Ponooc invested Nimbus open pre-orders for compact electric vehicle
Nimbus, a pioneering micromobility start-up which has drawn funding from Ponooc (the Venture Capital element of PON Holdings), today opened pre-orders for its revolutionary compact electric vehicle.
‘Why is Cycling Industry News reporting on this ‘not a bicycle’?” you may ask.
- The Nimbus One, described as “like a motorbike with a roof” by TechCrunch, bridges the gap between e-bikes and EV (in the conventional electric powered car sense).
- Auto industry investment in cycling is flooding in, with the aim to do more than just sell conventional e-bikes (which represent just one part of a ‘mobility solutions’ product portfolio mix)
- This emerging vehicle class is becoming increasingly visible, and has real potential as a transformational tool for urban transport, in tandem with e-bikes and other active travel modes.
- Collectively these new classifications of ‘vehicle’ potentially shift the dial on infrastructure design and investment; remodelling cities for walking, alongside compact and micromobility transport solutions.
- Businesses servicing legacy Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles are already pivoting to serve a new class of electric powered vehicles, including e-bikes.
It’s already possible to look back at IAA 2021 as a pivotal moment in the ‘mobility’ shift.
Initially IAA 2021 seemed an unusual mix; legacy car manufacturers alongside bicycles and various ‘in between’ innovations at concept stage. Now it would see to be the publicly visible face of a change long in the offing for auto manufacturers looking to diversify their product offering, taking advantage of the shift to electrification, using the sector disruption as a means to bring existing customer on the wider electrification journey with them.
Drive an EV? Not yet a cyclist? Then naturally enough many will have an interest in an e-bike from the brand they bought their EV from, which will be on display in the same showroom as the EV.
The shift is seismic, as are the implications for the traditional cycling industry. Not convinced? Eurobike is moving everything it can to shift into this ‘mobility’ space. IAA is now a direct competitor for cycle industry attendees at brand level, something that would have seemed inconceivable less than 24 months ago.
That’s why Cycling Industry News is reporting on this ‘not a bicycle‘.