Collect information on electric two-wheelers, rent them, buy them and talk about your experiences. This is the all-in-one concept of the new online platform, which the German company E-Wheels just started.
 

 
The young company E-Wheels GmbH & Co. KG from Hamburg in Germany has started an internet platform for everyone who is interested in electric mobility. www.e-wheels.eu went online on July 9th in German language and will be available in English as of July 30th. A Spanish version will follow in August and other languages are planned for the future.

The site is focused on the consumers of electric bikes and runs four major sections. In the News and Info area, users learn a lot about electric two-wheelers, events and what is going on in the industry. Although electric bikes make more and more headlines in the mass media, the concept of a pedelec, in particular, is still new to many people. Only those who have at least once tried a pedelec know this unique feeling of permanent tail wind even when you are riding against the wind! Something you have to experience by yourself. ExtraEnergy has provided test-ride opportunities at trade shows and many public events, some dealers have enough space for test rides or rent bikes out. Now, E-Wheels has come up with the ambitious plan to set up a rental network for electric bikes all over Germany.

Rent It
The idea is simple, the usage also: Go to the Rent It section of the E-Wheels website, find the closest rental station and book a vehicle online. E-Wheels is currently setting up a network of Rent it partners in Hamburg and other German cities. The goal is to create a dense, Germany-wide rental network for electric bikes and scooters. This project is just starting now, and the first rules have been set up: E-Wheels will only provide vehicles for rent, which meet a number of requirements. Firstly, these requirements refer to battery safety and legality of the product. Secondly, either the entire vehicle or electric key components have to be tested by ExtraEnergy.

Rent it has something to offer for everyone: customers can test ride and make their purchase decision more easily, tourists can rent a pedelec or e-bike ahead of time and stay mobile and flexible in foreign cities, and everyone else can easily use electric bikes to get from A to B and leave their car at home. Manufacturers can use the rental network as a platform to promote and market their products.

Buy it
E-Wheels also prepares for the next step: purchase. In the third section of the E-Wheels website, users will be able to purchase the electric bike or scooter of their choice online and pick it up at the contract dealer or even have them shipped to their place. The dealer will be responsible for service and maintenance.

Talk about it
The community section on the website is a forum for everyone to share their experiences with electric mobility. “This way, we want to spread the good news and, at the same time, help reduce the bad news through the direct communication of the users“ says E-Wheels CEO Frank Heitmeyer. “We see our website as an open platform; dealers and manufacturers are welcome to present their products to our internet users. It is our goal to make it as easy as possible for everyone to gain access to electric mobility.“


E-Wheels cooperates with ExtraEnergy in many ways. The German bicycle club ADFC, and tourism associations in Berlin and Hamburg are also partners of the project. The E-Wheels team gives presentations at trade events such as LEV Conference in Taiwan and participates at Eurobike and IFMA to stay in close contact with the industry. E-Wheels is also member of EnergyBus e.V., and supports the BATSO standard.


E-Wheels.eu
LEVConference.org
EnergyBus.org
BATSO.org



July 25, 2008