Micromobility Europe describes itself as the ‘world's largest conference for small vehicles’, together with its sister event Micromobility America in November. A good reason for us to stop by this year.
On the way to Amsterdam, I could already see that electric mobility is already much more established in the Netherlands than in Germany. You can find (well signposted!) charging stations at almost every motorway service area, often operated by Fastned or oil companies such as BP. However, these are not hidden in dark corners of car parks, but usually right next to the service stations, covered and with services such as windscreen water. In addition, there are often 8 fast-charging points (4 each with 150 or 300 kW) that are easy to access. That's how you want it!
Arriving in Amsterdam and on the way to the event location, you could see many other LEV on the roads in addition to the thousands of bicycles and e-bikes. There were also excellent cycle paths and lanes.
As the city of Amsterdam has decided to introduce a 30 km/h speed limit almost everywhere by the end of 2023, traffic of all vehicle categories can flow side by side in a relaxed manner. As a further measure, there are already plans to ban the registration of new mopeds with combustion engines this year. Old vehicles may still be used during a transitional period until 2028.
But now to Micromobility Europe: there are more LEVs than cars in front of the event hall 'De Kromhouthal', an old factory, as well as a spacious test area in the car park.
In the hall itself, you can then take a look at new and innovative vehicles or service providers in the field of micro-mobility at many stands.
The exhibitors
Local hero Veloretti, founded in Amsterdam in 2012, has the vision of developing clean and timeless bikes at an affordable price, e.g. the 'Electric Ace Two' or the 'Electric Ivy Two' for women with a low step-through. This can definitely be said for the bikes without additional drive, but the prices for the e-bikes only start at € 2,999. In return, however, you get high-quality bikes from European production with a clean design. The test ride also confirmed the very good impression.
Right next door was Voltaire, a start-up from France that was only founded in 2018 and now offers 3 different models from €2,290. This year, the 'Legendre' e-bike was honoured with the Design & Innovation Award.
There was another highlight at the joint EIT Urban Mobility stand: the e-Cafe Bike rom the start-up of the same name from Prague. At prices of over €4,000, it's no bargain, but it's a real eye-catcher. 3 different models, e.g. the beach cruiser 'Americano', can be customised in a variety of ways. In addition, 2 trailers are offered, with which every bike becomes a real transporter alternative.
Other exhibitors included the well-known manufacturers SEGWAY, OKAI and NAVEE, who primarily presented their vehicles for the sharing market.
Unfortunately, no other LEVs such as e-Mopeds, e-Motorräder or e-MicroCars represented, which meant that the exhibition was rather small. I had expected a larger number of exhibitors here.
MME – more trade conference than public exhibition
But to be fair, the MME calls itself a conference and not a trade fair, so most of the time during the 1.5 days was reserved for the many panels and presentations that were offered on 2 stages and were dedicated to exciting topics.
For example, the further development of the e-bike market, which is currently on the upswing again after the boom during the Covid period and a subsequent dip, was discussed intensively. Moderated by Micah Toll from Elektrek, representatives from Cannondale and Riese&Müller, among others, reported on their assessment. There was a consensus that electric bikes have further potential with a share of over 50% of the total European market. Strong growth is expected for e-CargoBikes in particular in this decade. Before making a purchase, you should inform yourself well and ideally arrange a test ride.
Of the entire programme, I found the panels on the aftermarket and developments in the Netherlands particularly interesting, as well as the keynote speech by Lucas di Grassi on his involvement in Formula E e-motorsport. The aim of the ‘Federation for Micromobility and Sport’, which he co-founded, is to promote technological development through racing with e-scooters (Electric Scooter Cup) and also to draw attention to the dangers (keyword: compulsory helmet).
My summary of Micromobility Europe 2024 in Amsterdam:
Was the trip to Amsterdam and the 2 days worth it? For me, the picture is mixed: on the one hand, we need such industry events for a constructive discussion between all micromobility stakeholders. On the other hand, I would like to see greater participation from both manufacturers and the general public. As with other events, not least the IAA Mobility the organisers have not yet succeeded in establishing a clear profile and positioning. Nevertheless, an interesting conference, a few vehicles and an evening networking event were worth the trip for me.