Electric motorcycle brand Cake and Volvo’s Polestar have been working on the perfect urban two-vehicle solution. The two Swedish companies have a neat idea for urban dwellers’ transportation woes by pairing Polestar EVs with electric mopeds. The companies have announced their latest collaboration, and it’s on a little utility moped that can haul a bunch of stuff like it’s a little two-wheeled pickup truck. You can buy it in America too, complete with the fantastic colors of the Polestar 6.
We’ve been featuring a lot of electric motorcycles lately. A number of them have been motorcycles that you’ll hopefully be able to buy in the future. Others are motorcycles that you probably won’t be able to buy but are still pretty amazing. Today, we have something a little different. Back in 2020, electric motorcycle brand Cake joined forces with Polestar on electric mobility solutions. A year later, the pair announced that they were creating what they call the first-ever “electric mobility bundle.” This bundle combined a Polestar 2 with a Cake Makka moped. And the concept was more than just a moped hanging off of the back of a Polestar, as it used a cable to connect and charge the Makka using the car.
Automakers are willing to sell you little kickscooters to beat around your city with, but this goes an extra step further, giving you a deployable moped charged by your car. Though, it doesn’t have the polish that Honda had back in the 1980s with its Honda City and Motocompo moped. At the same time that Polestar and Cake announced the concept, it also launched a Cake Makka Polestar edition, which was painted in Polestar’s Snow white with Polestar graphics on it (above). That little moped–which wasn’t available in the United States–apparently sold out instantly.
Now, the pair are releasing another Makka Polestar edition, and this time Americans can buy one.
For those not familiar with what a Cake is, I’ll give you a rundown. The company was founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 2016. Founded by Stefan Ytterborn, Cake’s goal is to drive towards a zero-emissions future while keeping things fun. Cake’s site says that the design team’s mantra is “light, quiet and clean,” and you can see it in the motorcycles and mopeds created by the company. The company’s first motorcycle made its debut in 2018.
The Kalk is an electric off-road motorcycle with a minimalist design, lightweight, and a torquey motor. It was followed up in 2019 with the Ösa, a utility motorcycle that looks like a small girder with wheels. The idea behind that one is to allow its rider to carry their gear by simply attaching it to the motorcycle. And when the motorcycle gets to its destination, its battery could be used as a power station.
Then came the Makka, and this one’s Cake’s city moped. The $4,170 base Makka Range is closer to an ebike in function than a moped. It has a range of about 41 miles but tops out at just 15 mph with a 1.34 HP peak motor (0.87 HP nominal). Step up to the $4,470 Makka Flex and you get a range of about 34 miles, but a top speed of 28 mph and peak power of 3.75 HP (2.07 HP nominal). Next is the Makka Flex :Work.
This $5,680 version still goes 28 mph, but you get more of everything else. The battery doubles to 3kWh, bumping the range up to 62 miles. Power is 4.4 HP peak (2.07 HP nominal) and you get thick racks front and rear to carry whatever you can fit on them.
Or for $5,300 you can get the Makka Polestar edition. This one is the same moped as the $4,470 Makka Flex, but you get your moped in the same lovely blue color as the Polestar 6. I smashed two press images together for a rough look at the two of them together:
And in Polestar fashion, you get Polestar script on the side. You’re getting the same 1.5kWh battery and the same up to 3.75 HP motor, but you do get a rear rack standard. Granted, that rack isn’t exclusive to the Polestar edition, as you can buy it for $98 for a regular Makka.
But that’s actually really neat. Cake will sell you all kinds of utility racks so that you could carry packages with your Makka. Heck, you can even get a surfboard carrier and hooks to hang stuff! So if you really wanted, you could use a Makka Polestar edition like a little two-wheeled pickup. It reminds me of the Honda CT50 Motra, but for the modern day.
I will admit that the price of $5,300 is on the steep end for something that can go only 28 mph. I’ve written about faster electric motorcycles with a similar price. Cake is positioning itself more towards the luxury end of the moped spectrum, which makes sense. These are pretty smart, too, featuring regenerative braking, removable batteries, and drive modes. This is a pretty moped that Cake wants you to pair with a pretty Polestar.
And unlike some of those cheaper electric motorcycles I’ve written about, these are super customizable right out of the box.
If you’re a Polestar fan and want a matching moped, the Cake Makka Polestar edition is available starting today and you can get in line on Cake’s website. If you’re interested in the Makka but don’t need the Polestar colors, you can get one from Cake’s website, too, but be prepared to wait 10-12 weeks. This is another one that I’d love to ride for myself. If you live in a city, this could be a cool little tool to get around on.
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
• A Startup Is Launching A Practical Electric Motorcycle That Costs Just $1,500
• Erik Buell’s Awesome Electric Motorcycle Concept Might Become A Reality In 2024
I think I’d rather have an electric cargo bike than a super minimalist electric moped. And e-bike with pedals is allowed to go on mixed use pathways (shared w/walkers, joggers, cyclists, etc.) and anywhere a regular bicycle can go. A moped would, in theory, not be allowed that same level of freedom. And many e-bikes can reach the same top speed as this electric moped, so there’s no advantage there, either.
Luxury Moped, two words I never thought I would see together
But can it go the distance?
How does it afford its rock and roll lifestyle?
Can it be ridden in a short skirt and a looooong jacket?
It would probably be good for touring the facility, and you could always trade it in for a white Chrysler Le Baron.
I was just looking at the Cake bikes last night at a meet and greet as they try to build a US presence. The Osa+ is super interesting, the customization for specific utility needs is a very different approach for a motorcycle. The prices definitely relegate it to either urban upper middle classes, or business/gov purposes. Even with the plus, you’re limited to about 55mph. But the erector set feel is very youthful. It’s cool that you can strap a basket to the front and just extend the headlight out to the basket, or strap a 2nd seat on to the back for 2-up riding, or add a pretty large trailer on the back with a pivot arm, or all of the above.
I like them, but the price is an easier sell in Western Europe for sure.
OOoooooo I love these little bikes.
Here is the video: Honda Collection Hall 収蔵車両走行ビデオ MOTRA（1982年
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnA4PpLIqDQ
Where they drive the Motra around the front of the museum.
I won’t be a pedant, this time, but instead restate what others have pointed out. The price. For one, if people are to be encouraged to take their life in their hands with a tiny, slow as molasses, electric scooter, it needs to be affordable and worth the money. I get it that this is pitched directly at Polestar owners, and people with more money than sense. That’s fine with me. I don’t care, and neither will 99.9% of everyone else. Electric transportation needs to be directly competitive with IC engined vehicles. I know the government we have now is not above putting their thumb on the scale, with our tax dollars, and “nudging” us in their desired direction. But, if people have been hammered by inflation, there is less disposable income for overpriced urban transport. If it’s not too much trouble, more e-ink could be profitably expended on interesting, and cost effective, solutions.
honestly, this will most likely get lumped in with the price of the car which is probably good if financing for the car is needed. Most will not need financing, but some will and they will likely make it a Christmas gift for a kid after writing the car off on business taxes at the end of the year.
Luxury… moped? I mean, I get it—they’re targeting well-off urban professionals who will pay extra for an around-town ride that suits their aesthetic—but those two words seem a little contradictory. It’s also not really a moped, is it? I mean, where are the pedals? How is this not an electric scooter?
Anyway, I think personally I’d rather have an electric bicycle. You can get a pretty damn good ebike for that money, with comparable performance figures, plus you can pedal it. (Some ebikes won’t go unless you are pedaling, but some will let you ride on electric power alone.) The wheels will be bigger which means a smoother ride, and most importantly to me, bicycles are standardized.
Accessories and replacement parts are widely available from hundreds of different brands, which gives you limitless potential to customize the machine for your needs, and makes most repairs simple and able to be performed in the driveway or your neighborhood bike shop. Less so for the electric drivetrain, but all the “bicycle” stuff—wheels, chains, handlebars, shocks, sprockets, brakes, etc. is mix-and-match. That’s huge, in my opinion.
tl;dr If you want something with the performance of a bicycle, get a bicycle.
Actually come to think of it, what are the chances of ever getting some ebike content on here? Some of them are really blurring the lines, capability-wise, between bikes and motorcycles. They have a lot to recommend them. There’s a reason bicycles have been the wheels of choice for billions of people throughout the decades, after all.
There’s an ebike ‘gang’ that hangs out in our local park. They’re all obviously fairly well to do judging by their clothes and the expensive bikes, but they all hang out together smoking weed and the odd bump of shitty street coke and trying to look tough. None of them are under 25, and the teenagers from the nearest rough estate would eat them for lunch.
Some of their ebikes are pretty sweet tho
Ehhhh, not so sure about your bicycle opinion. At these price points, options that will legally allow you on the road (even if only lower speed roads) are things that consumers see as justifications for the price point. That being said, people that want an e-bike will get an e-bike.
That being said, while they aren’t apples to apples comparisons since Cake has their own weird styling and they tout utility that I doubt many consumers will actually use, a PCX150 is 60% of the price and twice as capable. An XMax is similar in price, highway capable, and probably a better daily vehicle.
I’m almost ready to jump into BEV cars, but I just don’t think BEV scooters/motorcycles are there yet.
Ebikes aren’t allowed on the road? I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Neat. I like it. But if I’m going to be limited to that kind of speed, I’ll just buy a used Yamaha Zuma 50 for $1200 and have enough left over for gas, insurance, and repairs FOR-EV-ER!
An electric Tote Goat!
Just too much cash for the flash!
I like it. But not $5k like it.
Forgive me, Ms. Mercedes, but I can not see the cost/benefit on something like this. For the same price I bought a 100k mile Silverado which seems much more useful in virtually any case.
Also, there’s a company called Jetson (no relation to George and Jane, sadly) that produces an e-bike with similar specs and sells it for FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS. Explain why this thing costs 15x more.
These things are criminally overpriced and not even that cool. It’s a tube frame with a small motor and a battery. They’re absurd, and not in a good way. I bet Superfast Matt could build one of these for less than a grand with twice the speed.
Because the people with the money for a Polestar 2 will buy it because everyone knows what it costs. Conspicuous consumption combined with virtue signalling. I’m greener than you are.
I’d submit that any urban mobility scooter in the US needs to have theft prevention front and center. Anything else is just fairly tone deaf industrial design for industrial design’s sake. I can’t think of anywhere I could leave this thing except mayyyybe the bike cage at work.
The picture with the Honda Motra, what’s that dude doing?
“Look! If I lean this way, the pitch of my fart gets higher!”
Pretty sure it would get lower, tho one would have to have to test the proposition.
I agree it is expensive, but that might be necessary with both the source and the target market who would not like to be be caught riding a Chinese sourced bike.
Where I live in Ontario, Canada IIRC it can’t be a moped unless it has pedals, this would qualify as a limited speed motorcycle, both require a specific operators license unless driven on private property, therefore I can’t see a market for this here.
There is a no license thing for electric bikes and scooters, but they must have pedals too, otherwise the base model would probably fit in. https://www.ontario.ca/page/riding-e-bike.
It might be a Chinese sourced bike. Volvo/Polestar is owned by a Chinese company.
I don’t think the problem is Chinese bikes or batteries. The problem is a lack of regulation. Right now ebikes are in a wild west state where people just seem to trust Panasonic or Samsung batteries over Chinese batteries for whatever reason. But that brand recognition isn’t the same thing as an acutal guarantee of safety.
We need some solid safety standards for ebikes and ebike batteries in particular. They are a huge part of reducing dependence on fossil fuels after all.
Am I the only one annoyed by the use of “moped” to describe a motor-scooter without pedals? I know Cake uses the term to describe the Makka, but just like BMW calling a diagonal-hatchback CUV a “coupe”, their misuse of the term doesn’t make it right. No pedals, no moped.
As the owner of a moped (with pedals!) and as a general-purpose pedant I, too, would be noisily outraged by this, except that around these parts the, ah, flexibility of that designation is useful for putting plates on certain things that otherwise wouldn’t qualify as street-legal.
I keep telling myself that I don’t need a SECMA Qpod and so far I keep listening:
https://bellingham.craigslist.org/snw/7560108442.html
I love that a good 75, maybe 90 percent of our readers are pedants. 🙂 Honestly? I was stuck between calling this a scooter and calling it a moped. I know that the traditional definition of a moped means that the vehicle has pedals. Though, at the same time I also know that the legal definition of a moped is a bit more lenient. There also appear to be regional differences, as locals in my area will call 50cc scooters a moped.
In this case, I just went with what the manufacturer called the vehicle.
correct, 49CC and lower, 25MPH top speed and they were all called mopeds when the Honda Spree was released, a few of those awful PUCHS with pedals were around, but nobody called them scooters in the flyover states of the US.
I hate it when reality slaps me in the face. It’s a cute idea, but $5300 for 28 mph? Thank you, no.