Electric bike kit on sale at Carrefour
Carrefour, a Virvolt affiliate, has just started marketing a bike electrification kit. Proposal proposed on an experimental basis in the Seine-et-Marne.
If Carrefour already offers a line of electric bicycles, no one expected the brand to launch the electric bike kit sector. To implement this project, the supermarket giant recently partnered with Virvolt, a Paris-based electrification startup. To start the experiment, a room with technicians was set up in Lieusaint, or rather in the Carré-Sénart shopping center. Here everyone can bring their old bike and turn it into a VAE, an electric bike.
The bike transformed in 48 hours
On an area of 20 m², Virvolt's specialists will be able to electrify bicycles using their electric bike kit. The equipment consists of an electric motor built into the rear wheel. It connects to a battery mounted in the luggage rack or bike frame. In its press release, Carrefour announces a 48-hour period to complete the conversion.
According to the founder of Virvolt company Jerome Aristide Gaimard, the modification depends on the characteristics of the bike. However, the duration of the operation can range from half an hour to an hour of work.
In addition to the electric bike kit, the technicians also offer a per-minute repair service to maintain the entire bike section. It is enough that supermarket shoppers can leave the bike they want to remodel or repair before purchasing.
Illustration: an electric bike kit integrated into a Decathlon bike.
The kit is cheaper than a new bike
When a person decides to buy a bicycle, he immediately thinks about choosing an electric model. However, the first obstacle to this acquisition is the high cost of these new generation bicycles.
According to a study by the Trade Union Observatory of Sports and Cyclists, the average price of an electric bike in 1750 is 2020 euros. For now, the Virvolt electrification kit offered by Carrefour is now priced at € 820 in a wheel-motor configuration. Thanks to economies of scale, the startup hopes to drop below € 700 soon. Note that Virvolt also offers a pedal motor system for 1180 euros.
« This workshop, co-developed with Virvolt, aims to reinforce Carrefour's commitment to the circular economy while offering a new in-store experience, with a highly affordable on-site electrification and bike repair offering; unique approach in mass distribution »Declares Emmanuelle Rochedix, Director of Non-Food Products, Carrefour France
