Production of the EUR4000 fold-up pedal-electric Voltitude set to begin

January 28, 2012

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Once folded, the Voltitude responds to a button on the handlebar enabling you to "walk" it indoors

The Voltitude folding Personal EV

Once folded, the Voltitude responds to a button on the handlebar enabling you to "walk" it indoors

View gallery - 17 images

The Voltitude fold-up electric scooter has an ingenious EasyFold system. Once folded, a special button on the handlebar enables you to "walk" it alongside you indoors, so you never raise a sweat in reaching a power outlet, which will fully replenish the battery inside four hours. The 25 kph (15.5 mph) electric assist Voltitude begins volume production in July with an on-line price expected in the vicinity of EUR4000.

When Voltitude presented its Swiss Army Knife lookalike personal EV to the public nine months ago, the company's assets of a patent and three prototypes were housed in a home office.

The company was formally created in July 2011 and the team now consists of 3 engineers, 1 product designer, 1 business development person plus founder and CEO, Eric Collombin.

The industrialization phase was reached last week and the company will start manufacturing its first pre-series next week, using an external manufacturing partner.

The Voltitude folding Personal EV

Full production of 50 units per week is scheduled to start in June, with a newer version that has evolved from the pictures visible on the company site currently.

Final specifications and images of the new machine will be issued in June and a new company site is under construction which is expected to replace the current site in March.

The final price of the Voltitude will be in the vicinity of 5000 CHF / 4000 EUR with sales handled online but with a presence in retail stores, in Switzerland to start with, from September, 2012.

The Voltitude folding Personal EV

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Mike Hanlon

As a photojournalist, Mike’s work has been published in a dozen languages across 20+ countries. He has edited or managed over 75 different print publications, each with a different target audience: sports, automotive, advertising, marketing, design, ad infinitum. Mike has been working in the internet for more than 25 years and was the veteran of five internet start-ups before founding New Atlas in 2002.

12 comments

Gadgeteer January 28, 2012 07:18 AM

4000 Euros? That\'s insane. Well over $5000 for a very heavy, slow, short-range vehicle with questionable ergonomics that leaves riders exposed to the elements. Except for the novelty of the folding mechanism - which is inelegant, like the rest of the vehicle - this is inferior in every way to electric bicycles that start at less than a quarter of its asking price.

bas January 28, 2012 12:13 PM

â‚¬4K will buy the very best foldable bike on the market today, with nearly â‚¬3K to spare. That bike will give you a comfortable 25 kph cruise, and with training the bike will give you the 25 kph and a range equal to the time you wish to be on the bike. Without ever having to charge, apart from charging yourself, which can be done in a lot less than 4 hours. The benefits are clear, you gain on health, the environment on not having to support manufacturing and disposal of batteries, and on a lesser scale no meed to generate the power needed to charge those batteries. I continue to be amazed at how far humans will go in invention to avoid to have to use their legs for locomotion, while their bodies are designed to do exactly that. Move those legs and enjoy a better life.

Michael Crumpton January 28, 2012 12:14 PM

Yet another example of design excess. At over $5k this scooter costs more than my perfectly serviceable used car. There are plenty of great electric scooters that cost less than 1/3 that price, and even equally nice folding electric bikes that cost half of what this does, that ride infinitely better.

Michael Mantion January 28, 2012 02:00 PM

I wish they could make one that was non electric, either only pedal power or perhaps gas powered.. Who wants to lug around a heavy dead electric battery???

bas January 28, 2012 05:11 PM

Michael, there is a host of very serviceable folding bikes out there. Start by looking up Brompton.

Freyr Gunnar January 30, 2012 06:43 AM

Michael Mantion > I wish they could make one that was non electric, either only pedal power or perhaps gas powered
\"A-Bike Folding Bicycle\" www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtXIvKXnnxw

hyperspaced January 30, 2012 09:39 AM

Call me when the price drops below â‚¬1,000

knike17 January 30, 2012 10:31 AM

\"There are plenty of great electric scooters that cost less than 1/3 that price, and even equally nice folding electric bikes that cost half of what this does, that ride infinitely better.\"
I totally agree with Michaelc. Everyone here should check out this scooter.
www.kooperscooter.com. I think it is interesting but the price is too high. If only they lower the price. I think the lowest end model cost $2600! and the high end model cost $4000.00.

Richie Suraci January 30, 2012 02:41 PM

Good idea, BUT, to much money, I can buy a new gas moped for $495.00 USD, email me when the price is below $300.00 USD.

equator180 January 31, 2012 03:06 AM

This pricing is insane! You shouldn\'t even give companies like this the free publicity it is skimming of the worst kind. Peddle assist, fold able electric bicycles are available ranging from $800 to $1500.This company will go broke, no one is going to buy this and be ripped off so severely. People will only take so much, pay so much extra for the green label and when seen to clearly rip off....bye bye