Upway offers used e-bikes at an affordable price. While the company sold its refurbished e-bikes in France and Spain last year, it is now expanding into Germany. The start-up advertises with low prices: In their online shop, used e-bikes can be purchased for as little as 599 euros. This means that you can save up to 60% on refurbished e-bikes compared to buying a new one. Upway's second selling point: protecting the environment. Because through Repairreuse and recycling, less electronic waste is produced.
Upway's goal: to sell used e-bikes with a guarantee
The start-up's online marketplace not only offers e-bikes from various brands (including Cube, KTM and Canyon), but also has a very wide range of products: from used city bikes and cargo bikes to second-hand electric road bikes. The aim is to sell every customer the right bike at an affordable price and to do so quickly and safely. At Upway, every e-bike is completely overhauled by a mechanic. This mechanic checks the used bike on the basis of 20 maintenance points and repairs or replaces all necessary parts. Thanks to the repairs and inspections, the company is able to offer refurbished bikes with a one-year warranty.
Supply bottlenecks for new bikes as an opportunity for used e-bikes
Upway's long-term goal is to become the largest provider of refurbished bikes in Germany. The aim is to lower the inhibition threshold for buying electric bikes. The start-up sees its greatest opportunity in the current supply bottleneck situation. The high demand for new e-bikes since the start of the pandemic cannot be met by production - people who want to buy a bike are forced to look into buying second-hand. As an incentive, Upway promises guaranteed delivery within 72 hours - directly to your home and free of charge.
The Upway motto: Save money and protect the environment by reducing electronic waste.
The vision of the two Upway founders are not newcomers to the mobile industry. Toussaint Wattinne and Stéphane Ficaja already managed Uber in Europe and North America before they started to build up their company for used e-bikes. "We are incredibly excited to launch Upway in Germany. Germany was the first European country to introduce e-bikes on a large scale. This means that there are millions of e-bikes that have been on the roads for several years and will soon be replaced or discarded. It is vital that we ensure that these bikes are refurbished safely and professionally to provide a new owner with a trustworthy bike and avoid unnecessary waste," says co-founder and CEO Toussaint Wattinne, explaining the move into the German market.
Lukas Niebuhr
Working student
