Alternative with fitness benefits - e-bikes as courtesy vehicles
Smart thinking: e-bikes as courtesy vehicles
Two instead of four for 24? That doesn’t sound like good business. But actually, it is, because what lies behind these figures is a smart approach for workshops that want to provide their customers with replacement transportation while their own vehicles aren’t available. Why not switch from four wheels to two for 24 hours? It’s an option that many of your colleagues are already successfully offering.
Markus Schmid from the Schmid car workshop in Deizisau/Germany
“When interest in e-bikes really took off, we said to ourselves: ‘We’ve got to get involved.’ Not just any old off-the-shelf bike, though—ours is a proper handmade one.
The e-bike arrived in our yard in 2016 and quickly attracted the attention of our customers. When someone rides around town on something like that, it sure gets noticed. And so does the strong branding for our workshop—it’s like an advertisement on wheels. These days, customers even call us up and ask to book this bicycle specifically.
We’ve now got ourselves a second e-bike with lights, mudguards, pannier rack, and so on. Of course, the conditions have to be good. But when the weather’s right, 30 percent of our customers opt for a two-wheeled courtesy vehicle.”
E-Bikes offer opportunities
Providing a suitable replacement car for customers who bring in their vehicle to be repaired or inspected may be standard practice for authorized dealers, but it’s quite a headache for many independent workshops, both financially and in terms of effort. Many service plans entitle drivers to a courtesy vehicle while their own is in the workshop. On the one hand, it’s about giving good service, because satisfied customers are likely to return the next time they need a job doing. On the other hand, there’s the effort that workshops have to put in to keep their clientele mobile by offering a courtesy car. Buying, taxing, and insuring the vehicle, paying the running costs, and, above all, finding the time for cleaning and maintenance are factors that cannot be overlooked. On top of which, the vehicle often occupies valuable space in the yard or garage when not in use.
E-bikes make very reasonable investments: as well as being inexpensive to buy, run, and maintain, they take up less space. In return, a two-wheeler with an electric motor offers what is a new mobility experience for many people. Clearly, demand for bikes as replacement vehicles might initially be limited for a workshop in the countryside. Many customers in rural areas rely on their cars to get to work, go shopping in a town some distance away, or take their kids to school or to play sports.
But here it’s a matter of challenging old ways of thinking and, as a workshop, triggering a switch toward more sustainable mobility. An e-bike with a full battery has a cruising range of more than 50 kilometers. At a speed of 25 km/h, commuting to a place of work located 10 kilometers away takes less than half an hour. And a cargo e-bike makes light work of shopping locally.
Markus Krautter from Autohaus Krautter GmbH in Stuttgart/Germany
“It all began around two years ago when we acquired four pedelecs as courtesy vehicles—simply because they’re so cool. Then our customers went crazy for the idea, too. Our e-bikes were fully booked over the summer, and customers even asked if they could rent them at weekends. And so, one of my employees learned all about two-wheeler technology. This has led to a new sideline, servicing electric bikes. We’ve now sold two bicycles and have already ordered new ones. It’s small-scale at the moment, but I definitely believe it’s a service offering with future potential. Especially in the urban environment, e-bikes are a welcome alternative for our customers if their own cars are in the workshop for maintenance or repair.”
Less cost, more fun
Getting around in towns and cities usually involves short distances, seemingly endless traffic jams all day long, and the frustration of searching for parking spaces. E-bikes can therefore offer a stress-free and healthy alternative in urban settings—delivering real mobility benefits for city dwellers.
And that’s not all. Whether in the country or city, courtesy bicycles have another unbeatable advantage: they can really help you to stand out when it comes to marketing your workshop and building your image.
For instance, you could run a campaign with the slogan: “Car and driver tune-ups!” And if you also have helmets and high-visibility vests on hand for your customers, then you’re all set for success.
Light. Sporty. Smart.
Did you know that MAHLE SmartBike Systems has launched the lightest drive system for e-bikes on the market? Including its batteries, the new X20 system weighs in at just 3.2 kilograms, setting a new benchmark in the e-bike sector for the power-to-weight ratio of two-wheel drives.
The X20 system also has an aesthetic advantage, because it’s concealed within the bike’s frame and hub. In addition, artificial intelligence delivers a cycling experience that’s perfectly tailored to the rider. Our compact drive motors with customized motor control, power-adapted battery, and connective components can be found in urban, road, gravel, and mountain bikes from leading bicycle manufacturers.
Find out more about our drives: