The Electrike is Perhaps the More Useful Segway Replacement
We often engulf ourselves with the products that are stimulating because they tickle our excitement for what’s to come. However, what really enriches our society is about more than the new iPhone, or how fast the latest sports car can go. Technology excites us, and automobile manufacturers sell speed to a population that’s bounded by speed limits and we love it, because we can and why not? Well we shant forget about the products that come around and sneak into our lives becoming as normal as the everyday products we use like the pencil. The Electrike is that product. The one that grows around you like a beautiful weed and it provides productivity that keeps our world moving round.
I was lucky enough to talk to Alain Di Duca from Electrike, a company founded in Belgium that has the perfect model for a very useful product. Below are some things we discussed.
How did the idea for the product come up?
I have some friends that are managing factories or plants. Using bikes or small scooters, they discovered that it was more interesting to move quicker but because of losing balance, or because of chocks, there were accidents, and golf cars were too big and too expensive. The idea was to create a light product almost as safe as a car. We figured it should be 3 or 4 wheels.
I have been involved in light electric motion in cities with ex VECTRIX importer for Benelux and France. I was looking for creating a light electric vehicle that drivers could see safely (like SEGWAYS).
Golfers use more and more golf cars but, sometimes use it alone. It cost too much and it is not as fun for disabled persons. Something in between an electric caddie or an electric car would have a market.
We did some market research and have seen few products, mainly TRIKKE and MANTYS. We decided to create our own product, but with a focus on the following items.
Shared mobility in factories, golf, cities, etcetera. Secure drive, easy to handle, with attention to center of gravity and cinematic and for market growth; low maintenance, versatility, and easy to export.
In what ways do you see this being implemented into people’s day-to-day life?
Cities. We have to create the demand seen and what’s been tested, or seen; We want to sell to police (replacing skate, bikes and scooters) and to street marketing agencies. We see it being tested through rentals (city trips, rentals from parking to offices “the last kilometer” market, and events). People will understand in the coming 10 years That they have to change their driving habits and use sustainable mobility; car sharing, busses, bikes, … They will discover new ways of mobility. Electrike will provide an easy and safe way but also fun, rewarding and useful for loading products.
Also factories, harbor and airports. Those places constitute a big market “per se” as a secured and easy to drive product providing productivity would be very useful. But it is also a way of showing off the product, making the advertisement by displaying to common users. It will contribute to create the demand.
And one of the top sports in the world with CSP++ players. Beeing seen on golf courses could give the “high end” reputation to the product which is ideal for advertising. Moreover the 60,000,000 golfers will be able to rent and test the product before being convinced and buying it for themselves.
Do you have a planned launch date of when the product will be available for sale?
First production run will be in july 2015 and deliveries start in august 2015.
Are you working on any updated models or is this the finished product?
On technical point of view; Product is finished (engine, controller, battery, frame, …). We will not change it while producing it.We will obviously change some details as far as looks in order to “finish” the product.
In the future we will develop a foldable and lighter product (for B2C market) that will also be “road homologated” as we intend to get road certification (market 25 to 45km/h).
Photo Credits: Electrike
