FRANKFURT (BRAIN) — While François-Xavier Terny said replacing the car in the U.S. is next to impossible, he believes the Fuell e-bike brand has the right mix of features to at least keep it parked some of the time.
Interestingly enough, one of those features is a mid-drive motor manufactured by a French vehicle transmission systems company.
Fuell was established in 2019 by Terny, a French entrepreneur, investor and now CEO; Erik Buell, the former Harley-Davidson engineer who founded the Buell Motorcycle Company; and Frederic Vasseur, a French motorsport engineer. The first model, the Flluid 1, featured two removable batteries and a 125-mile range with an internal-gear hub.
That led to the Flluid 2S ($5,995), which is on display at Eurobike, and the Flluid 3S ($5,495). The new models are designed "family style," said Terny, with a universal fit featuring a step-thru frame, rear rack, handlebar mirror, and the Valeo Cyclee mid-drive motor with automatic and predictive seven-speed shifting. Both feature a combination of throttle and pedal assist, utilizing a Gates carbon belt.
Fuell is the first American brand to to spec' the Cyclee. The Flluid 2 has two removable battery packs, in the top and bottom tubes, for a total of 2,000 Wh and a 225-mile range on a single charge. The Flluid 3 features a single 1,000 Wh battery and 110-mile range. The batteries are sourced with either Samsung or LG cells.
The 2 and 3 models were the subject of an Indiegogo fundraising campaign and raised $1.5 million with 500 bikes being sold. They will hit the market in earnest in July.
While most of the bikes' components are sourced from overseas, including Tektro disc brakes, Suntour fork, and the Valeo motor, the frame is manufactured in Minnesota and the bikes assembled in Wisconsin.
"This was important to Erik to do this in the United States," Terny said.
A dealer network has been established with about 25 so far, with potentially 50-100 in North America eventually. Fuell has one sales rep in the U.S. and one in Europe, and Terny said the brand favors relying on distributors who know their area and customers. "We want to use a hybrid model of online and off-line," he said.
If a customer orders a bike and has it delivered to a dealer, that dealer gets 5% of the sale.
"We hope that leads to the customer buying accessories and having service performed there," he said.
Terny spoke from the Valeo booth, which was bustling with onlookers checking out a table-top display of the Cyclee motor internals. Valeo designed the motor with up to 130 Nm of torque to handle demanding urban terrain. It also features an anti-theft system for securing the bike by locking out the gearbox.
Valeo is in Hall 9.2, booth C30 at the Messe Frankfurt.
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Fuell Flluid 2. -
Fuell Flluid 3.
