However, only a limited series of 500 units of the TWIKE 5 will be built. However, customers on the back of the list can move up with an advance payment or otherwise secure a place at the front of the successor series now. Of course, all customers are eagerly awaiting the start of series production and the TWIKE team is working flat out to ensure that this can begin as soon as possible.
Before TWIKE can start production, several milestones on the roadmap have to be passed. Once the assembly hall has been completed, the warehouses and workstations for pre-assembly and final assembly, which are required for the production steps to be completed in Rosenthal, must be set up before work can begin. The list of other interim targets is now manageable.
Final development of all components
Conceptually, development is complete. Over 98 percent of the TWIKE 5 components are also sufficiently determined for procurement. Larger components that need to be finalized for series production are, for example, the steering and some tooling chassis components. We were able to complete this process for the first rider test vehicle (FET) at the beginning of October 2023.
Driver test vehicle (FET)
To ensure that the newly developed vehicle meets the requirements for safe driving dynamics, various tests and any optimizations to driver test vehicles (FET) are required. By FET, we mean prototypes that are roadworthy but do not necessarily have a fairing yet. A first FET was built and the electrical and drive tests were started in October 2023. A second FET, bonded from black anodized aluminium sheets close to series production, allows further tests on more demanding driving dynamics and was completed in February 2025.
Prototypes
As soon as the driver tests have been successfully completed and the frame (BIW), chassis and drive system are deemed approvable by us and the accompanying experts, we can add the exterior to the driver test carriers in the following four to five months and thus build fully-fledged prototypes. We will present these prototypes to our customers and at the same time carry out final physical tests for the ECE homologation proof of suitability.
ECE homologation
Homologation is the technical term for the type approval of a vehicle or the approval of a series vehicle in the EU, which is also accepted by some non-European countries. For this purpose, we work together with the Luxembourg approval service provider ATEEL. The Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg confirms that the required evidence is complete and then issues the EU approval.
Conversion of the pre-order into an order
When the prototypes are inspected, customers are given the opportunity to convert their pre-order into a binding order. This is the final lever for the start of series production.
Start of series production (SOP)
Once the go-ahead has been given, two vehicles a day should be assembled at the Rosenthal plant once production processes have been ramped up. We continue to assume that we will reach this point around six months after the prototypes are presented. Within a period of twelve months, starting after SOP and reaching the so-called comb line of production of two vehicles per working day, the planned 500 TWIKE 5s will then be produced and handed over to our customers.
In order to be able to keep to the ambitious schedule, it is essential to have sufficient liquidity at all times. Delayed access to the required funds will delay the schedule. However, we believe that the presentation of prototypes at the latest will dispel the current reluctance to make advance payments.
Since we were not able to cover 100 percent of our capital requirements until the start of deliveries via crowdfunding, we are now closing the gap via down payments. Our interest-based ranking system allows later pre-orders to move up in the ranking with a higher advance payment and also to reserve a desired serial number.
You can find out how our financing is organizedhere.
Article updated on 06.02.2025
