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It looks like a small car, but is operated with pedals and supported by an electric motor - the Loadster from the Berlin start-up Citkar went into series production in November 2020.
The company has now announced that Deutsche Telekom will test the vehicles for field service.
According to the company, experience is to be gathered as to whether the vehicles are suitable for the 8,000 telecommunications technicians in the field.
The department, which, among other things, takes care of setting up Internet connections, handles around 30,000 jobs every day.
The cargo bike is primarily designed to transport loads.
Depending on the vehicle model, there is space for a euro pallet.
The vehicle can be driven at 25 kilometers per hour without registration or compulsory insurance.
Cost point: from 8500 euros upwards.
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So far, around 100 Loadsters have been in use on Germany's roads, says Kremer.
The start-up does not reveal how many are already driving for Telekom.
Series production of the Loadster Cargobike in Berlin
Production takes place in Berlin-Marzahn on a production area of 800 square meters.
95 percent of the components of the cargo bike come from Germany, says Citkar founder Jonas Kremer, who built the first prototype in 2013, to “Gründerszene”.
According to him, 160 vehicles are currently produced per month.
Previous customers include primarily delivery services, service providers such as nursing services or craftsmen.
In addition to the B2B business, the start-up's customer group also includes people with physical disabilities - for example because they are not allowed to drive a car due to their illness.
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Corona has worsened the order situation somewhat.
Therefore, 40 vehicles were initially produced per month.
The company employs 24 people and is financed by the investment holding company Rumford Partners.
So far, a million sum has flowed into the company, says Kremer.
“First of all, we will focus on the Loadster, which we are further developing with IoT and telematics.
In the next few years we will also deal with other individual and sustainable mobility solutions, ”said the founder.
The Loadster relies on chainless power transmission from the pedals to the drive axle.
Since some cities are considering drastically reducing car traffic in city centers in the future or doing without combustion engines, electrically powered cargo bikes are in demand.
In addition to Citkar, the Berlin company Ono is also developing a covered cargo vehicle.
Logistics companies have been testing further vehicles in use since 2018.
This text comes from a cooperation with the magazine "Gründerszene".
Click on the links, leave welt.de and land in the articles at gruenderszene.de.
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