New micromobility company Lavoie, a McLaren Applied subsidiary, is preparing multiple announcements for the industry next year.
Zag Daily spoke with Eliott Wertheimer, CEO of Lavoie, who said that the company is very optimistic about the micromobility sector and is developing innovative solutions.
The manufacturer has just launched its first product, the Lavoie Series 1 e-scooter, drawing on decades of automotive engineering expertise with McLaren.
Asked about Lavoie’s intentions to launch its own e-bike model, Wertheimer said he could not confirm this yet, but added that the company is working on “a lot of exciting projects” in the micromobility sector. “Sadly, some things we can’t talk about yet, as they involve quite a bit of innovation but watch this space.”
Series 1
Lavoie is targeting luxury consumers and the Series 1 will be in the higher pricing bracket for e-scooters, which will be announced next week. However, the CEO hopes it will still be affordable for most people commuting in big cities.
“The whole point of this e-scooter was to design something that is not a toy anymore,” he said. “What you see is a proper vehicle. We are focusing on style to make sure we create products of desire, and at the same time, we’re packing as much functionality and technology as we can to maximise the benefits of riding.”
Lavoie’s one-touch folding technology, called Freeflow, is an important innovation to make the e-scooter as small as possible, so that it is easily portable for commuters without compromising the riding experience.
Confident in the potential of the e-scooter market, Wertheimer hopes that regulations for e-scooters will mean that they will soon be allowed on public roads in the UK. Currently, private e-scooters can only be ridden on private land.
“The Queen’s speech [in May] included plans to make e-scooters legal in the UK. Until that happens, we will sell products to the UK for use on private roads. However, hopefully, within a year or two, there will be changes because we know we have a product that will satisfy people in many different environments.”
For Wertheimer, e-mobility is “the absolute perfect solution” to transportation in city environments. “Most places are seeing it and pushing for changes towards the use of e-mobility. The places that are not seeing it still see trends that are forcing them in that direction.”
