ENVO DRIVE SYSTEMS ACQUIRES VEEMO
In its ongoing efforts to develop and market a multitude of e-mobility products covering a wide range of applications, ENVO Drive Systems – designers of traditional e-bikes as well as unique, purpose-built e-vehicles for snow, water and 4-wheeling – has acquired fellow Canadian e-mobility brand Veemo, from its sole creditors, Velo Metro (VM), and their namesake, weather-protected electric ‘velomobile.’ Envo has already begun working out a few details in technology, logistics, affordability, etc., and they plan to release the product for Summer 2024 under the tentative name, ENVO Veemo.
The sitdown, semi-enclosed e-trike – developed to be the ultimate e-vehicle for daily commuting and general utility – features a unique design with two wheels in front and one in the rear, which adds stability over the traditional three-wheeled bike design. And to protect riders from the elements, it also includes a full front windshield and a hard plastic roof which curve around the rider cockpit slightly for added weather protection. An open rear ‘window’ and side ‘door’ openings help keep weight and cost down while allowing for quick entry/exit, and full ventilation.
While the Veemo vehicle has never officially launched – recent serious financial difficulty ultimately resulted in bankruptcy and folding – ENVO believes strongly that serious flaws in the original efforts to bring the vehicle to market successfully led to its demise. On the contrary, they see the product itself as potentially game-changing, and the timing for its release ideal. Plus it fits in perfectly with the brand’s ethos of providing micro e-mobility solutions across multiple industries and activities.
"A few years ago we started a project at ENVO called 'Velo Mobile'. That project has since been focussed on developing a product whose features and specifications address deficiencies across the micro e-mobility space, like desirability of the product, size, weight, quality of ride, noise, safety, transportability, and after-sales services,” says ENVO founder and CEO Ali Kazemkhani. “But while we’ve made strong progress along those lines, Veemo was well ahead and offered the best project in this field, thanks to the excellent teamwork among their top-of-the-line engineers, plus 10 years of experimental research and development. The Veemo is extremely well-developed in terms of weight, stability and ergonomics; and equally important, it’s a great-looking product that’s super fun to ride.
“The news about Velo Metro's [VM, Veemo’s parent brand] bankruptcy wasn't good news for the industry or the planet, because the world needs products like this. However, we at ENVO are confident we have solutions for the problems Veemo had been experiencing bringing the bike to market, and we plan to deliver this product to the market by next summer.”
The ENVO Veemo ‘velomobile’ seems a natural fit with their original mission: Founded by engineers in 2015, ENVO aimed to produce technologically sophisticated, yet affordable e-mobility products, but not exclusively bikes as with many other brands. Their first product, in fact, was the Electric SnowKart, a sort of mini e-snowmobile, soon followed by their first e-bike – the ENVO D35, still one of their most popular models – and their exciting new ENVO e-ATV. They’ve also experimented with e-watercraft over the years, and their latest one is currently under development.
Dale Brubacher-Cressman, the sole creditor of Velo Metro adds, “I am thrilled to partner with Envo Drive Systems to bring Veemo to market. Through their engineering and supply chain management expertise, along with their energy and drive, Ali and his team have built an exceptionally successful company in the fiercely competitive e-bike and e-scooter market. Envo has been designing, building and selling innovative electric mobility vehicles for many years and are poised for much continued success. I can't imagine a better partner than Envo to bring Veemo to market at a price and level of quality necessary to make it a resounding commercial success.”
Working prototypes of the ENVO Veemo are currently being tested for any minor updates, and the groundwork is being laid for an early Summer 2024 relaunch, and possibly sooner. The ENVO website will have the latest information as soon as it’s available.