electrek’s Take

So far the Makka is the only CAKE model I haven’t actually tested, and it’s about time I change that. Perhaps it will be a Polestar Edition that finally gets me in the saddle.

The design is of course divisive, but CAKE has made a name for itself with its bold Swedish design language, and that’s not changing any time soon.

The partnership with Polestar is interesting because it helps cross promote electric vehicles as complimentary products. Drivers who are looking at large, wasteful electric sedans that weigh 20x as much as the driver operating them can quickly see the advantages of a personal-sized electric vehicle that uses less energy and takes up less space (not to mention is cheaper to purchase and own).

Since few drivers have the luxury of completely kicking their car addiction, keeping an electric moped in the garage means that drivers can instead opt for a lighter and more efficient vehicle for many local errands that don’t require a massive vehicle.