Simply final 12 months whereas visiting Thule in Sweden forward of Eurobike, I lastly noticed it. Bicycle riders carrying the Hövding airbag ‘helmet’ within the wild. To be sincere, I might need seen it in my travels sooner, however the level of the Hövding is that it’s discreet till it’s wanted. That’s, the airbag was contained in a collar that you simply wore round your neck – when a pre-crash was detected, the airbag would inflate across the person’s head to guard them.
At this level, Hövding has been round virtually so long as Bikerumor with our first protection relationship again to 2012/13. Sadly for Hövding and their followers, that every one appears to have come to an finish final month. First reported by Bloomberg, the Swedish Client Company first imposed a brief gross sales freeze on November 1, 2023, resulting from considerations that the airbag wouldn’t correctly inflate. That short-term gross sales freeze became a everlasting gross sales freeze and recall on December 15, 2023.
Hövding appealed the choice and gained in Administrative Courtroom, which overturned the recall and gross sales freeze. Nevertheless, it looks like by that time the harm had been performed – a minimum of within the eyes of the board of Hövding Sverige AB. Feeling that the protection popularity of the system was broken past restore, the board determined to file chapter in late December 2023.
As the corporate works its manner by the chapter proceedings, you possibly can proceed to make use of your Hövding although it appears to be at your personal danger.
It’s unhappy to see an innovator like Hövding fade away, however hopefully, they’ve laid the groundwork for future improvements within the airbag house – like those who we’ve seen from EVOC, and others.