(NOMINATION FOR AUREA 2017): OnoBikes - Electric Archont bicycle

The Belgrade-based startup OnoBikes has developed an electric bicycle called Archont, based on bicycle ergonomics, which stands out due to its unique design and advanced technology embodied in strong, high quality electric engines and batteries.

The Archont bikes are produced manually in order for individual demands of the clients to be met, making each bicycle unique.

By developing this model, OnoBikes has become one of around ten companies in the world producing electric bikes capable of developing speeds over 45 km/h. The engine of this prototype runs at the maximum of 80 km/h, whereas a single charging of the battery is good for up to 100 km.

The company is currently developing the first series of 6 bicycles, already fully sold out. This year’s plan includes establishing their own production, and American and local investors have shown interest in financing the project.

INNOVATION

The first OnoBikes model, Archont, is redefining the bicycle industry standards. It stands out due to its unique design and the manual production and solves the ergonomics problem characteristic of most bicycles.

Aside from being very comfortable to ride, thanks to the fact that each model is unique and adjusted to each individual customer, Archont is introducing a completely new style and satisfying the need to “be different”.

The Guardian placed the Serbian electric bicycle among the five best things of the future, and it also earned the top spot on BBC’s 2016 list of the best looking bikes, due to its unique design and technology. Other leading magazines and specialized bicycling and design blogs and forums have also spoken about the young Serbian team.

The electric bicycle is 3 meters long. Its harmonious design, developed to draw attention, is characterized by a curved body with carefully defined proportions. It is comfortable, features a steel frame and the battery and the controller are housed in a reservoir made of carbon fibers. The top of the reservoir features a lid which, when opened, turns into a mobile phone stand. It can be connected to a charging cable, be turned into a control display, and the company is also developing an app which will be providing real-time info on the movement of the vehicle.

The 6 kW engine was produced in cooperation with the Croatian company Zelena Vozila (they are also cooperating with Rimac Autromobili, the producers of the first electric super car). It develops speed of up to 80 km/h, making OnoBikes one of around 10 producers in the world whose electric bikes run at over 45 km/h. The bike can travel for up to 100 km on a single battery charge. The battery takes three hours to charge, and the regenerative braking system further charges the battery in motion. The bicycle’s pedals do not charge the battery when in motion, but they do increase the range and save the battery’s energy.

The company offers three models: a bicycle, an e-bike and a super e-bike.

SOCIAL USEFULNESS

(Photo: isak55/shutterstock.com)

By developing a unique electric bike, OnoBikes has positioned itself on the world market as one of the key brands within the e-bike industry, and their goal is to develop and further enhance the production of electric engines, batteries and controllers for electric bikes, so that the product would be 100% made in Serbia.

The product has already placed Serbia on the 21st century bicycle industry map, and the company is working on further developing the technology of electric engines, controllers and batteries, aiming to implement them in other vehicles as well – tricycles, quad bikes, cars, trucks, buses, military vehicles, vessels and drones.

Switching to electric bikes as the main means of transport contributes to making the environment cleaner and has a positive impact on people’s health. Being green and sustainable is becoming a standard in all industries, and has always been at the essence of the concept of a bicycle. The production of electric bikes, then, is becoming an inevitable part of sustainable personal urban transport.

FINANCIAL POTENTIAL

(Photo: Syda Productions/shutterstock.com)

At a stage in which they’re still self-financing the project, OnoBikes has made the first sales and is currently working on producing the first series of 6 bikes, which has been fully sold out. Orders have arrived from the USA, Russia, India and Switzerland.
The Serbian product stands out from the competition thanks to its unique style and design, the manual production and superior quality, but also thanks to its price, by far the lowest one in the top class of electric bikes. A regular bicycle costs EUR 2,000 to 3,000, an electric one EUR 4,000 to 8,000 and a super model EUR 8,000 to 15,000, whereas the cheapest manually produced regular bicycles cost EUR 4,000 to 5,000 in Europe.

In order to meet all the requests by individual and business clients, which currently number in over 1,000, their goal for 2017 is to enhance and expand the production, currently carried out in Cacak. American investors, more precisely, the 500Startups accelerator from San Francisco, as well as certain local investors, are interested in financing the project. A total of EUR 30,000 has been invested in the development so far, and the company’s estimate is that the initiation of a serious production program in the first 12 months will take EUR 350,000 to 400,000.

The plan for the next season is also to develop a hyper bicycle running at over 100 km/h, featuring double-width tires in the front and the back and a battery capable of running for 250-300 km on a single charge. Furthermore, they are also developing a small, practical bike which can be folded and which would be available as both a regular and an electric model. The development of the concept of a smart rickshaw, powered by a system such as Uber, is also being planned. The negotiations about this unique project have already started and it should be realized in the next 12 months.

If an Archont electric bicycle is your favorite one for the investment of the year, you can vote at the official Aurea award website .

Ono Bikes

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