PORSCHE

German automaker partners to manufacture electric bike

German automaker Porsche announced the acquisition of Fazua, a company specializing in the production of electric bicycles, as well as light electric motors and batteries for them. Porsche bought 20% of the company earlier this year and has now announced that it has bought 100% of Fazua's shares. Late last year, Porsche also became the majority owner of Croatian e-bike maker Greyp.

Obviously, the purchase of Fazua indicates Porsche's intention to expand the production of e-bikes. The Fazua drive system, which combines the battery with the motor, weighs 4.6 kg and is a removable element, which makes it a more practical solution than alternatives that do not provide for this. The manufacturer describes the drive system as “ultralight, thin and quiet, perfectly integrated into the frame and providing an exceptionally smooth ride”.

Porsche plans to establish two joint ventures with Pon Holdings Ponooc, an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm focused on projects in the areas of sustainable energy and mobility, according to reports. The first facility will be dedicated to “manufacturing and distributing the next generation of high-quality Porsche eBikes”. The second venture will focus on creating technology solutions for the rapidly growing micromobility market. It should be noted that the aforementioned fund also owns several bicycle brands, namely Cannondale, Schwinn, Cervelo and Santa Cruz.

As for Fazua, it was founded in 2013 and managed to enter the North American market in 2019. The company supplies electric drives of its own design to over 40 bicycle manufacturers, including Bottecchia, Canyon, Corratec, Fuji and others. that Porsche is no newcomer to the e-bike market. Earlier this year, the automaker released a pair of expensive electric mountain bikes.

AVnews