An article published as part of Kumpan Electric’s participation to the Sustainable Mobility Forum by Hub Institute.
As early as 2010, the Tykesson brothers spotted the potential of electromobility. Three entrepreneurs with a shared vision: to design an electric scooter that is fun to drive, stylish and, of course, environmentally-friendly! And so they created Kumpan electric. Daniel Jacobs – Country Manager France looks back at the Kumpan electric adventure with its global approach to urban mobility.
Kumpan electric’s first electric scooter was designed and developed in their parents’ sitting room 10 years ago! More than 100 employees now work at Kumpan electric on innovative technologies and designs for urban mobility. And this is more than a simple evolution towards electric power. The three brothers concentrated on zero-emission vehicles, produced in Germany, by using the resources of a local distribution network (90% of the vehicle parts come from Europe) and on sustainability, including battery recycling.
The family business in the town of Remagen, near the Rhine, now not only produces electric scooters but also implements global and sustainable mobility ideas for companies and public bodies. It was important to the company’s founding members that the scooters not only look stylish and handsome from the outside, but should also be innovative “on the inside”: “Kraftpaket 2.0” is the name of the smart lithium-ion battery developed specially for this purpose. This battery is the real heart of Kumpan electric e-scooters and also provides unlimited possibilities for use, simultaneously and in many areas. It is a universal energy storage and network device that can be used not only for other vehicles but also wherever there is a need for portable energy, on a boat, in a camper van, for a lawn mower or an electric barbecue. The removable battery weighs only 10 kg and can be fully recharged in four hours on a standard power point.
A sharing offer for cities and local authorities
In Germany, Kumpan electric provides an individual and global sharing concept for more than 10 cities and energy suppliers. In addition to electric scooters and batteries, a smart fleet management software program with an open interface is used to monitor each vehicle and its data. In this way, the fleet operator can always keep a watchful eye on all the e-scooters. Each scooter contains 18 integrated sensor modules and the telemetry module integrated in the battery ensures that there is a real-time flow of data. End customers can start the scooter using an app on their smartphone and also receive any important information on its driving behaviour.
Company fleets
A concept that operates for entire cities can be used equally well for medium and large businesses and institutions that have their own fleet. This could be a company, a university, a hotel complex – or the employees of any of these. Wherever customers have to travel from A to B, quickly and easily – sharing is often the best, most economical and most sustainable solution. The smart fleet management system is also available for small fleets. Each employee or guest can reserve a scooter using his or her smartphone and then start it, park it and re-lock it. What could be simpler!
New in France
Kumpan electric has had a presence in France since the start of the year. “Our products and solutions are developed and manufactured in Germany. They are synonymous with high-quality and innovative engineering. I am pleased that we are now carrying out sustainable mobility projects with our French partners”, says Daniel Jacobs, Country Manager France, who will now supply information and expert advice to all companies and public bodies to help them plan and subsequently create electric vehicle fleets and implement innovative sharing concepts.