E-bike manufacturer VOLT has announced its new insurance collaboration with LEVA-EU member LAKA, three-time winners of the Best Cycle Insurance Provider category at the Insurance Choice Awards and pioneers of the ‘collective insurance’ scheme.
The partnership will be celebrated with an exclusive 30-day free bicycle insurance trial, available online to all VOLT riders, new and old. This collaboration is another step in the UK-based manufacturer’s sustained drive to deliver exceptional products to its customers, with VOLT seeking to ensure that from day one and beyond riders are supported along every step of their journey.
Just as VOLT continues to expand apace with their focus on innovation, so too does LAKA, with their collective insurance scheme disrupting the industry. LAKA’s collective insurance splits the monthly claims cost across the entire community of riders, a month without any claims is a month without any payment from you and the whole collective. Riders are intrinsically tied to one another, with the system designed to nurture community spirit.
LAKA’s partnership works in harmony with VOLT’s commitment to delivering the best possible deal for customers, with their flexible insurance having no annual subscription or upfront payment costs and no excess super-fast claims which are usually processed within a day. VOLT and LAKA will ensure you’re protected with both theft and damage coverage.
“At VOLT we’re always looking to partner with organisations that are innovating within our sector. Thispartnership with LAKA is really exciting, they provide a great scheme which is disrupting the insurance industry. We know our riders will love their unique offer and we can’t wait to see them join ‘the collective’. We’re proud to have worked with LAKA to forge a great deal for all our riders.” – Volt founder and owner, James Metcalfe
Comments Off on The future of micromobility – an interview with Laka CEO Tobi Taupitz
The future of micromobility is an interesting prospect. Soaring fuel costs, environmental pledges, and changing work habits are already seeing our towns and cities transform thanks to micromobility vehicles. But what next?
Catch up with LEVA-EU Member Laka’s CEO Tobi Taupitz, as he discusses all things micromobility and how LAKA fits into the equation in the organization’s latest press release.
What is micromobility?
Micromobility is here to stay. It’s gone from a buzzword in the technology world to a fixture of our everyday lives. Whether that’s the bike we jump on to get to work, or the e-scooters you see in towns and cities.
But what does ‘micromobility’ actually mean? Well the dictionary definition says micromobility is “the use of small, low-speed vehicles as a means of personal transport”. Seems straightforward enough.
Tobi has a more detailed view:
“For me, micromobility means bikes, cargo bikes, e-scooters & e-mopeds – but you can now see all sorts of interesting use cases that don’t quite fit the description.Micromobility really hones in on short(er) distance travel.The use cases are quite interconnected. You can use an e-moped to deliver a pizza or you can use it to get from A to B.
I suppose what links micromobility is that these aren’t vehicles primarily used for fun. Even if they are a fun way to get around.So I think what we’re talking about is beating traffic and being smarter about getting from A to B.
When we think about micromobility insurance customers, it’s the commuter and transportation side on the one hand, and it’s the commercial and business side on the other. This narrows down the segments we are serving in the micromobility space.
Micromobility is evolving of course. There is a BCG paper that came out in May that predicted what Micromobility will look like by 2030, which was super interesting and insightful. It’s just inspiring how the world is changing.”
Micromobility stats at a glance
The paper that Tobi refers to paints an interesting picture of the current micromobility landscape too. Here are the key takeaways:
Bike ownership is still expected to be the biggest market by volume at €35 Billion Annually
Subscription vehicles are the fastest-growing segments in the micromobility market
More than 30% of all their survey respondents use a bike several times a week, if not daily
Among city dwellers, 41% use a micromobility vehicle to commute
The top six reasons people choose micromobility were of almost equal importance: flexibility, reliability, price, the weather (when it is pleasant), safety, and the opportunity to save time by reducing travel time.
Bikes clearly play a big role in driving micromobility forwards too. A report from We are Possible found that cargo bikes have the potential to cut emissions by 90% compared to diesel vans and are 60% faster than vans in urban centres.
This is what Pedal Me have managed to achieve through excellent rider training, operational efficiencies, and using the best cargo bikes for the job.
What does the future look like for micromobility?
Tobi says the key to micromobility’s success in the future is having vehicles that can outperform traditional cars & vans.
“We’re seeing cargo bikes that can carry more and more. It’s really taking off. That’s the use case of the EAV for example. It’s more of a van than an e-bike. This shows that some of the creative solutions are already out there.”
The EAV that Tobi is referring to is an awesome look into how our cities will soon look. If not how they look already.
EAV build eCargo vehicles for emerging use cases and new urban environments. Their vehicles are designed down from a van, not up from a bike: a fundamental innovation in eCargo bike design. This unique hybrid allows more deliveries in a shorter amount of time by accessing cycle lanes and pedestrian routes.
Micromobility vehicles are on the rise but how will this affect our towns and cities? What patterns are we seeing in how people now use urban spaces?
Whilst catching up with EAV we asked head of partnerships Leo Bethell how he sees the future of our urban spaces:
“Heavy and large vehicles will be removed from the city centre, as vehicle lanes make way for lightweight micromobility options. Cycle and pedestrian infrastructure will take priority over legacy vehicles meaning people will reclaim the city as a safe environment.”
Making the city a safe environment is critical. Expect to see initiatives like ‘School Streets’ in the UK become commonplace everywhere. School Streets are council-led schemes that restrict motor traffic access outside schools at key times. This leads to safer access to schools and better use of the space outside school by children and families walking, scooting, cycling, and wheeling to school.
Expect to see many more initiatives that ‘reclaim’ the streets too. It’s fundamental to making our cities greener and more liveable. Designing our streets for humans first and transport / vehicles second is a powerful way to turn the tables on polluted cities & chaotic urban environments.
The Laka journey so far…
And where does Laka fit into all of this? Finally we asked Tobi what sets Laka apart from the rest:
“Well firstly, being tech-driven we have lots of data points compared to your standard business insurer. We have thousands of cargo bikes on the platform and we know very well what the risk looks like. Price is important, but it’s not everything. Service is essential and can be broken down between the actual claims offering, which we have as best in class, I would argue. And then of course it’s our ability and willingness to go beyond that.
On the one hand, this would be through the products we are offering, liability cover, goods in transit, and I’m sure more in the future. On the other hand, it’s the integration of the ecosystem we build around your needs and your existing operations. If you have fleet management software for example, Laka just seamlessly integrates, captures the right data and makes it super easy to work with you.”
LEVA-EU member Laka, a bicycle insurer based in London, has now launched its service in Germany thanks to support from Porsche Ventures. In its initial stage, the brand will offer digital insurance products in these regions.
Laka insurance is now available for all bicycles in Germany, including a partnership with Cyklaer e-bikes. Service providers in Germany under Laka insurance include Decathalon, Raleigh, Le Col, and Dockr. As announced in June, this development is facilitated by support from Porsche Ventures.
Maxim Huber writes, “The insurance provider promises to only bill customers for the actual costs of claims submitted in the previous month. Insured persons should benefit from lower prices with fewer claims, while members are protected from higher collective claims by a monthly price cap. Costs are reduced through a daily updated pricing and risk model, with policyholders being transparent about where their money is going each month, the company says.”
“We are thrilled to bring our modern, refreshing, and collective insurance model to Germany, where micro-mobility is already a part of everyday life and continues to grow,” says Kelly Barnes, CMO of Laka.
Comments Off on Insurance disrupter Laka secures further funding from Porsche Ventures, as part of a Series A extension, enabling German expansion.
LEVA-EU member Laka (www.laka.co), winner of the ‘Best Cycle Insurance Provider’ Award four years in a row, has secured additional funding from Porsche Ventures, the venture capital unit of Porsche AG. This brings its Series A, led by Autotech Ventures and followed by Ponooc, Dutch sustainable mobility investor with close ties to the world’s largest bike seller Pon, and ABN AMRO, to $13.5m. Laka will use the new capital and network opportunities to facilitate its European expansion.
With no major European player for cycling and e-mobility insurance, Laka is uniquely placed and first-to-market with an insurance model that has customer interest built-in to the core. Laka will expand its product offering to e-scooters, e-mopeds, and, eventually, e-cars to better serve Europe-wide partnerships including manufacturers, retailers, and leasing businesses.
About the investment, Patrick Huke, Head of Porsche Ventures, Europe & Israel said
“The increasing digitization and variety of sustainable mobility offers leads to the need for an innovative and customer-centric offer in the field of digital insurance. With the investment in Laka, we are pleased to support a strong team that is addressing the global insurance market with a unique, highly adaptable, and digital business model, which focuses above all on the customer experience.”
Laka will be exploring opportunities with the Porsche Ventures portfolio to build the backbone to support the e-mobility segment. Initially partnering with German cycling brand Cyklaer (www.cyklaer.de) to offer new and existing customers built in digital insurance products. Cyklaer will be joining Laka’s partners, which include the world’s largest sports retailer, Decathlon, iconic cycling brands Raleigh and Le Col, as well as Santander Consumer Finance and Monzo. The partnerships enable the brands to provide end-to-end digital experiences by immediately protecting their customers from theft and damage at the point of sale.
Tobias Taupitz, CEO and co-founder of Laka says “2021 truly depicted an inflection point for Laka as we moved from a pure direct-to-consumer play towards retail and commercial partnerships.
e-mobility is redefining transport globally, and Laka has set out to build the backbone to support the e-mobility segment at a time when “Net Zero Emissions” has rightly become front of mind for consumers, businesses, and government policy. To support this shift towards a greener future, we have a bold vision to become the world’s largest e-mobility insurance partner.”
Already insuring many of the UK’s leading last-mile delivery companies, such as Zapp and Urbit, Laka is also expanding to cover commercial fleets Europe-wide, where companies who are shifting their fleet to greener transport and e-mobility are underserved by traditional insurers.
Porsche Ventures joined the existing investor list including Autotech Ventures, Ponooc, ABN AMRO Ventures, Creandum, LocalGlobe, 1818 Ventures, and Elkstone Partners. Notably, confidence in Laka was shown by global cycling industry leaders, with angel investment coming from Zwift CEO and co-founder, Eric Min, in January 2022.
Comments Off on Laka and Dockr rebel against outdated industries
The European cycle insurer that has disrupted the consumer and commercial insurance market
LEVA-EU member Laka, the European cycle insurer that has disrupted the consumer and commercial insurance market, is now working with cargo bike subscription giant DOCKR to bring their fresh, entrepreneurial model to the e-mobility market. As part of their DOCKR subscription, thousands of DOCKR clients in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands now benefit from Laka’s award-winning insurance and fleet management system.
Laka’s appeal to clients is its ability to quickly adapt its unique, tech-based insurance model to provide tailored, cost-effective insurance cover for clients’ specific requirements across Europe. Laka and DOCKR both bring a modern and flexible model to their retrospective industries. Notably, outdated insurance companies are known for locking clients in for long periods with expensive get-out clauses and charging for policy changes. This is where Laka and DOCKR are changing things to better serve the business market. With DOCKR, clients pay via an all-inclusive flexible subscription model, whilst Laka offers flexible insurance contracts that allow daily policy changes; which are more suited to the changing needs of growing delivery fleet companies.
Both companies also maximize revenue opportunities for their clients. Laka has its own in-house customer services team, who provides award-winning fast service to get riders back on their bikes (41 minutes is the quickest settlement), and DOCKR’s secret lies within its subscription, which includes regular service at the customer’s location and backup vehicles when necessary, thereby maximizing uptime for its users.
DOCKR is the most recent addition to Laka’s commercial client list, which features Decathlon, Randstad, EAV, Zapp, and Santis Global to name a few, proving that Laka is now uniquely positioned to provide a comprehensive, cost-effective, and versatile commercial insurance model (covering e-cargo bikes, delivery riders, and cycles), across Europe and the UK.
Tobias Taupitz, Laka CEO said “We listened to clients’ pain points with traditional insurance to develop a product that challenges the outdated insurance model. Laka provides tech-driven flexible policies to better suit their needs; whether they are a global company or a fast-growing (and fast-changing) start-up. DOCKR is one of those fast-growing companies. We are delighted to work with the DOCKR team, who are aligned with Laka’s disruptive approach of rebelling against outdated models to do things differently, to do them better.”
Nadine van der Hoorn, Managing Director at DOCKR said ”At DOCKR we look for innovation and customer-focus in all partners we work with. These are key drivers for us and our partners to grow with the disruptive DOCKR Model. When starting conversations with LAKA we’ve found a partner who will work with us (instead of against us) to offer our customers the best possible cargo solution in inner cities. This requires courage from both of us to embrace the unknown.”
Van der Hoorn goes on to explain that, every day the inner cities become more congested with traffic, and CO2 emissions continue to rise. That’s why DOCKR is on a mission to make the inner cities a better place. DOCKR delivers flexible all-in subscriptions for electric cargo vehicles because they believe mobility should be easy, accessible, and sustainable. DOCKR helps its customers with their logistical challenges so they can focus on their core business. Whether your company is big or small, there is an ideal DOCKR for everyone. No big investments upfront and no long-term commitments. With DOCKR’s service and preventive maintenance, they ensure that your vehicle is always on the road to guarantee you maximum uptime.
DOCKR is growing rapidly and they want to conquer the European market with their all-inclusive subscription. To make this rapid growth possible, they are looking for new investors so that they can make the city center a better place, not only in the Netherlands, Belgium & Germany but in all of Europe!
For further information about Laka visit the Laka website at www.laka.co For further information about DOCKR visit the DOCKR website at www.dockrmobility.com
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