Swapfiets disrupts bike hiring and asserts their green cred
Swapfiets “bicycle as a service” brings a new business model and seriously green credibility
The challenges of micromobility during COVID-19
Three students founded the company in 2014. Marc de Vries joined as CEO in January — yes, right in the middle of apandemicwhen everyone was working from home. His earliest challenge was getting to know the company and getting a grip on the company’s culture. He noted:
Then, there’s the pressure of coming on board, with an organization growing as its owners matured. As he explained:
Further, the company is not immune to the difficulties of thesemiconductor chip shortage. Chips are embedded into both the batteries and the bikes themselves.
Fortunately, the impact was reduced by a valuable partnership. They collaborated to order chips in bulk with suppliers Bosch and Shimano.
Sustainability-first and a move towards a circular economy
Swapfiets is a company that is leading the sector by greening their workflow. Take bike tires. Tires are usually tough to recycle. Earlier this year, the company partnered with Italian tire company Vittoria to improve performance and extend the lifespan of theirelectric bikes.
Swapfiets has subscribed to the Vittoria2GOservice — renting tires instead of buying them — in a key step towards achieving their goal of creating 100% circular bikes.
In the ”pay for use” business model, the manufacturer handles the value of a product throughout its lifecycle. The model provides an incentive to design products that are optimized for durability, ease of maintenance, and repair.
De Vries notes that the company is in a prime position to rethink the production supply chain. He remarked
that traditionally, most companies gave little thought to what happened to bikes when they were no longer in use. This has shifted to a trend to design bikes to last, creating perpetual bike models of repairing and reusing parts.
The company is aiming to produce a completely circular bike in the next three years.
Introducing Swapfiets’ The Power 1
The company launched its latest bike,The Power 1in September. It’s named for its single-speed set-up, which means no gears, making it easy to use and maintain.
A Shimano E5000e-bikesystem runs The Power 1, offering three levels of electrical assistance up to a top speed of 25kmph. When fully charged, the battery provides a maximum range of up to 80km — perfect for a full day of work and play in the city.
Given how sleek this bike looks, we can’t wait for the fully circular one
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart ci(show all)Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart cities, and the future of alternative energy sources like electric batteries, solar, and hydrogen.
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