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Perth-based electric scooter company Vmoto (ASX: VMT) has teamed up with Uber to help the global rideshare platform’s courier fleet in Europe transition to become all electric by 2030.
Vmoto, a company that was founded by electric vehicle entrepreneur Patrick Davin, also plans to pilot the first electric moped and motorcycle battery-swap infrastructure in London as part of the agreement.
Through the partnership, Vmoto will offer Uber drivers in major cities across Europe the opportunity to buy or lease its electric scooters to be used for transportation and logistics services via the Uber platform.
Uber has targeted the conversion of 100,000 motorbike couriers to electric mopeds and motorcycles across seven European markets by 2030.
“Uber’s mission is to help cities tackle air pollution and move toward a zero-emission future – making it as effortless as possible for couriers to switch to electric is a crucial part of that,” says Nick Spilger, delivery emissions lead at Uber.
“We’re proud to partner with Vmoto to help couriers get access to cleaner and more affordable vehicles, all whilst doing good for communities across Europe.”
Uber drivers will have access to exclusive discounts on vehicles as well as maintenance and charging services to couriers which Vmoto says could save them “hundreds of pounds or euros” on the upfront cost of renting or buying Vmoto e-mopeds.
The Vmoto vehicles will be made available via vehicle rental partners such as Zenion, Zoomo and Ride Today in Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris.
Vmoto says its CPx e-moped is currently the most popular e-moped model in London and is widely used across Europe.
Vmoto earlier this month upped its stake in the UK-based Zenion to 15.6 per cent after investing a further $700,000 in the company, one of the first suppliers of electric scooters for the delivery market in the UK. Vmoto says Zenion is “well positioned” to take significant market share in Britain's electric delivery market .
“Vmoto is proud to partner with Uber and deliver Vmoto advanced, integrated technological products and solutions,” says Charles Chen, managing director of Vmoto.
“Through constant innovation and technological development, Vmoto is working toward a more sustainable, electric future, and laying the groundwork for more advanced ways in managing electric fleets and delivery including utilising artificial intelligence to increase efficiency.
"Together, we are shaping a smarter, cleaner, and more connected world, in line with the global push for low-carbon urban transformation.”
Vmoto, which manufactures and distributes a range of electric scooters from a 30,000sqm production facility in China, can trace its origins to 1999 when Davin founded the business as Vmoto Motorcycles, a scooter distributor in Perth.
Davin, who led the business for many years and oversaw its ASX listing before his departure in 2015, first ventured into China in 2007 to establish a manufacturing base for the company’s electric scooters.
Vmoto had a challenging 2024, leading to a 15 per cent fall in revenue to $58.7 million and a 98 per cent drop in net profit after tax to $149,000.
However, the business posted positive cash flows from operating activities of $11.9 million.
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