Dat Bike is the creator of Vietnam’s first domestic electric motorbike – TechCrunch

Dat Bike founder and CEO Son Nguyen. Picture Credit: Dat Bike

Dat Bike is on a journey to cut back the quantity of gasoline utilized in Vietnam. The startup makes electrical motorbikes with key parts that it designs and produces domestically to cut back prices and enhance efficiency. At this time, Dat Bike introduced it has raised a $5.3 million Sequence A led by Jungle Ventures, with participation from Wavemaker Companions.

Each are returning traders. Jungle Ventures led Dat Bike’s seed spherical a yr in the past, when TechCrunch first profiled the corporate. The most recent funding brings Dat Bike’s whole to $10 million raised because it was based in 2019 by Son Nguyen.

Dat Bike is acknowledged by the Vietnam Ministry of Transportation as the primary domestically made electrical bike. Nguyen mentioned that Dat Bike makes use of vertical integration as an alternative of counting on third-party imported electrical drivetrains and components as a result of that retains prices down whereas enhancing high quality. A lot of the components on Dat Bike’s autos are designed by the corporate and 80% of its suppliers are situated in Vietnam. It additionally makes use of a direct-to-consumer distribution mannequin, pushing costs down decrease.

A part of the funding will likely be invested in its expertise. Nguyen defined that the three most necessary components of an electrical bike are its battery, motor and controller. Proper now, Dat Bike owns expertise for its battery packaging and controller. With its new capital, it will likely be in a position to put money into its engine expertise. Nguyen added that the corporate may also improve its cellular app, including new options and shortening the suggestions loop on its error reporting function.

One main factor the corporate needed to deal with was shopper issues concerning the efficiency of e-bikes in comparison with their gasoline counterparts. The corporate says its first product line, the Weaver, displayed 3 times the efficiency (5 kW versus 1.5 kW) and two instances the vary of (100 km versus 50 km) of most competing electrical bikes. Dat Bike’s second mannequin, the Weaver 200, was launched final yr with increased efficiency, or a spread of 200 km and 6 kW energy. It additionally lowered charging time from 1 hour for 100 km to 2.5 hours for its full 200 km cost.

“We purpose to develop a brand new product yearly and analysis for quicker charging,” Nguyen mentioned.

Dat Bike at the moment has two shops in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis and Hanoi, and its bikes might be ordered on-line, too. A part of the funding will likely be used to develop its offline-to-online mannequin into extra massive cities, together with Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Ha Lengthy, Vinh, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Danang, Can Tho and Vung Tau.