In Denderleeuw, Belgium, the local police department will now see its staff going on patrol on new Trenergy e-bikes, after a batch were recently delivered.
Needing to replace its existing fleet, the Denderleeuw Police Department put out a public tender with a view to purchasing more modern models. Those entering the tender had to ensure specific requirements were met, including the e-bikes’ colour (white), weight, carrier weight, service, price and battery.
The chosen dealer was Fietsen ‘t Sjepapke in Denderleeuw., who felt that the Trenergy Performance 2.3 with belt drive and Enviolo hub best met all the requirements. The dealer also offers a service whereby the bicycles can be repaired on-site at the police department, for greater convenience.
Pascal Chow has responsibility for Trenergy’s Belgian market, and was in charge of handing over the first bicycles to the Police Department. He said, “We are very happy with this collaboration and see it as a first step for a long-term relationship. The bicycles are regular models that are available to everyone. We didn’t make any special adjustments, like bulletproof tires or anything like that.”
After a short test drive by one of the police officers, the first impression was that the Trenergy e-bikes also ride smoothly without power-assisted support, which had not been the case with previous models.
LEVA-EU member Eskuta is expanding its UK premises in Nuneaton, with the strategic installation of a new mezzanine.
This step will enable the manufacturer to double its stock capacity, and is expected to be completed by early September 2023.
To be installed in both units of Eskuta’s facilities, the mezzanine will provide an additional 160 sq m of space, allowing Eskuta to both serve a larger customer base, and reduce waiting times for their moped-style e-bikes, which are assembled on-site by the company’s team of technicians. New job opportunities are expected to be generated by this step.
Eskuta managing director Ian O’Connor, who founded the company in 2015, said: “The expansion marks an exciting time for Eskuta, the new mezzanine installation is the first stage of our expansion plans, and the additional capacity will allow us to reduce lead times and enter new developing markets.
“We are passionate as ever about shaping the future of e-mobility and championing the importance electric bikes and Light Electric Vehicles will play in the future, as we head towards net zero and aim to reduce congestion in our towns and cities.
“Coventry, Birmingham, and the surrounding areas have been the birthplace of many leading motorcycle and cycle manufacturers over the years, and we are proud to be continuing that legacy as we all transition to a sustainable and electric future.”
Eskuta has received several recent accolades, included winning Reach Media’s BusinessLIVE’s ‘Small Business of the Year 2022’, and the SX-250 e-bike being recognised in a recent article as ‘Best Moped Style e-bike 2023’ by Expert Reviews.
Comments Off on Pivot Cycles reveals new Shuttle AM eMTB
LEVA-EU member Pivot Cycles’ new Shuttle AM promises “Unmatched Performance, Endless Possibilities”: crafted to be the ultimate all-mountain machine, it comes equipped with everything you need to conquer any trail on the mountain.
Shuttle AM doesn’t shy away from touting itself as an all-mountain masterpiece that dominates the realm of e-mountain performance. This awe-inspiring e-bike strikes the perfect chord, delivering an unmatched blend of lightweight agility and long-travel prowess that hits the all-mountain sweet spot. So, brace yourself as Pivot introduces the Shuttle AM, an e-bike that conquers every type of terrain with ease, from fast-flowing singletracks to breathtaking back country descents.
“We are thrilled to introduce the Shuttle AM to the world,” says Chris Cocalis, founder, and CEO of Pivot. “The Shuttle AM is our first project partnering with Bosch and showcases our commitment to pushing the limits of innovation and design. This bike embodies the perfect fusion of versatility and performance. It’s an eMTB that every rider will enjoy. The Shuttle AM hits that all-mountain sweet spot.”
Completing Pivot’s all-star lineup of e-bikes, the Shuttle AM shines as a crown jewel. Powered by the latest Bosch Performance drive systems, all Shuttle AM models deliver class leading performance. The range-topping Team build features Bosch’s all new, limited-edition Performance CX Race motor, 750Wh battery with Bosch PowerMore range extender capability. Designed with 148mm of rear travel, a 160mm Fox fork and purpose-built all-mountain geometry, the Shuttle AM inspires total confidence on any trail.
Pricing, Specifications, and Availability: The Shuttle AM will be available in Blue Neptune and Mojave Willow Green colors and can be purchased in three different complete build options priced from $8,999 to $13,999. Available now, in sizes S through XL, at key Pivot dealers worldwide. For more information visit: https://global.pivotcycles.com/products/shuttle-am. For immediate download of complete technical details on the Pivot Shuttle AM, as well as photos, video, Instagram edit, specifications and more, please follow this link.
Comments Off on AureusDrive bikes covering kilometers worldwide
LEVA-EU member AureusDrive shares riders’ photos from around the globe
The Switzerland-based e-bike manufacturer AureusDrive recently shared customers’ photos of their bikes in multiple locations, along with the accompanying stories.
Swiss design meets Candian city life
One customer took her AureusDrive Comfort to Vancouver, where she uses it for everyday life.
Arriving in Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône
Another customer, along with a colleague, undertook an extended ride along the Rhône from Gletsch in Valais, to the Mediterranean coast at Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, France. The two covered more than 900 km in just seven days!
Portugal views
A world-record attempt at cycling 20,000 km in one go was started two years ago by Reto Steimer, using an AureusDrive Classic 25. Unfortunately, a knee injury forced an early stop to the attempt, but many kilometers were covered trouble-free to that point!
AureusDrive is working towards ecological mobility for all, and develops, designs, configures and assembles e-bike systems with a focus on the commuter. To date, the company estimates that its e-bike community has collectively achieved a total mileage in seven figures, and reduced CO2 emissions by 150,000 kg. Find out more here.
Comments Off on Ellio reveals its new speed pedelec model, the Max
LEVA-EU member Ellio has unveiled its new Max model, which the company describes as a powerful combination of in-house expertise, innovation and insights from the Ellio Rider community
The speed pedelec features integration of sustainable materials and components, including a Gates Carbon Drive CDX drive belts, hydraulic disc brakes and Ellio’s own two-wheel drive featuring an automatic gear-shifting system.
Ellio says that the Max has been designed to get riders to their destination smoothly, every day, and is confident that, whatever the road conditions and distance, smooth and reliable commuting is assured.
Funded by the Welsh Government, the E-Move project has been in operation since 2021 and has provided many in Wales with a free electric cycle loan. Sustrans’ Research and Monitoring Unit (RMU) team have collaborated with Jack Kinder, an MSc research student from Cardiff University, to analyse interview data from those who have taken part in the project.
Sustrans have been interviewing those who have taken the government loan, to see how it has treated them and indeed, what their experiences of e-bikes and e-cargo bikes are like. This data was cleared by participants and shared with Jack, who was already interested in researching e-cycles, how e-cycles might affect rural Welsh communities, and wider carbon emissions.
Jack used practise theory in his E-Move analysis, based upon behaviour change. This theory considers the impact that our society has on us in addition to individual behaviours and evaluates decision making as social practises that are influenced by wider environmental and social conditions and our individual life experiences.
The interview data identified many common barriers to cycling that significantly pushed people towards motorised transport in rural Wales. These included: • terrain and landscape • lack of dedicated cycling infrastructure • not feeling welcome on roads • negative views about cycling • perceived danger • stigma from other road users and people cycling.
One respondent commented that although the route into town was flat for them, they ‘prefer not to go down the main roads because I don’t feel particularly safe on a bike with the traffic.’
The wide range of demographics in the data also concluded on alternative barriers to choosing pedal power over motors, in the older generation over the younger, for example, ‘You see a few people cycling, but it’s so hilly that it’s impractical unless you are 21 and super-fit.’
The e-cycle solution
One significant advantage of electric-powered cycles is their ability to overcome many of the barriers that were highlighted. Those aforementioned hills can be defeated, for example. E-Move has also enabled capabilities for those taking up the task to cycle further and more often, wonderful for the health of the nation and a certified boost for confidence and independence. The agility of the electric bicycles and cargo bikes has also installed confidence in sharing the road with traffic, with one participant commenting,
‘A couple of times I’d just go into Newtown to do some shopping, which I wouldn’t have done on a standard bike… by the time you’ve put 5kg of shopping on, you’re not going to do that on a standard bike 8 miles out of town, so yeah very positive!’
Participants using those e-bikes fitted with child seats also commented that it made their child-caring responsibilities easier to fulfil than using a car or taxi, another positive endorsement.
E-Move Continues
The success of the E-Move project has meant expansion into a third year. Sustrans’ RMU does relay that there are still barriers that need to be defeated, particularly the cost of an electric bicycle, but also personal safety and uncertainty of where e-bike users belong on the road. Training with an accredited provider is advised. In addition, there are challenges from the UK Government’s funding cuts to active travel.
Data collaboration
The project between Sustrans and Cardiff University was an opportunity to explore the E-Move project in more depth and study the highs and lows of those taking part. In addition, the project brought real benefit to Jack’s studies thanks to working with real-world data.
The conclusion was that E-Move should be expanded so that it can reach as many people as possible. This is obviously a positive deduction, one that goes some way in increasing the health of the nation and bringing back cycling enjoyment to those who may have been missing out. There are so many positive aspects to cycling over motor vehicles, and the Welsh Government’s 2024 extension of the E-Move project is very welcomed.
The first quarter of 2023 has been a challenging one, and cities and shared mobility operators are changing tack on transport innovation. Some cities are limiting the number of vehicles that can be present at one time, with Paris even banning shared scooters in April. Operators are finding little profit in the shared transport city solutions, but there is a lot more to discover and rider numbers are still increasing.
Fluctuo predicts that some cities have reached full capacity for electric scooters, whereas others, particularly Eastern Europe, haven’t. Shared bikes are expected to catch shared scooters in terms of user numbers, while improved efficiency will see more people using the systems.
It is commonly accepted that urban density plays a huge part in public transport logistics in our cities. In the most densely populated areas, there is a shift away from private car usage, instead encouraging other modes of transport and more simplified means of getting around, particularly when the focus on the city is in one place, for example workplace communities. Here, amenities are close by, so use of walking, cycling and public transport is encouraged. This benefits our health and reduces our carbon footprint.
Shared mobility – namely bikes, scooters and mopeds – is also urged, and Fluctuo has collected data from over 90 European countries that shows cities with a population of 5000 km2 have over 10,000 shared vehicles. At 8,600 vehicles, Copenhagen is the only exception. Some of these cities are, of course, Europe’s largest, so this may not come as a total surprise. Outside of this 90-city quota, an additional 6 cities with a dense urban population were found to have fewer than 10,000 vehicles. Fluctuo suggests that these cities may not yet be at full capacity and hence, these figures may well change going forwards. Access to shared vehicles is a key factor in improving the environmental impact of our cities.
An accurate way of quantifying the success of shared vehicles is by looking at the trips per vehicle per day (TVD). Popularity is gathered by the amount of shared vehicles but the TVD tells the real success story. Fluctuo’s investigation found that high population density increased shared vehicle use. This is optimistic and reflects the EU’s overall quest to make city residents healthy and reduce the detriment to the environment.
Julien Chamussy, CEO at Fluctuo commented, “After 5 years of hyper-growth made possible by massive VC-backed investments, shared mobility operators now have months to become profitable.” further adding, “It may seem counterintuitive, but the growing number of calls for tenders and the increased demands of European cities (parking, user safety, environmental impact) could actually help operators. With fewer competitors and smaller fleets, performance metrics on the vehicle level should greatly improve.”
LEVA-EU member FRIKAR has announced that it is shifting to small-batch production of its limited-edition Signature model, allowing them to enhance their construction model.
Only 180 units of the model will be produced, and entirely hand-built to ensure tight quality control. Previously, each was stick-built piece by piece, but now FRIKAR has hired another assembler, allowing the shift to more efficient small-batch production. Instead of working on one bike from beginning to end, each will now be built in batches, with the team working on the same stage on every bike in each batch, saving preparation time for each stage.
This shift is seen by FRIKAR as a way to modestly boost output and increase efficiency, without sacrificing quality.
FRIKAR Awards
FRIKAR sees their Podbike concept as the next step in the evolution of green mobility, and last year received a handful of awards: Innovators Award at the Eurobike trade fair in Frankfurt, and Most Innovative Urban Mobility Company and E-Bike of the Year at the Scandinavia Business Awards. They have teased that another prestigious award is coming their way, with details to be revealed in due course.
LEVA-EU member Neomouv, electric bike design specialist, has announced the purchase of Unibike, a Portuguese company with a new assembly plant. Based in La Flèche (Sarthe, France), Neomouv formed a partnership with Unibike in 2018, of which 80% of capital is now acquired by Neomouv.
Philippe Vaxelaire, Neomouv Founding Director
The alliance between the two bicycle specialists saw each with their own tasks. Designs were made by La Flèche-based Neomouv, while assembly and paintwork were completed by Unibike, whose new assembly plant located between Porto and Lisbon boasts a construction capacity of 250,000 electric bikes per annum. Built in 2021, the plant covers 15,000 m², and operates an automated system.
A statement about the purchase concluded, “This acquisition is made possible thanks to the support of the group’s shareholders, including Sodero Gestion, a historical investor.” €2.7 million was raised by the acquisition that keeps Founding Director Philippe Vaxelaire as the majority shareholder.
Although Neomouv and Unibike will continue to operate separately, the purchase will allow Neomouv “to accelerate its development in the electric bicycle market, secure its production and make it gain agility and innovation capacity.” Unibike is set to benefit from Neomouv’s expansive knowledge in design, purchase and supply of electric bikes.
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