“Our Beautiful Mission”: VanMoof Chief on Changing Cities with E-Bikes | manufacturing sector

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The rebuilt Battersea power station in southwest London is an impressive architectural feat: its projecting towers have been carefully dismantled and then rebuilt while the derelict structure below has been filled with modern conveniences. It also received its fair share of disdain, as critics objected to the privatization, monetization, and gentrification that the project entailed.

It all makes for a fitting meeting place for Ties Carlier, in the new London store of VanMoof, the e-bike company he founded with his brother in 2009. He, too, strives to reinvent an old classic, building it from the ground up for the modern era, bringing comfort and polish where others prefer rustic charm. for what came before.

Like regular bikes, e-bikes still need to pedal, but use a battery-powered motor to help the rider achieve speeds up to a UK legal maximum of 15.5mph. Carlier hails from the Netherlands—as his first name, his height (he’s 6ft 6in) and the fact that he’s a cycling entrepreneur might suggest—but it was the Big Apple rather than Amsterdam that sparked the creation of his company.

“When my brother and I went to New York, we rode bikes, of course, but we saw that no one else was doing it. And the city was perfect for that! to make it a commercial venture.”

Carlier and his brother, Taco, set out to re-engineer the bicycle for city commuting. The lights are built into the frame, so they can’t be forgotten or stolen, and the chain lock retracts inside the bike when not in use. Their new design proved popular, but there was a problem. “We were selling in New York and Tokyo, but we were selling to people who really loved their bike. We just couldn’t get out of the niche.”

Carlier hooked up one of his e-bikes in Battersea.

Where Amsterdam is small, flat, and has a mild climate, its target markets are large, often mountain towns, where frigid winters or scorching summers make everything but biking fun. The answer was electricity.

“Those elements are overcome by electric power. That’s when we realized this could really enable cycling for everyone in the world – no matter how big your city is, no matter how many hills, the bike becomes the best way to travel.”

In the six years since its S electric bike hit the market, VanMoof has shipped about 150,000 and now employs just under 1,000 people. Design has evolved too: the latest S5, launched in April, costs £2,998, and there’s still a three-to-four-month wait for delivery.

The company’s expansion has changed Carlier’s life in a more fundamental way, too: He met his wife, Cheryl, on a trip to Taiwan, where the bikes are made, and the couple now live in Taipei with their young children.

But even as he deals with record growing pains for a young company — taking $128 million in venture capital in 2021 to invest in a production operation that aims to one day be able to produce as many e-bikes in a month as the company has sold since. Established – Carlier remains focused on addressing the pain points that keep many from cycling.

VanMoof customers, for example, can pay £550 for peace-of-mind service: a three-year program that offers free maintenance at outlets and, most controversially, protection against theft. The company promises to take back any stolen bike within two weeks or provide a replacement.

Guardian writer Alex Hern, right, tries on a new VanMoof model with Ties Carlier.

A YouTube series following the work of “bike catchers” — who sometimes steal bikes from thieves — has gone viral, but Carlier insists the goal is to make anti-theft protection unnecessary. VanMoof e-bikes lock securely with the touch of a button, can be followed with GPS tracking until the battery runs flat, and unless the bike owner sends in an electronic code to unlock it, it takes a skilled mechanic to turn the bike around. In an expensive pedal bike.

First of all, in cities where we don’t know very well, theft rates are actually a bit higher. But in Europe, most bikes are stolen by larger organized gangs, and these people quickly realize, “Oh, that bike. Don’t steal it because we can’t sell it. We can’t use it.”

However, although theft is not a big problem for VanMoof bikes, the fear of it is still an issue. “People solve theft themselves by buying a cheap bike, because then it won’t be stolen.” But it does get stolen, once or twice, so you buy a cheaper one. Your riding experience is getting worse and worse, so you reduce riding more and more. Moreover, it is not good for the environment.

By enabling people to travel further by bike, you have fewer cars and more room for those bikes

Not every problem that stands in the way of e-bikes is solvable with clever design, but that doesn’t mean Carlier won’t try. The company recently announced the VanMoof V, a chunky e-bike that’s mechanically capable of cruising at up to 31 miles per hour. Speed ​​restrictions mean selling such a bike unlocked would be illegal in the UK and most of Europe, but Carlier wants to spark a conversation about whether such limits are always justified.

“We think e-bikes need to be faster in certain situations, to allow people to cover greater distances on the bike,” he says. His example is someone who lives in a suburb, who might be able to cycle safely at 30 mph on wide arterial roads, before being limited to lower speeds when the bike detects it has crossed into the heart of the city.

“In the real big picture, by enabling people to travel farther by bike, you have fewer cars, more room for those bikes. If you have something that really brings you outside easy and a lot of fun, we can change the city as we know it.”

Curriculum Vitae

Age 43 – Family lives in Taipei, Taiwan with wife, Cheryl, and two young daughters. Education as an auto mechanic in the Netherlands. Push “It wasn’t that important to me and my brother. Our work is our biggest hobby, so we like to keep as much company as possible.” Last holiday” we used to spend our holidays from VanMoof store visits. Last year we went to six brand stores in Germany in one week.” The best advice given to him is “stay fearless.” That.” How relaxing it is to be on or near the water. Career error “Underestimating how hard it is to disrupt an established industry. I thought we’d build a better bike, then take over the industry. But we’re still in the beginning.”

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