Is Porsche focusing heavily on electric bikes, then scooters?

After Greyp, the sports car manufacturer Porsche invests in the electric bike motor manufacturer Fazua and in micro-mobility.

Automobile manufacturers will no longer exist in a few years. They will be called mobility companies like Seat or energy companies like Tesla, depending on their range of activities. Porsche is no exception to this evolution, with a strong focus on electric bikes.

Already at the handlebars of several brands

The Stuttgart-based brand, known for its 911 or the electric Taycan, had already launched its first electric assist bikes in March 2021. Designed with the German specialist Rotwild, the Porsche eBike Sport and Cross featured a Shimano motor, Magura brakes but some components like the carbon wheels come from the in-house design studio. The eBike Cross and Sport cost 7,990 and 9,990 euros, before quickly selling out. However, Porsche will update these models during 2022.

In November, Porsche acquired a majority stake in Greyp. This Croatian electric bike company is another creation of Mate Rimac, founder of the eponymous car manufacturer (partnered with the sibling brand Bugatti). The first consequence of this is Cyklær, a new high-end electric bike brand.

New bikes, and soon electric scooters?

Porsche’s new move is the acquisition of 20% of Fazua, with an option to take a majority stake. The German company specializes in building motors and transmissions for electric assist bikes. Founded in 2013 on the outskirts of Munich, it employs 100 people. It also supplies renowned bike brands, such as Canyon, Lapierre, Vélo de Ville, Trek, or Focus. Fazua motors will be used in future models, and perhaps in the eBike Sport/Cross.

But Porsche is not limiting itself to that. The manufacturer also announced two new joint ventures with Ponooc. This Dutch investment fund focuses on green energy and mobility. Among the brands funded by Ponooc are the electric scooter rental service Yego, the rental e-bikes Swapfiets, and the insurer Laka, seen on the new Decathlon connected bike.

The first will be specific to electric bikes “to develop, manufacture, and distribute the future generation of Porsche electric bikes”. The second is unprecedented as it targets the micro-mobility market. To be clearer, Porsche should soon sell electric scooters. Is this so surprising, knowing the recent Bugatti scooter and the Audi or Seat models supplied by Segway?

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