BREKR’s sleek, innovative electric moped design expands market after cash infusion

The BREKR Model B is a unique electric moped with an eye-catching design. And now it will be catching eyes in more places than ever thanks to a new investment helping the Dutch company expand its market.

We first covered the debut of the BREKR Model B back in October 2019, shortly before worldwide manufacturing was turned on its head by the COVID-19 pandemic.

BREKR’s innovative design uses a brightly colored rail to give the illusion of a single-strut frame running the length of the bike. In actuality, there’s a (slightly) more conventional tubular frame hidden beneath, but the design is still quite innovative.

Despite the rigid-looking design, the Model B even sports rear suspension with dual coilover shocks. Though for the life of me I can’t spot the rear swingarm axle as they seem to have hidden it so well. Easier to spot are the rear pillion pegs that allow a second rider to join in on the fun – assuming they can squeeze onto that seat.

Already available in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, BREKR will now be expanding further into Europe thanks to a €1.5 million investment from Bloomit Ventures and Bloomit Seed I Fund.

The Model B starts at €4,499 (approximately US $5,300) and uses a rear hub motor to simplify the frame design by removing any complicated motor mounting issues from the center of the frame. The 2.5 kW continuous-rated motor and 4 kW peak-rated motor is electronically limited to a mere 45 km/h (28 mph), though that keeps it street legal as an L1e moped in Europe and requires the least regulation to ride.

The bike can house either one or two removable 50V and 40Ah batteries for a combined 4 kWh of capacity. That’s roughly equivalent to many other leading electric mopeds, such as the 4.2 kWh of battery in my NIU NQi GT.

A single battery is rated for up to 80 km (50 miles) of range, with a pair of batteries offering double the distance. That’s the Eco mode range, but a top speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) means that the bike should remain fairly efficient even with the digital needle pegged.

Each battery weighs just 10.8 kg (24 lb) and can be easily removed from the underseat compartment to carry inside for charging. That’s key for many European riders who live in apartments without a garage for on-bike charging.

These types of electric mopeds are quickly expanding across Europe, and BREKR’s cofounder Niels Willems explains why to The Pack:

“You drive quietly, quickly and cleanly. If you include everything, the CO2 emissions are a factor of 4 lower than petrol scooters. The costs for fuel, or rather electricity, are often less than 1 euro per 100 km. In addition, an electric drive has fewer wearing parts, which reduces maintenance costs.”

While there are now many options on the market, few electric mopeds look quite as distinctive as the BREKR Model B. What do you think of the bike? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section below!