Upway launches online marketplace for refurbished e-bikes in US

Upway, nan French startup that refurbishes and resells electrical bikes crossed a scope of brands, launched successful nan U.S. Tuesday. The institution will attraction its efforts connected nan Northeast region of nan country, but its bikes will beryllium disposable for shipping crossed nan continental U.S.

Upway has already made a sanction for itself successful Europe, wherever it has refurbished and certified much than 10,000 e-bikes passim France, Belgium, Germany and nan Netherlands since its motorboat successful 2021. With nan rise of e-bike income successful nan U.S. that kicked disconnected during nan COVID-19 pandemic, a secondhand marketplace is opening to emerge.

It’s not enough, however, to conscionable bargain a utilized e-bike connected Craigslist aliases Facebook Marketplace — customers want to cognize that they’re getting not conscionable an affordable product, but besides a safe one, peculiarly arsenic nan complaint of fires caused by e-bike batteries increases.

“Our extremity astatine Upway is to beryllium astatine nan forefront of not only providing nan user pinch an extended action of certified electrical bikes from starring brands, but besides supply them comfortableness successful knowing that each merchandise carried successful our storage has been officially certified from starring mechanics successful nan manufacture and will beryllium fresh to safely thrust upon arrival,” said Toussaint Wattinne, CEO and co-founder of Upway, successful a statement. 

Upway has nan backing of organization investors for illustration Sequoia Capital, which led nan startup’s $25 cardinal Series A past year. The institution intends to make its level a marketplace for nan largest action of e-bikes, from roadworthy and upland bikes to cargo and foldable bikes — and everything successful between. Upway says customers tin get up to 60% disconnected nan unit value of a high-quality, “like new” e-bike done its platform.

Upway already useful pinch apical European e-bike brands for illustration VanMoof, Riese & Müller and Gazelle, but will grow its lineup to see American motorcycle companies for illustration Specialized, Cannondale and Rad Power Bikes, according to Wattinne.

The institution typically sources e-bikes successful 3 ways. The first is done individual owners who waste their bikes straight to Upway done nan website. Upway says they supply sellers a quote wrong 24 hours.

The 2nd measurement is via a wide web of retailers. Today, Upway has astir 200 retailers successful its European web and is moving connected building up U.S. partners.

“What we connection these retailers is simply a trading program, meaning whenever a customer comes into that shop to bargain a caller e-bike, if they presently ain a utilized e-bike, that shop will beryllium capable to bargain backmost that aged bike, and nan customer will only person to salary nan quality betwixt nan value of nan caller motorcycle and nan buyback costs of their aged bike,” Wattinne told TechCrunch.

Wattinne noted that not only is it a bully woody for nan customer, but it makes nan retailer’s life easier, arsenic well.

“They don’t request to value nan secondhand bike. They don’t request to refurbish it. They don’t request to past put it connected sale, because it’s each powered by Upway. We springiness them a quote, we cod nan bike, we salary them directly.”

Finally, Upway besides useful pinch fleet owners aliases companies that supply fleets, for illustration Zoomo aliases Cycle. These companies typically want to renew their fleets aft 2 aliases 3 years and look for a partner to acquisition their full utilized fleet, says Wattinne.

Once nan institution sources nan bikes, they’ll spell to Upway’s storage successful Williamsburg, Brooklyn, wherever a squad of mechanics inspect, repair, switch and refurbish, assessing some nan mechanical and physics information of each bike. Wattinne says it’s important for Upway to run each its refurbishment operations successful house, alternatively than outsourcing to section mechanics, because it allows nan institution to guarantee nan highest standards. Everything from nan brakes and nan drivetrain to nan centrifugal and nan artillery comes pinch a one-year warranty.

Upway hopes to unfastened much section and location warehouses crossed nan country, starting pinch nan West Coast. For nan moment, nan company’s extremity pinch its U.S. motorboat is to study much astir nan customer, corroborate nan appetite for this work from American customers and get immoderate traction earlier expanding.

Today, Upway’s moving pinch a mini squad of 10 people, but intends to turn its squad up to 50 group by nan extremity of nan year.