The first batch of 100 Galvbikes powered by a 64V battery are expected to be released on the market next year at the National Fieldays after a second capital raise.
Ampify co-founders Anthony Clyde and Chris Mason — who started BurgerFuel — were showing farmers the utilitarian bike designed to handle the everyday knocks of farming at the three-day show in Christchurch.
The agricultural bike with a galvanised frame and heavy-duty forks, shocks and brakes is initially being pitched at dairy and horticultural farming.
Galvbike’s founders want to trial it with Canterbury and Southland farmers after initial tests in the Bay of Plenty.
Mr Clyde said its design was over-engineered and they would like to see the frame platform last for 40 years.
“There is electric out there, but still not quite fully focused on our dairy farmer which is a pretty high bar as it needs to handle a high-pressure hose-down, year-round farming and the elements. So, we really simplified its design, it’s brutally simple with a galvanised frame. There’s a lot of things about farm bikes which are awesome and all we are saying is there’s a few other things we can do.”
He said riders could easily get on and off the bike because of its step-through design and this opened up room for rear cargo as they did not need to swing their leg over.
Square tube framing means farmers can easily mount fence reels or tool bins on it and strap loads.
After being involved with electric bikes for 15 years, founding Smartmotion e-bikes and co-founding Ubco utility e-bikes and the high end Velduro full-carbon e-bike brand, Mr Clyde has turned his sights on a vehicle for New Zealand dairy farmers.
The company is opening a second investment round for the bike’s full production and distribution ending March after a pre-seed raise of $800,000 in 2023.
Ampify is a New Zealand startup which began as a motor tech company and building more robust hub motors to focus more lately on sustainable farm vehicle electrification.
Mr Clyde said initial shareholders were willing to dilute their shareholdings to gain investors.
Eventually, the bike would be manufactured in south China as he had good contacts after almost 20 years’ experience there and a production partner could yet be taken on.
He said they had moved from the early generation prototyping stage to get the bikes out to farms and move into full production.
“It was really when we decided the best way to test and validate our motors was to get them on the dairy farms and then this bike has just taken on a life of its own. In our early trials farmers have really liked it and we are still developing so we are going to a [final] trial [for] the next six months and are interested in getting them out to heavy users on farms so we learn from them.”
Farmer feedback has led to the initial larger and wider frame being narrowed with a slightly shorter wheel base.
He said the simple design with less servicing was appreciated by farmers wanting to reduce downtime.
The motor had been shifted into the hub with the battery under the seat to open the step through and this would hopefully close the gap between a conventional two-wheeler farm bike and a side-by-side vehicle, he said.
“We’re trying to put a bit of that side-by-side functionality in so there are things you can carry on this which you can’t carry on a farm bike.”
Farmers also liked the lack of engine noise and emission-free motor.
The lithium iron phosphate battery’s 3.5kWh capacity is expected to be enough for a couple of days of farm use before it needs recharging.
A peak speed of sub-50kmh was expected to meet farmers’ needs for bringing cows into dairy sheds and other farm work.
tim.cronshaw@alliedmedia.co.nz
