Amsterdam-based electric scooter company Etergo was on a quest to build the manufacturing base for its fully electric AppScooter and just this week announced that a decision has been made. The company has partnered with experienced manufacturing company Technologies Added to build its scooter in its backyard (not literally!) in the Netherlands.
CEO of Technologies Added Rob Goossens with Bart Jacobsz Rosier, CEO, Co-Founder of Etergo. Image courtesy: Etergo
After sizing up more than 60 potential partners to manufacture its scooter, Emmen-based Technologies Added was selected for its focus on cutting edge Industry 4.0 manufacturing practices that align closely with Etergo’s vision. As a special bonus, Technologies Added is located just 2 hours from Etergo, which will make the initial production startup and any future changes much easier to manage.
The selection of a manufacturing location keeps Etergo on track to deliver the first scooters to customers next year. Customers in the Netherlands and Germany are expecting to receive their AppScooters in the first half of 2020.
Production at Technologies Added will initially be low, but the company has capacity to ramp up to Etergo’s target of 60,000 units per year across its entire portfolio of products. The factory is not only a milestone for Etergo, but for the Netherlands, as it starts up to become the first large scale electric motorcycle factory in the history of the country.
The push into manufacturing comes on the heels of a funding raise that injected around €20 million into the company from more than 5,000 community investors and a large German automotive investor. The deal between Etergo and Technologies Added was bolstered by support from the Province of Drenthe and the Investment & Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands.
The new factory is expected to directly bring hundreds of new cleantech jobs to the region and is a boost to the entire region. As with any manufacturing facility, the new facility will also indirectly support many more jobs in the region for suppliers, logistics services, hospitality, and the like. The Province of Drenthe not only supported the new facility, it is already in line to become a customer of Etergo, with an order for fleet of AppScooters already on the works. The final contract will be signed by Member of the Provincial Executive Henk Brink at an official conference announcing the deal.
Over the next few months, production equipment will be procured, setup, installed, and tuned as some of the first steps on the road to production.
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