A French-founded electric snow bicycle company is expanding into the U.S. and has chosen Colorado as its American headquarters.
MoonBikes, founded by Nicolas Muron in 2018, had been building its innovative electric snowbike in Europe before expanding to Colorado this fall. Muron, a former engineer at French aerospace company Dassault, said he was motivated to create another mode of transportation for snowy, winter climates.
“I realized during the summer we have so many ways to move round, but during winter we only have cars, which are polluting, hard to drive and not for everyone,” he said in a recent interview. “I wanted to use my skills to create something for everyone that’s easy to use.”
After several prototypes that struggled to climb powder-filled terrain, Muron turned to a rear propulsion to create the first edition of MoonBikes.
The electric vehicles weigh less than 200 pounds, travel up to 26 miles per hour and can run for between 1.5 and 3 hours on a single charge, depending on the battery package. The bikes start at $8,500 for pre-order.
In October, the company raised a $5 million seed round that helped it produce the first batch of 400 bikes for its early adopters. Muron said MoonBikes has already begun delivering those across the world, with U.S. customers expected to receive their shipments in the early months of 2022.
That funding round also allowed the company to expand its presence outside of France, opening an office in Boulder in September.
Muron said he chose Boulder in part due to recommendations from his contacts that called the city the “capital of the outdoor industry.” Boulder also provides MoonBikes a centrally located U.S. hub with access to both coasts and proximity to world class ski resorts.
Outside of its traditional consumer sales, MoonBikes has partnered with 12 ski resorts in Europe that deploy its snow bike. Muron said the company is looking to replicate that model in the U.S. and are currently in negotiations with local resorts.
As they settle into the new U.S. headquarters, MoonBikes aims to produce 1,500 snowbikes in 2022 and the company has already begun taking preorders.
The company is building out its U.S. team, having recently hired local sales and marketing managers, with Muron expecting to add a few more on that side of the business in the coming months.
“We are very excited to move to the U.S. because we really feel that we are at the beginning of something big when we see the reactions of people when they ride the bike for the first time,” Muron said.
