The Schwalbe – a bridge between the past, present and future of transportation. The Schwalbe’s success story began more than fifty years ago. Today it is an instantly recognisable cult object, known the world over for its durability and performance. Its striking design sets it apart from the masses, and turns everyone’s head. Now she’s back: this time with an electric drivetrain.
Origin, revitalization and further development
The Schwalbe is a symbol of freedom, mobility and youth. Because of its unique design, it remains very popular today and has a considerable fan base. Over 300,000 “old” Schwalbes are still in circulation throughout Germany and are especially popular in trend-setting Berlin where they can be found on virtually every street corner.
A new Schwalbe born out of passion
Munich also had many enthusiastic followers of the Schwalbe – one of them being Thomas Grübel. As early as the late 90s he began working on electric scooters and founded GOVECS GmbH in his hometown in 2009. As a Schwalbe fan and vehicle manufacturer, in 2011 Thomas Grübel followed the work of efw-Suhl on an electric drive Schwalbe with great interest. When the project stalled in the prototype phase and ended up not going any further, GOVECS secured the license rights for the brand name and in 2014 launched a new project together with Bosch as a technology partner. The fact that the new Schwalbe would continue to be electric drive was never in doubt.
Reborn with modern equipment
GOVECS has equipped the new Schwalbe with an extremely powerful and reliable Bosch electric drivetrain. The most state-of-the-art technology on the market guarantees driving pleasure and a remarkable range of over 100 kilometres. After a 30 year break the cult scooter is back – and ready for a new chapter in its story.
About GOVECS Group
GOVECS Group develops forward-looking solutions for urban mobility. The leading manufacturer of light-duty, electric vehicles in Europe, has its production facilities in Wroclaw in Poland, where it relies upon highly modern drive technologies. Only the highest quality materials and components, preferably sourced in Europe, are used in production. Since its foundation in 2009, the Munich based company has also established itself as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
Source & pictures: Schwalbe
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