Hey!

Welcome to Flywheel, a weekly exploration of owned and used micromobility. Each newsletter will highlight an observation of trends emerging in the industry and feature some of the most interesting vehicles/hardware in micromobility.

Before jumping into this week’s content, I just wanted to mention that I’ll be attending this year’s Micromobility America conference (in Costa Mesa, CA from Nov 14-15) and speaking on a panel about “Aligning Capital, Startups, and Policy for Micromobility.” MM America is one of the few conferences I make a point to attend every year, and it’s the best way to get a sense of the state of the art for LEVs. As a speaker, the MM crew kindly gave me 5 free tickets to give away. If you’re interested in one, just reply to this email and I can send one your way!

Now, let’s jump into this week’s newsletter. The observation of the week is an interview with Max Schalow, Founder of Fleetser, about the resale market for used micromobility fleets. This week’s featured vehicles are two compact cargo haulers and a cruiser-style scrambler.

If you were forwarded this post and found it interesting, I would appreciate it if you subscribed to Flywheel!

Observation of the Week

Unlocking value in retired micromobility fleets with Max Schalow

Shared fleets have played a huge role in exposing many riders to their first micromobility experiences, but difficult unit economics and regulatory challenges have meant that the industry has seen significant struggles. Many shared fleets have gone out of business, which has led to a large supply of dormant retired shared vehicles. However, few have figured out how to meaningfully transition these shared vehicles into their second life (remember that mountain of Jump bikes in a landfill?). One company aiming to address this problem is Fleetser, which recently launched a marketplace for used fleet LEVs. This week on Flywheel, I had the privilege of chatting with Fleetser’s founder Max Schalow about what it takes to unlock value in retired micromobility fleets. Please welcome Max:

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Puneeth: Max, it’s great to connect with you. Let’s start with some background—can you tell us how Fleetser got started? You’ve mentioned that you wear a few hats, so I’d love to hear more about your journey and what led you to this point.  

Max: Yeah, happy to share. Fleetser has been quite an evolution. We started back in 2019 with our shared mobility company bondi during the peak of the micromobility boom. All these shared mobility companies were popping up, and we thought it was the perfect time to jump in. Initially, the plan was to build kick scooters for the Dutch market since e-scooters were becoming popular everywhere—except in the Netherlands.  

The Netherlands was one of the last countries to legalize e-scooters, and that slowed us down a lot. While we were waiting on the regulatory front, we decided to pivot and launch an e-bike sharing service instead. That business scaled pretty quickly—we expanded into eight cities, building up to 100,000 users.  

Puneeth: That’s impressive growth! What happened next?  

Max: Well, we found that running a shared fleet wasn’t as smooth as we’d hoped. The business model itself had issues—people vandalized vehicles, dumped them in canals, and sometimes just didn’t pay. It’s frustrating because the margins were actually solid. We could have made the business profitable, but the operational challenges made it hard to maintain. After two years, we decided to pause the shared fleet operations and sell off our vehicles and focus on manufacturing the first legal escooter under the brand SELANA.  

That’s when we noticed something interesting—there was a lot of demand for used e-bikes and scooters. Other operators were also facing difficulties—some were going bankrupt, and others were getting shut out by local governments. This created a boom in the secondhand market. High-quality e-bikes that had barely been used were selling for ridiculously low prices, sometimes as little as €50. Since we already had strong networks in the mobility industry, we thought: why not build a platform to connect sellers and buyers? That’s how Fleetser came about.

Puneeth: That’s a great pivot. But I imagine there are challenges with repurposing shared vehicles. Many of them are built specifically for fleet use—they’re heavy, packed with IoT, and not always suited for individual ownership. How do you address that?  

Max: You’re absolutely right. Shared vehicles often have proprietary IoT systems to prevent tampering, which complicates things for resale. However, we’ve found ways around it.  

For starters, we have good relationships with the manufacturers of these vehicles. Most of the time, it’s just about asking the right people to unlock the systems. The manufacturers usually cooperate if the request comes from the original buyer—whether it’s an operator going out of business or downsizing their fleet. Sometimes all it takes is an email: “Hey, we’re liquidating these vehicles. Can you unlock them?” The manufacturer will usually transfer the APIs or software access needed.  

Puneeth: That sounds fairly straightforward, but what if the original operator isn’t cooperative?  

Max: In those cases, we still have options. Ultimately, an e-scooter or e-bike is just hardware—a motor, a battery, some electronics. If we can’t get access to the original software, we can still refurbish the vehicles by replacing certain components. We also have contacts who specialize in bulk refurbishing. Some of them buy large fleets, strip the vehicles down, and rebuild them from scratch. So, even if the original software isn’t available, the vehicles don’t go to waste.

Puneeth: What’s been the response to date? Has there been strong interest for these types of used refurbished vehicles?  

Max: Yes, we’ve sold over 3,000 vehicles to date. In some cases, when we spot a really good deal—like scooters selling for €100 that we know can go for €300—we buy them upfront. Having a good investor network helps us do that. We’ve also worked with bankruptcy firms to take over their fleets, refurbish the vehicles, and sell them on Fleetser. Our buyers are both individual consumers as well as fleets that want to top up their operations with high-quality used vehicles.

Puneeth: Where do you find most of your vehicles? Are fleets approaching you, or are you buying at auctions?  

Max: Most of our inventory actually comes through direct outreach. Fleet operators and manufacturers reach out to us on platforms like LinkedIn because they know what we do. Eventually, we want to create a marketplace where anyone—whether it’s a fleet operator or a delivery company—can list their vehicles for sale directly.  

There are white-label apps that offer marketplaces, but they aren’t optimized for reselling fleets. The incentives are all wrong—they’re more focused on selling software than helping operators sell their vehicles. We want Fleetser to be the go-to platform for anyone looking to buy or sell secondhand fleets.

Puneeth: I imagine it’s tricky to maintain these vehicles in the long run, especially if the original manufacturers aren’t willing to cooperate. How do you manage that?  

Max: It’s definitely a challenge. Some manufacturers—especially those in China—refuse to provide after-sales support unless the buyer was the original customer. We’re working on changing that mindset.  

We’re trying to convince manufacturers that supporting secondhand buyers could lead to future business. If a new operator buys 500 secondhand e-bikes, why wouldn’t the manufacturer help them with spare parts? That operator could become a long-term customer. It’s been tough, but we’re starting to see some progress. Until then, we’ll need to rely on the existing expertise of our team and our networks.

Puneeth: Do you see Fleetser expanding into other services, like offering maintenance plans or leasing options?  

Max: Possibly, though probably through partnerships. There’s a lot of potential in providing maintenance for secondhand fleets. In Europe, companies like Voi and Dott already manage their own operations, and it would make sense to offer similar services for smaller operators.  

We’re also experimenting with leasing. It’s still early days, but leasing would allow operators to spread out their costs instead of paying upfront for vehicles. Finding the right leasing partners has been tricky—most of them want scale and solid financials, which many startups don’t have yet. But we’re optimistic.

Puneeth: Where do you see Fleetser in the next few years?  

Max: Our goal is to build a robust marketplace that makes it easy for operators to buy and sell high-quality vehicles. We want to go beyond just liquidating bankrupt fleets—we want to offer vehicles that are ready to hit the streets.  

It’s about more than just resale—we want to connect operators with software providers, maintenance partners, and logistics solutions. Ultimately, we hope to reduce the number of cars on the road by making micromobility more accessible. If we can do that, we’ll consider Fleetser a success.

Puneeth: Thanks, Max. This has been a fascinating conversation. You’re solving a real problem in the micromobility space, and I can’t wait to see what Fleetser does next.  

Max: Thanks, Puneeth! I appreciate the opportunity to share our story. Looking forward to staying in touch and continuing the conversation.

You can learn more about Fleetser here. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

For more observations and resources on owned and used micromobility, check out rideflywheel.com/resources.

Featured Vehicles of the Week

1. Velotric Go 1 | $1,500 | NYC

The Velotric Go 1 is a budget class-2/class-3 compact utility bike with the hauling capabilities of a cargo bike. Velotric (founded by Lime hardware co-founder Adam Zhang) is one of the most well-reputed D2C OEMs in the market, and they’ve somehow figured out how to offer high-quality, safety-certified ebikes with great maintenance options at extremely affordable prices. Most of their vehicles are primarily sold D2C, but the brand also has a massive network of dealer partners. The Go 1 is their utility offering and, I suspect, likely one of their best sellers. Its powertrain (UL 2271 and UL 2849 certified) features Velotric’s proprietary 65Nm Velopower H50 rear hub motor and a 691.2Wh removable battery pack that’s made of automotive grade 21700 LG cells. Its default max speed is 20mph, but it can be unlocked to a 25mph off-road mode. The Go 1 has an astounding payload capacity of 440lbs, which is at par with most longtail cargo bikes. To manage this payload, the Go 1 has competent hydraulic disc brakes, a 7-speed Shimano transmission, and a front suspension fork. The 26”x2.4” front tire is larger than the 20”x3” rear tire, which is a great practical configuration that gives riders a large attack angle when going over bumps but still keeps the center of gravity for the cargo low. Lastly, the Go 1 comes with Apple Find My integration for location tracking and a ~3mph walk mode. Given its low MSRP, UL certification, throttle, and Velotric’s excellent maintenance options, the Go 1 is probably my favorite utility bike on the market. This listing is brand new and comes assembled. Listing can be found here.

2. Benno RemiDemi | $2,200 | Denver

The Benno RemiDemi is a high-end class-3 compact cargo bike created by Swiss designer Benno Baenziger. It embodies Benno’s “etility” concept, which blends electric power with utility-focused design. Despite its compact size, the RemiDemi offers an impressive 400lbs payload capacity. This is due to its high-torque performance Bosch powertrain, which features a 65Nm Bosch Performance mid-drive motor and a 400Wh Bosch PowerPack battery. The RemiDemi’s small 20”x4” fat tires make it easy to maneuver, and its step-through frame, wide saddle, and upright riding position make it comfortable to ride despite its lack of suspension. Lastly, the RemiDemi is designed to be highly versatile, and as such can be configured with a wide ecosystem of accessories for various use-cases from child hauling to food delivery. The compact cargo bike market is getting increasingly crowded, with models like the RadRunner and Tern's mini-longtails gaining popularity for their balance of utility and portability. The RemiDemi is one of the best in this category, and its high-quality components and ultra-configurable frame make it an attractive choice for urban riders looking for both performance and versatility. This listing has <100mi on its odometer and was always stored with its cover. It comes with an upgraded comfort saddle and a passenger kit configured to carry a second (adult) passenger. Listing can be found here.

3. Monday Motorbikes Presidio | $895 | Seattle

The Monday Presidio is a class-2/3 cruiser-style step-through scrambler and one of the most budget-friendly scrambler offerings in the market. Monday Motorbikes is one of the first OEMs to build retro emoped-esque ebikes, and, particularly given the recent bankruptcy of Juiced, is one of the few companies remaining that’s building these kinds of ebikes at a high level of quality. The Presidio is one of their entry-level offerings, yet it’s still high-performance and fun to ride. Its powertrain features a 500W (~80Nm) Bafang rear hub motor and a 557Wh removable battery, providing riders with a top speed of 25 mph. Monday also offers an even more powerful version with a 750W motor, which allows those looking for extra speed to hit the the class-3 limit of 28 mph. The Presidio is designed for comfort, and its dual suspension and 20”x4” fat tires eat up rough roads and make it extremely smooth to ride. One negative about the Presidio is that it only has mechanical disc brakes, which can be sufficient for leisurely riding but I’d personally prefer stronger hydraulic disc brakes given the vehicle’s weight (70lbs) and max speed. That being said, it’s an understandable compromise given that competing scramblers with a full suspension suite retail for at least $1K more. Rounding out the Presidio are strong front and rear lights that mimic the look of a motorcycle and a banana seat that is long enough for two passengers (rear foot pegs can be bought online). This listing is in good condition and has a mileage of 515mi. Listing can be found here.

That’s it for this edition. Thanks again for joining, see you next week!

- Puneeth Meruva