Zoomo targets petrol moped market with supercharged e-bike, but there’s a catch

Sydney-headquartered micromobility and e-bike company Zoomo has launched its highest performance utility e-bike yet, the Zoomo One, designed to supplant petrol mopeds for last-mile delivery.

But, there’s a catch – while the Zoomo One is slated to go on sale in the US, the UK and Europe, a local launch is hampered by speed limits on electric bikes.

The Zoomo One is billed as “The Ultimate Delivery Machine” and is marketed to become the leading two-wheel option for food and grocery delivery drivers.

Aiming to take a bite out of the massive last-mile food delivery business – which reached absurd levels of prominence during the last two years thanks to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic – the Zoomo One boasts an assisted top speed of 45km/h and 60-kilograms of carrying capacity – the equivalent of over 85 water bottles.

Zoomo claim that the Zoomo One offers “an unforgettable ride that rivals even the most sophisticated petrol mopeds on our roads today” and comes equipped with important safety features including integrated advanced LED lights around the bike, turn-signal indicating, and a brake-lever activated rear light to ensure peace of mind for riders on the roads.

With a 1kWh swappable battery as a base and options to expand capacity, Zoomo has designed the Zoomo One to be able to keep on riding for a full working day.

And, as would be expected from an e-bike aimed specifically at the last mile food and grocery delivery sector, the Zoomo One offers significant customisation options such as modular fairings for custom branding, colours, and logos.

The Zoomo One also comes fitted with advanced Internet of Things (IoT) and security features that provide valuable data aimed at helping to simplify delivery fleet management.

The Zoomo One also comes with fleet management software, vehicle maintenance, and financing options.

“The Zoomo One will be the end of the petrol moped – but Australian regulation needs to catch-up for this to become a reality,” says Mina Nada, Zoomo CEO and Co-Founder.

Zoomo was formed in 2019 by ex-Deliveroo and Mobike executive Nada and his former Bain colleague Michael Johnson with an aim to put an end to the petrol moped and turn the world’s delivery fleets electric using e-bikes.

But, as Nada hinted at, Australian legislation does not yet allow a motorised e-bike to reach an assisted speed past 25km/h, nor can a motor exceed 250W while in use on public roads. Conversely, however, legislation in the United States and Europe allow e-bikes to reach 45km/h.

Zoomo’s founders are hopeful that the release of the Zoomo One will trigger further conversations and debate in Australia around e-bike regulations, and the company is aiming to work with the government to change their position on e-bikes so that the technology can reach its full potential and supplant the petrol moped.

“The Zoomo One will be a critical catalyst in fuelling the EV revolution,” said Nada. “It is a true sector disruptor that will displace noisy and pollutive mopeds and provide the most sustainable way to deliver bulky packages. The Zoomo One is the obvious substitute to smaller, gas-vehicles on our roads.”

The Zoomo One will go on sale in the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe with an RRP of $US4,000, with additional options for software, servicing, and financing also tailored depending on fleet size. The Zoomo One will only go on sale in Australia pending modification of Australian government regulation.

The launch of the Zoomo One follows a month after Zoomo secured an impressive $80 million in funding from three investment firms, which itself followed two separate $16 million funding rounds closed in 2020 and 2021.

Zoomo also managed to secure itself massive deals with Pizza Hut and Dominos here in Australia, in addition to existing deals with Uber Eats and the UK’s Just Eat, the owner of Menulog.