Launceston e-bike retailer Tas Electric Vehicles has stepped up its operations, moving from its Prospect warehouse to a prominent 630m2 showroom on Invermay Road.
Tas Electric Vehicles is the only e-bike specialist retailer in the north of the state and stocks a variety of electric micromobility options such as e-scooters, e-trikes and e-motorbikes.
Owner John Fulton, who has been running the business for 16 years, said the move to a more central location with a retail focus had been on the cards for several years.
“It’s a huge step for us but it’s something I’ve had in the back of my mind for four to five years,” he says.
“I initially bought a block of land in Kings Meadows and was intending to build a showroom, workshop and electric vehicle charging station, but then COVID-19 pushed up the cost of construction.
“I knew this showroom was going to become available so I sold the block and was able to lease this site. It’s perfect for us as we needed somewhere big enough for stock and workshop, and enough space for people to ride around so we can fit bikes to them.
“We spend a lot of time encouraging people to try different types of bikes, seats and sizes so they get the bike that best suits them. Once they’ve honed in on a favourite bike they can go for a longer test-ride on the levee paths nearby.”
John says the most popular price point for most customers is the $1800–3000 range, with many looking for a bike for recreation and travel.
“We get a lot of couples coming in looking for bikes to ride together and folding e-bikes are also popular for holidays. We stock about 8 to 10 models of folding bikes alone.”
The move to Invermay Road marks a distinct division in the business which has been operating wholesale and retail arms out of the one warehouse.
“I never planned to get into selling e-bikes,” John said. “I was a wholesaler of fitness equipment and as a qualified auto-electrician and mechanic I also used to do repairs.
“I got to know some of the bike shops through selling and repairing exercise bikes and so when e-bikes started to appear in the shops for repairs they’d send them to me to deal with.
“After a few years of doing repairs, Power-ped bikes were looking for a wholesaler and so I said I’d take three bikes but when I took them around to the bike shops none were interested in stocking them. I kept them in the corner of the warehouse and ended up selling them to people who couldn’t find anywhere else to buy an e-bike and that’s when the retail side of the business started.”
“In the early days there weren’t many e-bikes available so we started doing conversions and adaptations to existing bicycles and custom-builds for people wanting specific features.
“Word of the custom builds got out on social media and I’m still getting requests from shops for parts I’ve designed and had manufactured.”
John says he’s seen a noticeable shift in customer thinking over the past five years, with more people wanting a more environmentally sustainable and cheaper way of getting around.
“It’s not just e-bikes anymore, we now sell as many e-scooters as we do e-bikes, and electric trikes have taken off.
“We got into the e-trikes to help people with a disability to get around. It’s been a great joy to see how we’ve helped change those people’s lives.
“Now we are selling e-trikes to several farms as an alternative to quad bikes as the fruit pickers can get straight on them without needing a licence, the running costs are next to nothing and turnaround for repairs is quick. The agronomists also prefer them as they don’t compact the soil.”
And the next big thing in the e-mobility world?
“Unicycles,” John says, “those one-wheel devices are going to be huge.”