Our series on the Future of Transportation explores innovations and challenges that affect how we move around the world.
Growing up in the Netherlands, with its network of pathways, its flat landscape and its bicycle-friendly traffic laws, the brothers Ties and taco Carlier commuted with their parents on bikes. Families in the country did not own cars.
When they traveled to New York and other cities as adults, they realized that few people commuted on bikes in the same way they did back home. The experience led to the creation of one of the world's hottest bike brands.
VanMoof, the Dutch e-bike company started by the brothers, has been one of the biggest winners. The company's simple and stylish design and clever integration of technology has attracted a loyal and fast-growing customer base among urban professionals in Europe and the United States.
The company has raised more than $150 million from venture capitalists who don't usually bet on bicycles.
Ties Carlier said in a video interview from the company's headquarters in the Netherlands that they wanted to change the bike in the way it works.
Most of the world's cities are very hilly and can be very hot in the summer, butAmsterdam is very small and flat. When you have electric bikes, those limits are completely different.
One of the fastest growing forms of urban transportation is battery-powered bikes, which used to be seen as unreliable, expensive and ugly. With simplified designs, new corporate and government incentive policies and more awareness about the environmental benefits of cycling versus driving, VanMoof estimates industry sales will hit $46 billion by the end of the decade.
Commuters abandoned public transit because of Covid fears as a result of changes to urban transportation caused by the coronaviruses. Cyclists are taking advantage of the new bike lanes in Paris. Berlin is building a bike path. In New York, home to the largest urban bike network in the nation, there was even a problem finding a place to park a bike.
It's a good thing that all the cities around the world are investing in bicycle infrastructure.
When the brothers started VanMoof, they didn't make battery-powered bikes. In order to protect it from rain, thieves and other risks, they came up with a design that put the expensive and unreliable battery inside the bike frame.
Adding the battery out of sight gave the bike a simpler design. The practicality of a Dutch bike is what distinguishes a VanMoof bike from a traditional road bike.
The cost of a VanMoof bike will make prospective customers think twice. The company said it wasn't targeting cyclists, but commuters who might see a battery-powered bike as a good alternative to owning a car.
If we design a bike that is specifically for transportation to go from point A to B in a city, we will be able to do this.
The bikes can go about 90 miles per charge with three gears. The boost button on the handlebars gives riders the ability to accelerate up to 20 miles per hour to get up a hill or to start from traffic lights. The majority of the work for a cyclist would be done by VanMoof bikes.
Third-party sellers are not relied upon by VanMoof. The company sells its bikes online or at its shops in many cities. VanMoof designs most of its components itself, rather than relying on suppliers in Taiwan or China, which helps it produce a more integrated design but has added manufacturing and supply chain challenges. The company is run by Mr. Carlier in Taiwan and his brother in Amsterdam.
Many venture-capital-backed companies are unprofitable. The future success of the company will be dependent on persuading customers that spending $3,500 on a bike is worth it. Bike-sharing services are available in many cities. VanMoof's models are more expensive than those offered by Ride1Up. Commuter bikes that are foldable are becoming more popular.
One of the major concerns is theft. VanMoof has a security system that includes a gps tracker and a warranty program to replace bikes that are not recovered within two weeks. Bike crime is a top concern for many would-be customers.
Customers not in one of the major cities need to box up their bikes and send them to the company for servicing because the company only has a few shops.
The popularity of e-bikes will continue to grow, despite being a niche product, according to a technology analyst. The business reminded him of the early days of the mobile phone market when there were many different brands and different models.
Someone will step up. It could be another person.
Mr. Dediu believes that e-bikes have the potential to change urban transportation by giving people the ability to commute across town without having to climb a steep hill or race to a meeting. Incentives have been offered by governments and corporations to help offset the cost of removing pollution from the roads.
At VanMoof's store in London, next to the Battersea Power Station, which will soon be home to Apple's British headquarters, the store manager offered a test ride of the A5 model.
It is difficult to lift because it is nearly 50 pounds. When a button on the handlebars is pressed, the bike is unlocked and turned on. There are lights on both sides of the building. There is a slot in the middle of the handlebars that can be used to hold a phone. The bike syncs with a VanMoof app that shows how much charge is left on the battery
On a ride through a park, the bike was easy to operate, and it only took a few presses of a button to adjust how much power support to get from the battery. It can feel as if the rider is not doing anything at all. The bike stopped at the bottom of the park's steep slope. Mr. Williams hit the boost button and went up the hill.
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