May 3, 2023 - Launched in 2014 and based in Quebec, Velovoute’s parking/charging system for bicycles and e-bikes is seeing an uptick in demand and the company is laying the groundwork for significant growth over the next few years. As e-bikes continue to surge and the popularity of cycling tourism grows as well, Velovoute is well-positioned for expansion.
Currently the Eastern Townships and Montérégie regions are looking to adopt the system for their popular 235 km Veloroute Gourmande ride that features more than 100 epicurean stops, and encompasses 12 municipalities, with six more poised to get on board reports La Voix de l’Est. Recently named on the New York Times’ list of 52 places to go in 2023, the route is also part of the 28,000 km Trans Canada Trail and could be eligible for funding for the units.
Bromont recently signed on for two units, and back in 2019 the 256km Véloroute des Bleuets circuit (blueberry cycle route) around Lac Saint-Jean signed on for 12 units – perhaps the first electrified cycling route in North America.
Velovoute is the brainchild of Louis Fournier from Chicoutami, Que, and when he and Daniel Gelinas crossed paths in 2018 the wheels started to turn. Gelinas had in-roads into e-bikes as the North American distributor of Ruff Cycles based in Germany. On a trip to Europe he visited Bike Energy in Austria, a company that specializes in e-mobility charging infrastructure, and the Velovoute system evolved further.
The Velovoute charging system requires a special smart cable which is offered as part of the package, and end users select the cable for their particular e-bike. “Our system covers 80% of the e-bikes in the marketplace,” says Gelinas, who is poised to become a 50% partner of COMP-X Canada Inc., the sales arm of the Velovoute system.
The preferred model houses four bicycles with the option of adding a charging station for two e-bikes. “About 95% of the orders are for parking/charging units,” says Gelinas. Charging time is claimed to be half the time of a domestic sockets and end users do not need to carry their charging units on longer trips. A three cubic foot upper box secures the battery, saddle, helmet and other personal effects or accessories.
Gelinas would like the company’s Velovoute system to be able to service around twenty bicycles at a time as potential clients such as resorts that rent e-bikes, will want to be able to charge a larger number of e-bikes at the same time.
COMP-X Canada Inc. is slated to meet with officials from the Eastern Townships and Montérégie regions along with Quebec government officiais in early April – a government announcement is also pending.
Velovoute is currently in discussions with distributors in other countries which will allow expansion into new markets. The Perthshire Ebike Enablement Partnership (PEEP) in Scotland is also interested in the Velovoute system.
”We also want to have more autonomy over our production process as sometimes it’s hard to give our customers firm delivery dates,” added Gelinas.
A four-bike VéloVoûte system runs about $5,899, which includes installation; for two additional charging ports there’s an additional $4,790 in fees.
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