Okawa Motor Technology Co. Ltd from China is gearing up to open in Portugal its first e-bike motor assembly line in Europe.
With a high level of automation, the assembly line is being built and will be shipped to Anadia, Portugal, where production is expected to commence early 2025, according to Bike Europe.
Anadia was selected as location due to the close proximity of several big e-bike assemblers. Okawa is also targeting to specify 40% local content, while the factory will be operated by 3 or 4 local people.
Okawa Motor Technology Co. Ltd has been on the market in Europe for approximately three years. The company was originally founded by Luca Du in 2020 out of Yadea, China’s biggest producer of electric two wheelers, which still holds a small share in the company. It produces a range of mid and hub motors.
The company opened its European headquarters in the Netherlands in March 2023, and is looking to use the investment to drive further growth.
“We are the only e-drive manufacturer who offers a subscription-based model,” explains Luca Du. “This challenged us to develop a high-quality product. After all, our business model is based on a long lifespan and that’s in the benefit of our customers. Another big advantage of a long lifespan is the low carbon footprint of Okawa”.
“This combination particularly appeals to more and more younger people. They tend to ‘own’ less and less which is reflected by the rising popularity of sharing systems. This is also our largest customer base. Sharing system providers know that the cost of repair is always much higher than sourcing lower cost components. For a successful business model their e-bikes should be hassle free and the down-time needs to be limited as much as possible”, he added.
The subscription model is also available for individual customers. In case a motor might break down, European customers can send it to Okawa’s service center in Amersfoort, the Netherlands for a complete overhaul. Customers won’t have to wait for this revision as they will get one of the motors in stock in the Netherlands.
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