The hot topic yesterday was this $3000 pedalec from SMART, which is known for its small automobiles.
Unlike many bikes shown as concepts and engineering exercises at auto shows, SMART says they plan to make this bike available at select USA dealers.
Although the bike appears somewhat unique, the features are about what you’d expect to find on a well-designed pedalec: belt drive, SRAM i-Motion 3 speed hub, removable battery that integrates smoothly with the frame, 250 watt BionX hub motor, regenerative braking. Smart claims 100 km of range from the 423 wH lithium ion battery, which is much more than most ebikes are capable of.
More info Smart ebikes product page
Sure they “plan” to. But if their range number is clearly not in the typical range, I’d err on the side of “they have no clue what they are talking about” rather than assuming they have invented something new.
Also: awful spoke pattern for a powered wheel, and the now-too-typical lack of seatstays. Those probably don’t serve any purpose, right?