The electric bikes of the Ukrainian army

Less than a year ago, we knew that armies from several countries were incorporating ebikes into their vehicle fleets. These electric bicycles were adapted for the transport of weapons and various military uses, but now, unfortunately, we have been able to see some of them in the Ukraine-Russia war.

The Ukrainian army uses ebikes adapted for military use

Bicycles are not new in the military industry and at the end of the 19th century, the first tests began to see if horses could be replaced by these two-wheeled vehicles.

But the arrival of electric bicycles has captured the interest of armies in a more striking way. The current e-MTBs are highly appreciated for being light vehicles, very stealthy, capable of moving on any terrain, with great autonomy and load capacity. In addition, they have the advantage that soldiers can continue pedaling when the battery runs out.

Delfast Top, the ebike with over 300 km of autonomy

Although they are probably not the first to be used for military purposes, in recent days several images and videos of Ukrainian soldiers using ebikes from the Delfast brand have been circulating on social networks.

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This is a manufacturer of bicycles of Ukrainian origin with headquarters in Los Angeles, and it has been the founder of the brand, Daniel Tonkopi, who has made the images public with the permission of the photographed command.

The model in the photos is the Delfast Top and it is what is known as a Speed EPAC or a Hyperbike, electric bicycles much more powerful than what European law allows, without being registered.

This one in particular has a 3000W motor, has a price of 6599€ and currently holds the Guinness record for the ebike with the longest autonomy. The brand ensures that it is capable of covering more than 300 km under optimal conditions.

The ebikes in the photos have been adapted to transport anti-tank weapons and Tonkopi states that they have been supplying ebikes to the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the war, but they had not wanted to make anything public until now. In addition, part of the company's profits are being donated to their country.

But Delfast is not the only brand of electric bicycles being seen in this war, models from Eleek have also been seen, another Ukrainian manufacturer as well.

Commander of the Georgian Legion on an ELEEK Atom electric bicycle in eastern Ukraine.

This electric bike is super useful since it can operate silently on the front lines or even behind enemy lines. pic.twitter.com/RAHXFlpHbA

— Visioner (@visionergeo) May 13, 2022

From what we have read in specialized forums, it seems that the impact of the Ukraine-Russia war is giving more visibility to these vehicles, but electric bicycles have already been used in other military conflicts before.