Cake Ösa electric motorbike review: hungry for more

Everyone has an opinion about the electric two-wheeler from Swedish upstarts Cake. Over the last few weeks, dozens of strangers felt compelled to critique me because of the surge of emotion it invokes.

A middle-aged man who bicycled across a busy street just to ask, was scolded by a boorish woman waiting next to him. People looked on in silence, scowling or excitedly tapping their friends to see the unique-looking scooter that had just rolled into view.

The cake is unique. When you arrive, it transforms into an electric generator to power your gadgets.

I took a Flex model on a sunrise surf safari and cooked breakfast off of it. I wanted to be like one of those stories you see on social media but never experience in real life.

What did it do? Good enough to make me think the starting price is not as crazy as I first thought.

The founder of C ake Cake is also the creator of the POC apparel brand for mountain bikers. My friends were impressed by the fact that POC is an abbreviation for Piece of Cake, but they didn't think much of it.

The range of electric-only vehicles produced by Cake includes off-road motorbikes to street-legal mopeds. The entire series is dedicated to getting kids hooked on electric power. The rolling workbench model can be used to transport and power gadgets like phones, speakers, and laptops, as well as medium-to-light-duty tools like drills and circular saws.

There are a few configurations of the model. Thesa Plus is a 125cc motorcycle with a top speed of 90 km/h. The Flex configuration can be ridden with a typical driver's license but can go up to 45 km/h (30mph). I tested the Flex for 10 days in and around Amsterdam.

Cake doesn't make an e-bike despite its mountain biking heritage. All of Cake's vehicles have throttles and footrests.

The battery-powered generator

In order to convert their giant rolling DC batteries into unofficial mobile AC power sources, the owners of the company have attached after-market inverters to them. It is a trend that has recently been fully embraced by the likes of the Ioniq 5 SUV and new electric pickup from Ford and Rivian. It's no wonder that Cake refers to sa as a truck in its marketing.

The Flex review vehicle came with all the bells and whistles needed for maximum hauling capacity, power, and range. A large basket for the back, a small basket for the front, a second seat, a second battery, and a Cake inverter are included. The top bar was fitted with a lot of attachment points.

I rode from Amsterdam to the North Sea coastline. I loaded up the tent and gear at the airport and was on my way to the remote beach for a kitesurf session. I was able to cook breakfast in front of my tent and power my laptop and 5G hotspot with the help of the inverter and battery in front of my tent.

It all worked out well. After removing a power cable and a strap, the large battery falls out. The cable that connects the main power port of the Cake battery to the DC to AC power inverter is too large to fit in the box. I wanted to keep my distance from the scooter's center stand because I was afraid the wind could topple it.

When set to high, the induction cooktop easily overwhelmed the 1000 watt inverter. The fan is loud when it kicks in. I had enough power to boil the water inside the Moka coffee pot and to fry up an egg and toast after using the battery. The 50Ah / 2.5kWh battery had enough juice to power a small 600W space heater for another 60 minutes before shutting off. Good thing I had a second battery to keep my laptop running and get me back home.

There are a lot of examples of the types of devices the inverter can power. These include power tools, consumer electronics, industrial equipment, household appliances, and office equipment. The company doesn't mention duration, which can be just a few minutes before the battery is completely drained.

The cake battery can power a laptop or travel fridge that can be plugged directly into the 12V / 15A jack, as well as the two 5V / 2A (10W)usb devices. I was able to use a standard-length Apple Lighting cable to keep my phone fully charged while I was on the road.

The ride

There are three ride modes on the Cake. Mode 1 is meant to maximize range with a top speed of 30 km/h (19mph), mode 2 is meant to boost the top speed to 45 km/h/28mph, and mode 3 is meant to increase the speed. Mode 2 offered the best balance of range and power for my daily riding. I was able to deplete a fully charged battery after 70km (43 miles) while riding in mode 2 with my baskets fully loaded and in windy conditions that hovered just above freezing. The battery can be charged to 80 percent in two hours or 100 percent in three hours.

Thesa rides heavy compared to traditional mopeds, making it feel very stable at any speed, even on packed sand. It weighs about 200 pounds with all the accessories and battery installed. The geometry puts the rider low to the ground in a very relaxed position on a saddle that is more comfortable than it looks, even on rides lasting over an hour.

The display is not readable in sunlight, direct or indirect. I was slowed down when I powered up the vehicle because I couldn't see the display to enter the pin.

If I had to sum up my time with the cake in one word, it would be fun.

If there's a silver lining to the epidemic, it's the rise of tools like Zoom and Slack that allow corporations to give more people remote work opportunities. The Flex can help make the most of the new hybrid office policies. It is a terrific on- and off-road vehicle with lots of storage options for anyone in need.

I can't imagine how practical a work bike like the Flex or Plus would be for most people. It's not ideal to have to carry a separate inverter. The Flex was fine for my modest needs as a journalist, but I needed a bigger battery.

The Work series was recently introduced across the lineup of vehicles. The Flex Work ships with a 75Ah / 3.75kWh battery that weighs 26 kilogram and provides more hauling power. It's more viable for those in need of off-grid power if you have a second or third battery, but it also increases the starting price from $9,000 to $11,000. A rolling electric generator like the Ford F-150 can be had for $40,000 with 98kWh of battery capacity, which is enough to power a work site or entire home for days at a time.

It's icing on the cake that you now have so much choice in mobile power stations.

Video by Ivo Ricker.