If you’re at all abreast with the electric bicycle industry, chances are you’re familiar with VanMoof. The Dutch e-bike brand was once a thriving company with lots of potential thanks to its interesting bikes with premium, proprietary technology. Not long ago, however, the brand made headlines, and not in a good way.
It seemed that all was over for VanMoof following its bankruptcy declaration, however, with McLaren Applied subsidiary Lavoie taking the helm, there seems to be a silver lining. Elliot Wertheimer and Nick Fry have taken leadership positions at VanMoof, and they’re eyeing more than just a fix to the problems plaguing the brand; they’re looking to breathe new life into VanMoof and make it a strong player in the e-mobility industry. To do this, they’ll of course have to make amends with VanMoof’s original customer base.
As reported by Electrek, VanMoof will be taking a multifaceted approach when it comes to springing back to life. For starters, they’ll have to ensure the availability of replacement parts for both retailers and repair shops. They’ll also have to bolster the brand’s point of sale either by building a strong online presence, tying up with e-bike retailers, or a combination of the two. On top of that, it was reported that Lavoie is taking steps to boost VanMoof’s workforce, hiring nearly 100 employees from the original 700. This is indeed essential, as VanMoof has a lot of work to do when it comes to ensuring the reliability of some 200,000 electric bicycles it has sold prior to bankruptcy.
As for what the future holds, chances are the instantly recognizable styling of VanMoof will remain, as there’s clearly a market for minimalist, user-focused design in the e-mobility space. Interestingly, VanMoof is also expected to launch a new electric scooter in the first half of 2024, presumably with some technology from its new parent company who has quite an impressive e-scooter called the Series 1.
It’s indeed worth noting that electric scooters haven’t been getting a favorable response, especially in Europe. It seems that most European governments would very much rather have their citizens commuting around the city on e-bikes rather than e-scooters, so that’s definitely something to watch out for when it comes to the new VanMoof electric scooter. France, for example, recently issued an outright ban on electric scooter rentals, relegating e-scooters for personal use only.
