Tallinn-based Kõu Mobility Group acquires Ampler Bikes: Know more

Ampler Bikes, an Estonian direct-to-consumer brand that produces and sells light e-bikes, announced on Tuesday, February 14, that it has been acquired by Tallinn-based Kõu Mobility Group “to strengthen their position in the micromobility industry and to continue making emotive zero-emission commuting accessible for everyone.” 

Both companies have signed an investment and share-swap agreement, However, the financial details remain undisclosed. Upon closing the transaction, Kõu Mobility Group became the new majority shareholder of Ampler with 51 per cent holdings. 

Ampler will now become one of the business units in the group alongside Comodule, Äike, and Tuul, focusing on developing, producing, and selling light electric bicycles. 

Ardo Kaurit will remain the CEO of Ampler and will join the management of Kõu Mobility Group.

“Ampler is very excited about joining forces with Kõu Mobility Group and forming this Estonian powerhouse in the fast-growing micromobility industry. Ampler and Kõu Mobility Group have been pursuing a similar mission and have already cooperated in the past, so it made a lot of sense to take the next step. As they say, ‘If you want to go far, go together’,” comments Ardo Kaurit, CEO and co-founder of Ampler.

Currently, Kõu Mobility Group consists of four micromobility companies:

• Comodule: Provides software and IoT solutions for light electric vehicles; 
• Tuul: A rental service for electric scooters 
• Äike: A manufacturer of electric scooters
• Ampler: A developer of lightweight electric bicycles

Kõu Mobility Group says that all four business units will continue to operate independently and manage their product portfolio and services with their respective teams and budgets.

The group employs about 300 people, and all product development and manufacturing are done in-house in Estonia. 

Kristjan Maruste, CEO of Kõu Mobility Group, says, “On behalf of the entire Kõu Mobility Group, I can wholeheartedly say we are thrilled to welcome Ampler Bikes to the Kõu family.” 

“The people at Ampler have long been our friends and share the same goals and values as Kõu: to empower emission-free transport. By adding Ampler – another vertically integrated micromobility company from Estonia – to our ranks, we will be able to multiply the impact we have on clean mobility on a global scale,” adds Maruste

Ampler: Manufactures and sells light e-bikes

Ampler Bikes was launched in 2016 as a side project by the founder Ardo Kaurit, Hannes Laar, and Rait Udumäe. 

The trio visited the Eurobike fair to test the available electric bikes on the market. However, to their disappointment, none of the e-bikes were up to the mark.

That’s when they realised this could be something more than a side project.

The Estonian company’s e-bikes have an estimated range of up to 70 km per single charge. Via its phone app, users can customise their ride settings and choose the power-assist mode that suits them. 

The battery and electronics are concealed within the frame, keeping the look minimal.