Problem:
Demand
for e-Bikes across Europe is growing by 30% per year as people find them a fast
and fun way to get around congested cities. However, most e-Bikes are too heavy
and bulky to be used flexibly, for example with public transport.
Solution:
FLIT
develops lightweight folding e-bikes for urban commuters.
Folding
e-bikes open up the market to new customers as they can be easily stored or
used with public transport. By developing a folding e-bike from scratch, and
integrating the electrical system into the frame, FLIT’s first product, the
FLIT-16, is 30% lighter and smaller than a typical folding e-bike.
The
first batch of FLIT-16s will be delivered to customers in late 2020. FLIT then
plans to use feedback to continue experimenting in the folding e-bike niche. It
will develop both new e-Bike models, for example to target customers in the
leisure market, and new sales channels, such as leasing and subscription.
By the
end of 2021, FLIT aims to have FLIT-16s available for purchase in shops across
the UK, announce a new model of folding e-bike, and begin trialling a leasing
scheme. In 2022 it hopes to expand into international markets in Europe and
North America.
In
2019, 3.4 million e-bikes, worth £5 billion, were sold across the EU and UK.
That volume had grown by an average of 31% a year since 2006. Folding bike
sales also grew at about 15% a year over a similar period. The UK market for e-bikes
is less mature than regional leaders such as the Netherlands or Germany, but is
growing even faster. In the UK in 2018-19, the e-bike market grew by 66%, and
folding e-bikes grew by over 200%.
Traction:
2017 – Awarded Department for Transport Innovation
Challenge Fund grant
2018 – Accepted onto the Design Council Spark
accelerator, winning additional funding through a commendation award
2018 – Raised pre-seed investment from UK angels
2018 – Established a prototyping and manufacturing
relationship in Taiwan
2019 – Filed a patent and registered designs for the
FLIT-16
2019 – Eurobike Startup Award finalist and won ACID
Design and IP Champion Award 2019 – Sold over 100 e-bikes via a Kickstarter
pre-sales campaign, exceeding its target by 440%
2020 – Continued sales of the FLIT-16, and first
deliveries to customers