We’ve seen a variety of electrical bike conversion kits over time, however none are fairly as interesting-looking because the Clip package. And now the corporate isn’t simply standing out on the road, it’s additionally standing up and elevating a $10M Sequence A funding spherical to develop its operations.
We first began overlaying the Clip package again in 2021, when the invention was in its early phases however had already achieved its unicorn-like kind.
In 2023, we lastly bought an opportunity to check out the Clip e-bike conversion package in particular person on the Micromobility Europe convention in Amsterdam. You may see the testing expertise within the video under, however the actual takeaway is simply how easy it appeared to put in and take away the package from a motorbike.
That’s the actual fantastic thing about the Clip package: Your complete gadget is well detachable, returning the donor bike again right into a pedal bike. Some e-bike riders would possibly need to go electrical completely, however others simply need to sometimes give their pedal bike some increase, and that’s the place the Clip package is available in. It provides further energy when riders need it, however doesn’t depart further bulk on the bike when it’s not wanted.
The bodily drive system discovered within the package isn’t essentially the most revolutionary by itself, that includes a friction drive that spins the entrance tire through a curler system. Friction drives have been widespread on a number of the earliest e-bikes over twenty years in the past, and weren’t with out their very own downsides. However their potential to keep away from interfacing with the remainder of the bike is one in all their benefits, and a friction drive has by no means been carried out fairly like the best way Clip has performed it right here.
That innovation, providing the system in an simply detachable format, to not point out the impressively low entry-price of $499, helps the corporate develop shortly. Now with development on their minds, Clip is looking for a $10M Sequence A funding spherical, in response to Axios.
This isn’t Clip’s first huge increase. The corporate already closed a $2.8 million seed spherical led by Motovolt Mobility again in November, including to just about $2 million in earlier raises over the corporate’s historical past.
It could restricted in energy and vary, however the Clip package is designed extra for cyclists who simply need an additional push, however don’t need to commit their present bikes to everlasting e-bike obligation.
With extra wind of their sails (and money of their pockets), Clip’s e-bike conversion kits would possibly quickly be popping up on extra streets round you quickly.
