The micromobility industry is rallying behind e-bike maker VanMoof after the court of Amsterdam officially declared bankruptcy for the company’s Dutch legal entities. The court has now appointed two trustees to explore an asset sale to a third party to keep VanMoof running.
To support the claimed 190,000 VanMoof customers worldwide, Belgian e-bike brand Cowboy recently released a Bikey app so that they could maintain their unique digital key, allowing them to unlock their e-bikes even if VanMoof’s servers go down.
Tanguy Goretti, Cowboy Co-Founder and CTO, told Zag Daily: “This is about keeping bikes on the road, which is our no.1 mission as a company, regardless if it’s a competitor or not.
“We know VanMoof riders will be worried, particularly those who use their e-bikes for their livelihoods, and whilst our focus has to be on our own Cowboy software development, our team is also working to add support for S4/X4/S5/A5 in the coming days along with the Android version of the Bikey app.”
Benoit Yameundjeu, CEO of Fifteen, who was recently appointed as a board member of Cycling Industries Europe, told Zag: “VanMoof has significantly raised the bar by offering high-quality connected e-bikes and delivering an exceptional user experience. Their approach has been an inspiration for us in the development of user-friendly bike sharing solutions. It is regrettable to see the company facing difficulties in the current situation.”
Dance Founder and CEO Eric Quidenus-Wahlforss, commented: “Our joint focus on cutting-edge design will continue to shape the industry, creating e-bikes that are not only efficient but also a joy to ride. We sincerely hope that Van Moof will find a solution to overcome their current challenges.
“In the meantime, we want to extend our support to VanMoof customers who may be affected with not getting their bike delivered or repaired and are offering a 25% discount on a Dance e-bike for a period of four months to ensure they can continue enjoying the benefits of e-bike transportation.”
Back in January, VanMoof’s CEO Ties Carlier, told The Guardian that his biggest career mistake was “Underestimating how difficult it is to disrupt an established industry. I thought we would build a better bike, and then dominate the industry. But we’re still at the beginning.”
The company has now posted a support document that gives an overview of the current situation as well as what this means for both customers and suppliers. Users have been told that their bike will remain functional and rideable, as the company aims to keep its app and servers online.
Outside of The Netherlands, VanMoof’s legal entities are not in insolvency proceedings.
