McLaren Applied re-enters cycling with purchase of bust e-bike brand

Recently bankrupt e-bike company VanMoof has been snapped up by the former F1-related applied technology company McLaren Applied.

Earlier this month VanMoof went under citing high maintenance costs for its bikes. 

Now the brand has been bought by rival e-scooter company Lavoire, which itself is backed by McLaren Applied.

The McLaren Applied business was, until 2021, part of the famous Formula 1 team of the same name. It was designed to take the technology and learning from high performance motorsport and use it in a range of other sectors from health to transport.

Most recently it was the wing behind the failed Bahrain McLaren project. The WorldTour team ran for just one season with the backing of the Woking-based F1 name before McLaren pulled out and it became Bahrain Victorious.

Prior to that McLaren also worked with bike manufacturing giant Specialized on the development of the Venge in 2011 and a McLaren version of the Tarmac in 2014.

Now it is re-entering the cycling business with VanMoof.

In a press release announcing the deal Lavoire, a maker of e-scooters, said together the two businesses could “redefine the growing e-mobility sector by approaching urban mobility via the world of serious automotive engineering”.

McLaren Applied chair Nick Fry said: “We see a huge potential to transform the way people travel around the congested cities of the world in a more active and enjoyable way.

“This exciting deal helps us to accelerate global growth, allowing us to increase the scale and quality of products and services we can offer to our customers.”

VanMoof declared bankruptcy in July. It had sold hundreds of thousands of its e-bikes at around $2,000 (£1,600) each but had been beset by quality issues.

Eliott Wertheimer, Lavoire CEO, added: “With its next generation of e-bikes, smart technology, innovative design, and loyal customer base, VanMoof and Lavoie fit together perfectly.

“VanMoof has 190,000 customers globally and our commitment is to continue to keep those riders on the road whilst we stabilise and efficiently grow the VanMoof business and continue to develop its world-class products.”