Recently, a video appeared on social networks, in which the commander of the Georgian legion is testing the Eleek electric bike. As it turned out later, the management of this company transferred several of its products to the needs of the military. Among them was the Atom Military model, which they once unsuccessfully offered to Ukrainian officials.
Pavel Rudakevich, the founder of the Ternopil company Eleek, told ITC.UA about this and many other things.
Why did you decide to deal with electric bikes?
At first it was like a hobby for me, and only over time it turned into a business.
How did it all start? Once I was driving a car and saw a bicycle overtake it quite quickly. It was some ordinary homemade electric bike with a wheel motor. It got me interested. To begin with, I registered on the forums of the relevant topics. Then thematic forums were very popular. I began to study in detail the design and element base from which electric bikes are made. And one day I wrote on the Ternopil Internet forum “Stroke” (it no longer exists) that I want to make a frame for an electric bike. It was then that the first electric bikes began to appear in the world, but there were no such bikes as I imagined. That is, it must simultaneously combine a light bike and a motocross bike. Yes, as a matter of fact, the idea to create your own business appeared.
I would like to add that before founding my company, I loved riding motocross bikes. That is, my hobby eventually grew into something more.
How did you start your business?
Without thinking twice, I began to make my dream come true. I started by drawing sketches of future electric bikes. I developed the first models in my garage. The first thing I did was create a frame and find the right bike fork for it. That’s how I met Vassily Kurus, who sold me the fork and advised me on the frame. By the way, Vasily is now a member of our team and the author of the PozitiffMD model, the name of which comes from his nickname on the Stroke forum. He introduced me to professional bicycle mechanic Dmitry Semchuk, with whom he spoke on the same forum. It was Dmitry who helped me make a frame for my first motorcycle.
When the first sample of the frame appeared, I immediately showed it to my subscribers who were interested in my messages. Based on this frame, I assembled the bike, tested it and realized that this is what I need. After that, the frame became popular in Ukraine and the CIS countries (mainly in Russia).
Dmitry and I began to mass-produce and sell frames. They continued to make them in the same garage. It can be said that this is the first company in Ukraine that was related to light electric transport. Later, we were the first to mass-produce electric bikes. Only six months passed from the first drawing to the first sale of the bike.
Frames were sold from 2010 to 2013, mainly in Ukraine and Russia. After the Euromaidan, we completely stopped cooperation with the Russians and started selling bikes in the EU, the USA and other countries.
Where does the name Eleek come from?
In 2012, our startup, originally called Ekross, moved from a garage to a larger rented space. We are still here. Then the first wholesale customers of electric bikes based on the Ekross frame appeared, such as DelFast. We made 10 bikes for them. Then even the Chinese copied this frame. Chinese copies are sold under the Leili and EBB brands.
Well, then there were such models as Lite, PozitiffMD and the youngest Neo.
The first name Ekross is a combination of an electric cross bike and a motorcycle. But when we became popular in the EU and wanted to register a trademark, we received a claim from the Polish bicycle manufacturer Kross. Their representatives claimed that our name was similar to theirs. Therefore, we renamed and named our company Eleek. By itself, the name means nothing. We were just sitting together and it occurred to us that “Elik” (from “electric bike”) sounds the best.
How many years have you been in this market?
Well, if you count from the first sales of the frame, then already 12 years. And if from the creation of the company, then 10.
Was it difficult to start this business?
At that time it was not hard, because at first it was just a hobby. Nobody thought about business then. It somehow in itself quickly grew into a business. And now there are a lot of such companies, so you need to compete all the time.
If we take electric bikes similar in parameters to ours, then we have a lower price, a more original design and more powerful characteristics. We put our whole soul into the business. We, like 10 years ago, are a team that simply works and enjoys its work.
Where do you purchase equipment?
If we talk about the production equipment (machines) with which the frame is produced, then we made half of it ourselves. We bought the other half in Ukraine or abroad. The metal from which the frame is made is, of course, Ukrainian.
If we talk about bike parts (electronics, wiring, battery management boards, batteries), we produce them ourselves. The rest we buy abroad, mainly in China. It’s not a big secret that China produces the best motors, controllers and battery cells.
Was it difficult to find e-bike craftsmen?
Not difficult, because they found themselves. This is a team of enthusiasts who have learned from their own mistakes and continue to work in the company in leadership positions. They know what and how to do. They themselves find the right specialists.
You have created three models of electric bikes (Atom, Lite and Neo) and several modifications. How do they differ from each other?
There are four main models. First, Atom appeared on the basis of the Ekross frame, then Lite, later PozitiffMD, and then Neo.
Atom is a versatile and powerful bike that is suitable for both asphalt and light off-road.
Lite is a light and comfortable e-bike. It really is very similar to a bicycle, only with an engine. Lite is perfect for the city because it can get you from point A to point B effortlessly.
The PozitiffMD is an aggressive bike that will be a lot of fun to ride off-road. It has high torque.
Neo is a bike for children, pensioners and parents who like to ride along the embankment or the park with their family.
Have you managed to create the electric bike of your dreams?
Nobody has asked me about this yet. Perhaps the Atom is the motorcycle of my dreams. But I do not stop there and continue to create something new with my team. Now we have two powerful models in development, the details of which we do not disclose. Since the beginning of the war, they are in the freezing stage. I think we will resume this process soon.
All models can accelerate to 100 km / h and drive up to 150 km on a single charge?
Not all. Atom and PozitiffMD – up to 90 km/h, Lite – up to 50 km/h, Neo – up to 45 km/h. The same with mileage. Atom and PozitiffMD – up to 150 km, Lite – up to 80 km, Neo – up to 40 km.
How fast do Eleek e-bikes charge? Do they need special charging?
Our bikes take approximately 4-5 hours to charge. They have their own charger that can be recharged from a regular 220 V outlet.
What is their service life? And what does it depend on?
The life of the bike itself is not limited if you use it carefully. But the battery can last more than five years. After which it can be replaced.
Has the demand for electric bikes increased due to significant problems with gasoline?
Demand has increased significantly. People have become massively interested in electric transport. That is why we are developing. But there is a problem with the components, because they have to wait a long time. Sometimes it’s even hard to get something. Therefore, the price tag for bikes is growing very quickly.
How much do Eleek e-bikes weigh?
Atom and PozitiffMD are half the weight of a motorcycle with similar characteristics. They weigh 65–70 kg.
Why such a price gap – from 45 thousand to 188 thousand UAH?
The gap is huge, because they differ in power and cost of parts. For example, Atom has a larger battery, a more powerful motor and controller. Therefore, it is much more expensive and more expensive to manufacture. In general, Neo and Atom are significantly different.
How well can Eleek ride off-road?
We put universal wheels. Any of our models behaves well on the roads. In terms of comfort, it is second only to Neo, since it does not have shock absorbers.
Are Eleek electric bikes resistant to frost and abnormal heat?
Yes, they are stable. The operating temperature of the battery is from -20 to +50 degrees.
Have you modified electric bikes for the needs of the military?
During all this time, we have handed over many stories to the military. The bikes we gave away for free to our defenders are not much different from the Atom. Although we changed them a little. For example, they changed the color, installed fenders, like motocross bikes, removed unnecessary details, such as a pedal drive, mirrors and cornering lights. They also made it so that the lighting, if necessary, turned off completely. We added a connector for 220 V. By the way, we developed the connector within three days. Now our guys connect to the bike even through Starlink.
Do the military choose them because of their quietness?
They are chosen due to many factors. But the main ones are noiselessness and invisibility for thermal imagers. Also because of their speed, maneuverability, compactness and lightness.
Did you conclude an agreement with the Armed Forces of Ukraine or was it a volunteer initiative?
We conclude agreements directly with units, volunteers, foundations and military personnel who buy them at their own expense. We also have many clients who bought a bike from us in civilian life, and now they are at war with it.
You also provide fighters with additional power banks. Do you make them yourself too?
When the war started, for the first week we did not realize what had happened. We had a panic, we were worried about our relatives and helped others. Who than could. For example, I gave a few bikes from the warehouse to the military. By the way, one of those bikes was just the first model of the Atom Military, which we offered officials back in peacetime, but they were not interested.
The rest of our team members helped the volunteers and transferred their funds. But when we realized that our military fellows were confidently defending our country, the team and I met at my house and discussed our further actions. Because we understood that people do not need our bikes now. Then we had an idea to make power banks for the military. We moved our production to a bomb shelter and reformatted to manufacture power banks. By the way, only a few days passed from the idea to the implementation of the project. But we did not even suspect that while we were producing power banks, the military, to whom we gave the bikes, were training on them. That’s when we realized that this is a cool and necessary transport. Coincidentally, information spread among the military that our bikes are very cool. After that, a lot of different people began to contact us, who wanted to buy Atom Military from us.
