Submission + - VanMoof e-bikes on brink of bankruptcy, might lock owners out of their bikes (www.nrc.nl)
swinferno writes: The Designer E-bike company VanMoof can no longer pay its bills. After negotiations about a new capital injection failed, the parent company of the trendy bicycle brand applied for and received a postponement of payment from the Amsterdam court on Tuesday evening. VanMoof also reported the news in a press release on Wednesday evening.
Dutch ebike startup VanMoof paused sales of its bikes and all accessories for almost two weeks now, stoking rumours that the business was in financial difficulty.
Recently, there were a lot of complaints about the long lead-time of both the bikes and service.
The designer e-bikes, very popular in The Netherlands and particularly Amsterdam, often had technical issues, often related to the software of the biked. VanMoof bikes are unlocked though an App or a code, and come with inbuilt tracking. When handled by an unauthorized person, they light up and make a lot of noise. There is even a recovery-service that will use the built-in tracking to recover your bikes if they are stolen.
If no one saves the company, eventually the apps and servers might no longer be supported, causing owners to be locked out of their expensive e-bikes.
All European stores will be closed from Thursday on. VanMoof has several stores in the USA as well, including in New York, Los Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is unknown what will happen to those in the near future.
Dutch ebike startup VanMoof paused sales of its bikes and all accessories for almost two weeks now, stoking rumours that the business was in financial difficulty.
Recently, there were a lot of complaints about the long lead-time of both the bikes and service.
The designer e-bikes, very popular in The Netherlands and particularly Amsterdam, often had technical issues, often related to the software of the biked. VanMoof bikes are unlocked though an App or a code, and come with inbuilt tracking. When handled by an unauthorized person, they light up and make a lot of noise. There is even a recovery-service that will use the built-in tracking to recover your bikes if they are stolen.
If no one saves the company, eventually the apps and servers might no longer be supported, causing owners to be locked out of their expensive e-bikes.
All European stores will be closed from Thursday on. VanMoof has several stores in the USA as well, including in New York, Los Washington, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It is unknown what will happen to those in the near future.
