A trip to Europe often means adjusting to a lot of walking, but don’t let it fool you: Cars are still the default for urban mobility. However, entrepreneurs are seeking to challenge this status quo — and the first step is understanding why it is so ingrained.
For Belgian startup Any, the only way to boost the use of two-wheelers is to make sure they’re “designed for real life.” And for Any, that means they should be able to hold a lot of stuff, without sacrificing speed, range, or versatility.
The startup’s “designed for real life” belief inspired its first product, a modular electric motorcycle called the LUV1 that has the capacity of a cargo bike, but can reach a top speed of 100 km/h, or 62 mph.
Any’s attempt to fill in the “missing link” left by car trunks is the reason the LUV1 can store up to 120 liters.
“It came from asking a simple question: What does a real week actually need? Groceries, weekend bags, suitcases… the stuff you don’t want to leave behind just because you’re on two wheels, not four,” the startup wrote on LinkedIn.
There’s even more that the LUV1 can carry. Customers can either pick an open frame or one with various types of panels — depending on whether they want to travel with a pet or carry work equipment or camping gear. The modularity extends to other parts as well, including an optional windshield, racks, rain poncho, and several other variations that could make it appealing to commuters and families, or outdoorsy riders.
This modular design is the brainchild of former Pininfarina design director Lowie Vermeersch, whose reputation helped the LUV1 immediately make headlines when its eye-catching prototype was unveiled in May during Milan Design Week.
Vermeersch’s collaboration with Any isn’t just a one-off; the Granstudio founder is in charge of creative direction at the startup and is also one of its investors. Together, they are hoping to pioneer a new hybrid category they call “life utility vehicles” — hence the LUV1’s name.
Starting at €7,000 (about $8,150), the LUV1 will be less expensive than cars and closer to the cost of higher-end electric cargo bikes. Compared to more powerful motorcycles, it will also have another differentiator — it should only require an A1 license, which is easy to obtain in most places.
The exact price tag will depend on the custom options each customer can pick through the configurator that Any launched alongside its preorder campaign. Boosted by the Milan buzz, Any secured more than 600 reservations in its first 100 days, its co-founder and CCO Erik de Winter said.
These reservations require a €49 fee ($57) that is credited toward the purchase price and, per Any’s terms, is fully refundable. Like de Winter’s former startup, Dutch e-cargo bike-sharing service Cargoroo, Any has also raised venture capital. The startup raised €1.5 million in November, followed by a €1.25 million top-up in May, for a total of €2.75 million ($3.2 million).
According to the startup, which enlisted former VC Pieter Van de Velde as its CEO one year ago, the round’s backers and its advisor roster include high-profile individuals from the automotive sector. Adding more expertise on that side, Any also hired a head of engineering, Alessandro Mangano, whose former employers include Aprilia, Ferrari, and Piaggio Group.
With two swappable batteries that give it a range of up to 87 miles per charge, the LUV1 should be able to hold its own against electric models launched in growing numbers by the likes of Piaggio and even Harley-Davidson. But it will take more than that to stand out in a two-wheeler market that the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers expects will be mostly electric by 2030.
Any is betting that all of that extra cargo space will be its main differentiator. LUV1 is meant to appeal to a customer base that goes beyond motorcycle riders, de Winter told TechCrunch. He said the startup has been approached by last-mile delivery players; and as it intends to develop not just the LUV1, but a “portfolio of vehicles,” that could include a third-wheeler.
Before spreading itself further, however, the startup needs to ramp up production of the LUV1 ahead of its first deliveries to customers. This will require more funding, and Any is now seeking to raise some €10 million ($11.65 million) or more in a Series A funding round that it hopes to close by the end of the year.
Pictured from left to right: Erik de Winter (CCO), Pieter Van de Velde (CEO), Alessandro Mangano (Head of Engineering).