The first thing you notice is its style and beauty. As it comes closer, you would expect a characteristic rattle of the engine. But, surprisingly, it makes no sound whatsoever. RetroElectro is Wroclaw's first electric-powered scooter. Designed and executed by four local engineers.
In the photo: RetroElectro and from the right: Michał Koziołek and Zbigniew Żelazny. Photograph: Jarek Ratajczak
A car park next to the Garrison Church is full of gleaming mini bikes and world class bikes, but all the attention is stolen by a willow green RetroElectro. During our one-hour-long interview with the designers, it was photographed by several people, a group of tourists from Germany and an elderly lady with a little girl.
"It's happening all the time (laughter). It's difficult to get anywhere on time because we have to stop every now and then to present our scooter," says Michał Koziołek, who came up with the idea to create RetroElectro's, and Zbigniew Żelazny, who is now launching a campaign to promote the brand.
The idea is simple, that is, to make electric-powered vehicles modelled on the designs that date back to the 1960s and 1970s. They replace combustion engines with their electric-powered counterparts, add the batteries, and that's about it.
"Electric-powered vehicles are environmentally friendly, but their production is not. We offer comprehensive recycling solutions. We can reclaim up to 80% of the old scrapped vehicles. We add our technology, namely batteries, navigation computer and regenerative brakes. We offer a modern bike with a little bit of vintage look," adds Michał.
A brand new scooter comes with a renovated combustion engine and recycled and renovate vintage components. Actually, the owner can easily replace the electric-powered engine with a combustion engine, and the vehicle will be in full working order.
A German electric-powered swallow
The first RetroElectro bike was based on the Simson Schwalbe (Swallow) design. Just like Vespa in Italy, Simson has been a legendary mini bike in the DDR since the 1950s.
"Our 69 version is the first RetroElectro vehicle in the market. It combines tested features from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s with latest automotive solutions. With its electric-powered engine, the scooter has no carbon footprint whatsoever, and it is also automatic and economical," says Zbigniew Żelazny and adds that Simson is just what they need: "The brand has a beautiful and vintage design and, more importantly, an invisible engine. Polish design from the time were not as good as this one, because their engines were out in the open.
RetroElectro is very intuitive to ride. You need to press one button to start. You have also an accelerator and a brake. There are no gears because the engine, which is located in the hub at the back wheel has none. With its weight of 60 kilos, the vehicle is virtually feather light. In order to recharge the batteries, you need to connect the scooter to a 230V electrical socket. The charging time, which depends on the charger and the battery, ranges from 20 minutes up to 4,5 hours.
RetroElectro from Wroclaw
The RetroElectro team is: Michał Koziołek (30 years of age, graduated from Architecture and Conservation at the Wroclaw University of Technology), who came up with the idea to create the brand and, together with Zbigniew Żelazny (28 years of age, graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics at the Wroclaw University of Technology), is responsible for the project's organisation. Additionally, Zbigniew Żelazny has designed the very heart of the vehicle, that is, its engine and drive system. The team comprises two other members, namely Dawid Ozga and Michał Pyra. The four are also part of a project to redesign a New Warsaw Wratislavia. Four years ago, they made a syrenka car (a Polish communist classic) to celebrate Euro 2012. The 3-litre and 300-hp engine car was built from scratch and painted white and red, which are Poland's national colours.
4 thousand EUR
RetroElectro in its basic version reaches a price of 4 thousand EUR, which is roughly 16-17 thousand PLN. The designers admit that it might be a lot, but they also add they remain competitive in the market. A quality mini bike costs ca. 13 thousand PLN, whereas electric-powered scooters 5-6 thousand EUR or more. "We are unique because our products are custom-made. There are no two identical RetroElectro scooters," adds Michał.
Their sole focus is now on Simson bikes. They have made seven vehicles so far. Each is different because customers can order a different colour, a USB hub, a mobile app, a sun-powered charger, a second battery and a stronger engine. You can choose carbon or wooden components and tyres with a white strip.
The mini bike comes in three versions. The most affordable one guarantees a range of 30 km and an engine of 1000 W that makes you reach 35 km per hour (or 45 km per hour if you press the "off road" button). The medium one guarantees a range of 45 km and a speed of 45 km per hour. The most powerful one guarantees a range of 70 km and a speed of 70 km per hour. The smallest of all these is a low powered vehicle (like a golf buggy), which does not require a driving license. The fastest of the three requires that you hold a license type B.
RetroElectro as a guide in Wroclaw
Currently, the waiting time for this customised mini bike is ca. two weeks. The vehicle has attracted interest from hotels, which seek to rent RetroElectro bikes to their guests.
RetroElectro bikes also offer a mobile app that takes you on a journey to explore Wroclaw's landmarks. The scooter's designers want the vehicle to serve as a tourist guide. You can choose a specific route while a guide will tell you more the places you want to visit, e.g. churches, bridges and Wroclaw dwarves. Find out more about- RetroElectro on Facebook; the website retroelectro.pl is now under way.
Written by and photographs: Jarek Ratajczak
