Bolt Mobility’s AppScooter promises to be the Tesla of e-scooters

Dutch automotive start-up Bolt Mobility has started working on its ambitious electric AppScooter, terming it to be the Tesla of e-scooters.

With the global electric mobility phenomenon tilting towards new-age solutions, the start-up aims to use its innovative solution to change the way e-scooters are perceived. The company estimates scooter sales in the European market to be worth euro 30 billion (Rs 229,320 crore) per year.

Bolt Mobility claims its scooter is 150 percent faster with an additional range of 50 percent and is 40 percent lighter with app connection, key differentiators that the company says makes it miles ahead of the existing competition.

Bolt Mobility will aim to position its innovative AppScooter, which uses a modular battery that promises a range of up to 400km, in Europe’s promising electric scooter segment while also addressing the issue of emissions.

The scooter will come equipped with a touch-screen dashboard that can be controlled via the handlebar buttons or touch that will also have a face-detection feature to showcase notification only when it is safe. With GPS, 4G and electronically controlled locks, the scooter will accelerate from 0-45kph in 3.3 seconds. The AppScooter will have a lifespan of 80,000km.

Retailing at 2,990 euros (Rs 228,555) including tax for EU markets, region-specific prices are yet to be disclosed by the company. With the first batch of App-scooter already being pre-ordered, the second batch is expected to be available for pre-booking by the year end. Bolt Mobility expects to have an initial production capacity of  30,000 to 100,000 scooters annually by 2018.

KTM and BMW think e-two-wheelers too
At the other end of the European two-wheeler market, top two players – KTM and BMW Motorrad – are also understood to be aggressively working on electric two-wheeler technologies. 

The second largest European two-wheeler maker, BMW in May 2017 showcased Concept Link electric scooter at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The company already sells its two variants of electric urban mobility C-evolution (pictured above) with a drive range of 100km and C-evolution plus with a drive range of 160km in the European market. This models retail in the European market at £12,350 (Rs 12,15,610)  and £13,500 (Rs 13,28,805) respectively.

With start-ups and established OEMs looking at electric mobility as their new-age mobility offerings, it seems the whole ecosystem is gearing up for competitive growth in developed markets.  With manufacturers looking at offering various features and upgrading drive/ride range, ease of use and the cost of ownership will be the final decider for the consumer.