Unu (vehicle manufacturer)
| unu GmbH | |
|---|---|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 2013 |
| Seat | Berlin , Germany |
| management | Pascal Leonard Blum, Mathieu Caudal |
| Number of employees | 120 |
| Branch | Electric scooter |
| Website | unumotors.com |
| As of September 20, 2019 | |
The Unu GmbH (proper spelling: unu ) is a German manufacturer of electric scooters , based in Berlin .
background
The company's founder, Pascal Blum, used one of the electric scooters widely used there during a stay in China in 2012 and had the idea of marketing such vehicles in Germany as well. Together with Elias Atahi, Blum founded the company unu in 2013 with the support of the Technical University of Munich . The company name refers to the term for "one" in the Esperanto language .
Since the year 2014, the company is with the moped unu , which is offered in three engine strengths in the market. In the meantime, China-assembled Unu scooters are sold in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. In October 2018, the company managed to collect EUR 10 million from investors; The French Iris Capital, the Dutch venture capital company Ponooc, Capnamic Ventures, the NRW.Bank and Business Angels invested. In May 2019, a successor to the first scooter, now known as the "Classic", was presented.
The unu "Classic" scooter
The manufacturer's first vehicle is an electric scooter in a "retro" design developed by co-founder Mathieu Caudal. The removable battery is charged via a separate charger at a normal socket. The electric drive motor is located in the rear wheel and can be ordered with 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 watts . All three engines have an output of less than 4 kW and a maximum speed of 45 km / h, which means that the scooter falls into the EC vehicle class L1e and is approved as a moped . The vehicle can feed energy back into the battery through recuperation when braking.
The unu scooter is manufactured in China by Flex and delivered to the customer's home. The sale takes place over the Internet after customers have been able to arrange a tour or test drive with a company representative. The option to order is limited to places where partner workshops can be reached for servicing the scooter. In 2017, the scooter was revised, which from then on was equipped with a drive system from the manufacturer Bosch and tires from Heidenau . In addition to a new, fanless charger, the seat bench has also been redesigned.
- Unu "Classic"
Front view
Bosch rear axle motor with 2000 watts on the 2017 model
Instrument holder with speedometer and battery level indicator
Rear view
Side view of the model before 2017
Around 10,000 units of the Classic model were sold. With this model, Unu was the market leader in Germany in the electric scooter segment.
2019 model
In May 2019 Unu presented a successor model. The newly developed scooter is offered with motor power levels of 2,000, 3,000 and 4,000 watts, making it one of the most powerful vehicles in its segment. Bosch is once again supplying the drive, the new battery, which can still be removed, is provided by the manufacturer LG . The scooter has a digital display, a connection to the smartphone and a digital key. Unlike its predecessor, the scooter has one or two batteries and space for luggage under the seat.
European distribution
After its introduction in Germany, the sales model was expanded to Austria, Switzerland in 2015 and the Netherlands in 2016. There the scooter is also offered in a version reduced to 25 km / h, which enables the Dutch to ride without a helmet and on bike paths. In 2017 the company expanded to France and opened a pop-up store in Paris .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hannes Koch: Motorcycles with electric drive: Rolls with him . In: the daily newspaper . ( taz.de [accessed April 2, 2017]).
- ↑ Venture Capital Magazine: Electric scooter start-up secures EUR 10 million , October 30, 2018, accessed on November 12, 2019
- ↑ a b Electromobility: Unu brings a new electric scooter with a modified design - Golem.de. Retrieved on May 21, 2019 (German).
- ↑ The Unu scooter silently through the city - magazine auto.de . In: Magazine of auto.de . August 11, 2014 ( auto.de [accessed April 2, 2017]).
- ↑ Softly whirring companion . In: sueddeutsche.de . ISSN 0174-4917 ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed April 2, 2017]).
- ↑ Karin Zühlke: With help from EBV: Smart electric cars on two wheels . ( elektroniknet.de [accessed on November 6, 2018]).
- ↑ Electric scooter Unu: The Vespa with electric drive in the test - WELT. Retrieved April 2, 2017 .
- ↑ FAQ | unu. Retrieved April 3, 2017 .
- ↑ This is how the new Unu scooter drives - and that's what the makers intend to do with it. May 23, 2019, accessed May 24, 2019 .
- ↑ The unu success story - in just four years from the first idea to the award-winning electric scooter start-up . ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed on November 6, 2018]).
- ↑ 1506 unu Expansion Austria DE.pdf. via the company's press website. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 3, 2017 ; Retrieved April 2, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 1511 unu Expansion Schweiz DE.pdf. via the company's press website. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 3, 2017 ; Retrieved April 2, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 1612 unu Expansion Netherlands DE.pdf. via the company's press website. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 3, 2017 ; Retrieved April 2, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Mobility startup Unu: Electric scooters are just the beginning . In: t3n News . ( t3n.de [accessed June 30, 2017]).
