Barcelona-based motosharing startup, Silence, closes a funding round of €8.6 million to develop and launch two new electric scooter models.
The Spanish startup is dedicated to the design, development and manufacture of two and three-wheeled electric vehicles, and aims to become a benchmark in the field of sustainable urban mobility.
With this investment Silence will launch two new electric scooters during 2018: the S01 and the S03, according to El Referente.
The S01 model has been designed to facilitate the integration of the electric scooter in the city, thanks to its removable battery system that, unlike its competitors, allows users to transport and recharge the “Power Battery Pack” in a comfortable and safe way.
The three-wheeled S03 model has the same features as its predecessor, the S02, but with greater load capacity and stability thanks to its two rear wheels, and was designed with couriers and delivery drivers in mind.
Carlos Sotelo
“The arrival of the new electric scooters S01 and S03 will allow us to boost and accelerate the zero emission mobility that our cities so badly need,” said Silence CEO Carlos Sotelo in a statement via El Referente.
Leading the latest round of funding were Repsol, Caixa Capital Risc, and CDTI, which had reaffirmed their commitment to the company of the Spanish market of electric motorcycles for companies.
According to El Referente, in just two years, Silence has increased its turnover from €500K to €4.1 million, putting into circulation more than 1,800 electric scooters. So far this year, the company has already exceeded the turnover of 2017 and expects to reach 2,700 units sold this year.
The technology used by Silence to manufacture its products has been recognized by the Association of Spanish Energy Management Agencies with the National Prize EnerAgen 2015 and also by the Emprendedor XXI award in the industrial category, consolidating Silence as the most growth potential company in the industry sector nationwide.
In 2014 the Spanish startup launched its first model Silence S02, an electric scooter designed for fleets (delivery, mobility agents, and police), relying on the change to electric mobility with an eco-responsible and profitable project.
Earlier this year, the American company Scoot, based in San Francisco, decided to open its market in Europe, specifically in Barcelona.
Together with Silence, Scoot started a new motorcycle sharing service in Barcelona, setting up its European headquarters there with more than 30 employees.
According to the Silence blog, “Barcelona is the city with the highest density of vehicles per km2 and doubles the levels of pollution in cities such as London or Paris. This problem must begin to be reduced with companies and public bodies that are committed to electric mobility and implement a new model of vehicle, such as Silence motorcycles. There are already many who realize this, and they are changing their fuel fleets for electric ones.”
While Silence is in the business of electric scooters and motosharing, another Barcelona startup, Yugo, has been steadily growing simultaneously.
Read More: Barcelona’s electric scooter sharing startup Yugo raises €402K on Crowd Angel
In May the electric scooter sharing startup Yugo completed a successful crowdfunding round, closing at €402,000 on The Crowd Angel platform.
The injection of capital was part of an investment round that will allow Yugo to expand its fleet of electric scooters while continuing to expand internationally both with its own business and with its new commitment to the franchise model, with which it already operates in Bordeaux, France as a city pilot.
The sharing economy startup most recognizable by its green scooters was founded in Barcelona in 2016 by three young French entrepreneurs Benjamin Viguier, Tim Ougeot, and Yann Sander, after their experience in the automotive sector in Munich, Germany working for Tesla, Audi, and BMW, respectively.
