Market / E-Performance: Design is a hallmark of the e-bike manufacturer Klever Mobility. The other: The technology and the background of a global player. There is a lot to discover.
The unique design catches the eye at first glance: the shimmering matt silver metallic aluminum frame, which runs from the head tube to the rapidly curved rear triangle and back again via the bottom bracket mount, resembles a rhombus. "Loop" is what the designer says about this closed loop. The restrained coloring of the seat tube in between further emphasizes this shape. The whole bike looks like it was made of one piece. In the center, but in the background in terms of color: the battery – the shape is more like a beauty case with electricity instead of make-up.
Asian roots, German thinking, international design: Klever Mobility
The manufacturer Klever Mobility has made a very self-confident appearance with the Model X. The designers from ARTIFACT were commissioned with the design side of the X-Series. Among other things, they are known for the appearance of some Canyon racing bikes and have done a great job here as well. Even before that, Klever had attracted the attention of some bike fans with the design of the B model. But while they tended to “polarize” there – as the managing director of Klever Mobility, Fritz Baumgarten, describes it, the appearance of the X model was received almost entirely positively. Dynamic, powerful, but also simply harmoniously round.
Independent bicycle design requires three things: good designers, courage – and money. If you don't rely on standards, you have to invest more – not only in development, but also in production. But behind the Cologne-based company is a parent company that, with the founding of Klever Mobility in 2011, pursued a clear goal and was prepared to break new ground and invest significantly: Kymco, a Taiwanese company and one of the world's largest scooter manufacturers. Around 750.000 scooters roll off the assembly line there every year. "A few years ago, Kymco analyzed the European market and determined that one reason scooters had little chance here was the trend towards e-bikes ," Baumgarten begins to tell the story of Klever Mobility. Of course. In Northern Europe, people are focusing on a different kind of short-distance mobility – and are willing to pay more for a bicycle than for a scooter.
Europe is a completely different place for mobility than Asia
“Kymco wanted to develop entirely new vehicles for Northern Europe and founded Klever Mobility Inc., a factory located near the parent company in Taipei. It includes offices, a workshop, and laboratories.” A prerequisite for success in Europe, according to everyone, was the need for a headquarters in a key market for the new e-mobility sector – this was found in Cologne as Klever Mobility Europe, where Baumgarten has been involved in development for six years. With ten employees, he now also manages sales, the dealer network, and marketing for the young brand in Northern Europe.
“Kymco and Klever were clear on one thing: if we wanted to offer something as newcomers in this market, we had to be able to define and develop the core technology of our bikes ourselves, and ideally, also own the necessary production facilities.” This vision was largely implemented at Klever and its parent company Kymco. A hub motor called Biactron was developed for the current X models. Key tasks, such as winding the coils, as well as the control system and software, were carried out in-house at Kymco. The perceived disadvantage of a rear motor's poor hill-climbing capabilities is addressed in the new Biactron with several clever features. Among other things, a separate controller is integrated into the motor, ensuring that power output is reduced early under increased load. The motor only shuts off completely at 135 degrees Celsius. Currently, there are two versions available – one with 43 Newton meters of torque and a more powerful one with 54 Newton meters. The latter is the better choice, especially for tours with significant elevation gain and for towing trailers.
The sensor technology is sensitive: Even a few degrees of pedal movement leads to thrust from behind, up to the support limit of 27 kilometers per hour, the combination of man and machine appears very harmonious. In addition, thanks to a technical development in the controller, you can continue pedaling like on a normal bike: a minimum voltage that is still present ensures that no motor resistance can be felt. The drive is practically inaudible even on the mountain.
The frame is created according to the development of Klever and ARTIFACT at one of the largest frame builders in Asia. But there are also many synergy effects for Klever and Kymco in the mechanical area - it is not for nothing that the parent company is also one of the largest motorcycle suppliers and also works with aluminum.
The development time of the Model X also demonstrates how structured and focused the partners' work was: " From the final design of the pedelec to the production model, it took just one year, and the German designers commented that they had rarely experienced such a close alignment between design and result!" With the X, they believe they have now arrived in the German e-bike market. The distinctive design should help them stand out despite the wide range of pedelecs on offer. Even more so than its predecessors, this bike targets "car converts," those switching from cars to other modes of transportation. "People seeking solutions to the mobility crisis are finding them primarily in the commuter segment of the e-bike sector ," believes Baumgarten.
This version of the Model X is likely to be the most successful here. "The core customer base for a pedal-powered car replacement is there, especially in car-loving Germany!" At the Cologne headquarters on Dieselstrasse – the location name almost sounds ironic in this context – they are certainly ready for it. Among other things, the bikes for the European market are stored at the European headquarters. But in addition to sales, the technical customer service, purchasing, and marketing departments are also located here. Klever is currently focusing on Switzerland: The X-Commuter will also be available as an S-Pedelec version with a top speed of 45 km/h – a significantly more important market in Switzerland than in Germany, where S-Pedelecs still make up a negligible portion of the e-bike market. But with the mobility revolution that Klever already sees as being well underway, the corresponding transport infrastructure will also emerge here, they are certain on Dieselstrasse.