Mobility innovator Cambridge Electric Transport (CET) is raising £900,000 for its four-wheeled CitiPod e-bike.
The seed funding round will be used to manufacture a passenger and cargo version of the CitiPod. CET will lift off with production next year with operations scaled to new markets across the UK and Europe.
Since its founding in 2017, CET has launched multiple e-bike services to encourage uptake of sustainable transport across Cambridgeshire.
“Our vision is to replace cars and vans in towns and cities, providing an agile and lightweight alternative to petrol and EVs, drastically reducing carbon emissions,” CitiPod CEO Sean Moroney told Zag Daily.
“The Cargo version will replace electric vans for last-mile deliveries and our passenger version, with space for one adult or two child passengers in addition to the driver, will replace the car on the school run and shopping trips.”
Originally inspired by the Morris Minor economy car, the CitiPod puts a green spin on the British staple with a solar panel and pedalling power to reduce grid dependency.
Less than a metre wide and 1.4 metres in height, the CitiPod features a low centre of gravity and is designed to fit through a single door frame. Its long-range batteries are suitable for all weather conditions and it has a 100 kilogram payload.
“The difference between CitiPod and our competitors is the covered exterior which caters for the eight months of rain in the UK, and the unique ‘sit-down’ driving position rather than having to climb onto a saddle. This makes it far more accessible and quicker to get in and out,” added Moroney.
Earlier this year, the South Cambridgeshire MP Anthony Browne test-drove the CitiPod Cargo version and credited the vehicle for matching the government’s transport decarbonisation programme.
With no requirement for insurance, tax or a driving licence, CET anticipates having CitiPods on UK roads and cycleways by mid-2025. The CitiPod Cargo version will be targeted to UK last-mile delivery companies and the NHS and Royal Mail have expressed interest in running trials with test vehicles.
“The CitiPod design makes micromobility desirable and aspirational, which is needed to achieve mass adoption for business and personal mobility.”
