The Berlin-based company Onomotion has developed cargo e-bikes with built-in protection from the elements and attachable containers as a scalable method of micro-mobility-powered urban logistics. With logistics partners like UPS, DPD, and Hermes, Onomotion has a few hundred cars on the road in Germany at this time. The company plans to grow to several thousand vehicles across Europe and North America over the coming years.
With €6 million ($6.3 million) in equity and €15 million ($15.7 million) in debt, Onomotion just finished its Series A round. Zu Na mi GmbH, Proeza Ventures, the European Innovation Council, and other existing investors provide the equity, and GLS Bank is in charge of handling the debt in the form of bonds. Beres Seelbach, co-founder, and CEO of Onomotion said that the loan, which carries an annual interest rate of 5.5%, will be repaid by Onomotion after seven years. According to the executive, Onomotion will scale operations by building more vehicles with debt. In the search for sustainable and efficient solutions for the delivery of packages in urban areas which are densely populated, funding comes in for the company from more logistics companies in the city.
Beres Seelbach, co-founder, and CEO of Onomotion said that the loan, which carries an annual interest rate of 5.5%, will be repaid by Onomotion after seven years.
Seelbach also mentioned the vision of the company to operate in international markets of Europe including Brussels or Paris followed by North America, Canada, and the United States. By adding new features and creating new versions, the company aims to improve the vehicle by making it better with different modules and is also interested in investing in the sales and marketing team.
Customers who use the vehicle-as-a-service model offered by Onomotion pay a monthly fee for the use of vehicles, containers, chargers, maintenance, and servicing. In order to help vehicle mechanics continuously advance, the company also provides a fleet management programme and over-the-air software updates, according to Seelbach. Onomotion can adapt containers for various customer needs because the business is mostly vertically integrated—Onomotion designs its own vehicles and assembles them in Berlin. For instance, one IT client utilizes a container with specialized sections to safely store laptops and other devices, he added.
Since Onomotion creates its own vehicles and assembles them in Berlin, the business is mostly vertically integrated, which allows it to adapt containers to diverse client requirements. In order to safely store laptops and other devices, for instance, one IT customer utilizes a container that was designed with a vast variety of sections, according to the CEO.
Onomotion designs its vehicles and assembles them in Berlin.
The majority of clients of the company have their assigned delivery riders as another business of the company is slowly taking off which offers a dedicated team for logistics operations.
According to the data, logistics-as-a-service will bring about 15-20% of the company’s turnover. The company has been providing assistance to many of its customers who have been facing problems regarding finding a driver. It also becomes difficult for the company to organize last-mile logistics. Thus, Onomotion is providing vehicles to the drivers as well. According to the CEO, the company is looking forward to expanding its services cross borders to Germany including cities like Hamburg and Berlin. Onomotion also has a line-up of new customers for this division of the business.
