Who does not know Helbiz, the famous electric vehicle sharing brand present in dozens of cities around the world? In 5 years of life, the Italian-American company has become a real one giant in the world of micro-mobility. Today though Helbiz is no longer just sharing, but much more. For this, after launching his food delivery, marketing and streaming service, Helbiz debuts for the first time at EICMA, where it presents two world premiere models: Helbiz One-S and S1-X. The first will be the new kick-scooter in sharing of the company, the second a scooter… racing! Are you curious to find out everything?
Helbiz, not just scooter sharing: 40 cities, 20,000 electric vehicles but also food, sport and marketing
Not everyone knows that Helbiz, one of the giants of shared mobility present all over the world with its scooter, bike and e-scooter sharing services, it is partly Italian. Helbiz was in fact founded in 2016 in New York by an Italian entrepreneur, Salvatore Palella, and has always had a very strong bond with our country. Not for nothing in fact Helbiz is very present in Italy, but not only. The Italian-American company is indeed leader in the micro-mobility sector in Italy and worldwide. It is present in 40 cities in Italy, Europe and North America, and counts over 20,000 electric vehicles for shared mobility between scooters, pedal assisted bicycles and scooters, the means with which they have made themselves known more worldwide.
But Helbiz had the strength, the intuition and the courage not to limit himself to a single business model, but rather by exploring several other areas. After the launch of Helbiz in 2016 in Italy and the United States and years of consolidating its work, Helbiz in August 2021 became the first micro-mobility company to be listed on the stock exchange, at the NASDAQ in New York and at Piazza Affari in Milan. After this incredible milestone, Helbiz’s 2021 did not stop there. The company has in fact expanded with new projects.
In fact, in the course of 2021 it was born Helbiz Kitchen, a new and innovative service in the field of food delivery. In fact, Helbiz Kitchen is not a delivery service for dishes made by restaurants, but a service of ghost kitchen. Currently only present in Milan, Helbiz Kitchen in fact prepares the dishes in its ghost kitchen which it then delivers to customers, without ever forgetting the sustainability. From packaging to raw materials to the delivery method, even in the food field Helbiz does not abandon its search for sustainability. Also in 2021, Helbiz launched two new services. It is about Helbiz Media, that is an advertising and marketing platform, and of the already known Helbiz Live. This is a new video content streaming service: in Italy the offer focuses on the exclusive of the B series, the German Cup and the NFL, the American Football Championship.
Helbiz becomes producer: after the first One, here is Helbiz One-S for sharing in world premiere
So Helbiz is leaving the world of mobility? Of course not, on the contrary. Indeed, the Italian-American company has decided to revolutionize its business here too. There is a huge sign of this first, Helbiz’s historic participation in EICMA, the International Exhibition of Cycles, Motorcycles and Accessories in Milan, usually open only to manufacturers in the world of two-wheeled mobility. And indeed Helbiz says goodbye to sharing third-party vehicles to become a manufacturer of electric scooters.
During the summer it was indeed presented its first scooter that anyone can buy, the Helbiz One. Designed and built in Italy, Helbiz One has a clean design by Pininfarina and has been designed to be comfortable and usable every day. The engine has 500 W and the battery guarantees aautonomy total declared of 25 km. The wheels are 8-inch and is equipped with shock absorbers and a collapsible and foldable handlebar. The weight is quite low, of only 15 kg, and it is already in pre-order from the official website of Helbiz at a price of 1.100 euro.
Today, however, the protagonist is not Helbiz One, but his brother Helbiz One-S. Contrary to what the name might suggest, Helbiz One-S is not the sports version of the One scooter, but its declination dedicated to sharing. The design is indeed the same as Helbiz One, but One-S has a large front LED indicating the status and one increased battery. The autonomy of Helbiz One-S is in fact almost three times higher, going from 25 to about 60 km. In plus, Helbiz One-S is equipped with all safety systems required by the latest update of the Highway Code.
In addition to the limited speed of 20 km / h, Helbiz One-S is equipped with fully faired wiring and components, integrated front and rear indicators and a very interesting solution to avoid the misuse of his scooters. Helbiz One-S has indeed one double camera, one front pointing in front of the scooter and one rear pointing on the driver. The front one has the task of verifying whether the Helbiz One-S is being driven on the sidewalks, carelessly or parked “wildly”. The rear one, on the other hand, has the task of verifying whether the user carries more than one person. So, Helbiz One-S hopes to limit wild and unregulated usage which, unfortunately, we see in cities where these useful means are offered to the public. Helbiz One-S will arrive in the main cities where the service is present in the course of 2022.
The debut in the world of racing: Helbiz S1-X for the new eSC championship from 110 km / h and 55 ° of lean
But at EICMA there was not only Helbiz One-S: the Italian-American company presented another surprising project. In fact, in 2022 the first World Championship of electric scooters, the eSC or eSkootr Championship. This championship will take place in the centers of the most important cities in the world, and will see the participation of prominent personalities from the world of sport. Not only motorcycle riders or those related to the world of motors, but also surfers, snowboarders, and anyone who wants to try a new championship full of adrenaline.
Helbiz, given his desire to always get involved, could not remain on the sidelines, and launched his project Helbiz Racing. Without the Squadra Corse, obviously Italian, only the scooter is missing. And as he did for his Sharing service, Helbiz decided to participate with his original model, Helbiz S1-X. It is a scooter designed, developed and built by YCOM, an Italian company of excellence in the Motor Valley, which has designed a real missile.
Made with a composite material body, it has fixed suspensions to withstand the stresses when cornering which are, I anticipate, insane. In fact, we are talking about a scooter equipped with two motors, one per wheel, capable of developing a power of 12 kW. Translating into Cavallese, let’s talk about over 16 hp, more than a 125 bike so to speak. The weight it is feather, of suns 40 kg, and the battery is developed by Williams Engineering. This amazing scooter is capable of exceed 110 km / h, and to arrive at a 55 ° bend angle. The new Helbiz S1-X will debut in the course of 2022 in the first eSC World Championship.
The new era of Helbiz, between One-S, S1-X and new projects
Helbiz’s debut at EICMA is a huge declaration of intent by the Italian-American company. Helbiz has gone from a young startup of city mobility to a true giant of smart mobility. From the rental of scooters, today, Helbiz has become a global company, capable of offering not only mobility, but also food delivery and even streaming services. Seeing what they have managed to do in just 5 years of history, I am really looking forward to seeing where Helbiz will be able to go in the next few years.
For those wishing to know the new models of the company, Helbiz will be present from today until Sunday 28 November here at EICMA in Hall 13 at stand Q58. Here on November 28 it will be possible to meet Carolina Stramare, Miss Italia 2019 and presenter of Serie B on Helbiz Live, as well as seeing and touching the new Helbiz products. Will you pass by to greet and learn about the new models of the company? Let us know below in the comments!