Delfast, a Ukrainian e-bike manufacturer has inked a deal with the Mexicali police force to provide that agency’s officers with e-bikes. This isn’t Delfast’s first venture into international markets. Since the company pivoted from delivery services to e-bike production in 2015, Delfast sells its bikes to government agencies and private businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Australia and Japan, among other places.
Daniel Tonkopiiy and Sergey Denisenko are the two Ukranians who founded the company in 2014 and went on to produce Delfast’s first e-bike model called Prime. They have built relations globally and sales have improved through word-of-mouth and partly in thanks to a 2017 Guinness Book of World Record for the longest single charge, non-pedaling e-bike ride.
Delfast’s transit options are one way municipalities are hoping to reduce air pollution, increase agency efficiency and cut costs. Though police agencies in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan are interested in using the transit tech, the Mexicali police force is charging ahead with implementation.
The Mexicali police agency functions in a border region with the United States. The area is known for its poor air quality. Delfast is testing the bike in the region. If the vehicles improve the officer’s efficiency and help curb air pollution, then it is expected more bikes will be ordered. It is anticipated that when all goes well, other police departments in other countries will take notice and implement the tech themselves.
Delfast’s specific model is called TopCop and it includes GPS tracking capabilities, remote launch and motor blocking features. The electric bikes are capable of sustaining a single charge for 240 kilometers and can reach speeds of 80 kilometers per hour without the need for pedaling.
You might not see police officers in Ukraine riding the bikes anytime soon. The bikes range in price from $3,500 to $7,000. The cost is impractical for Ukraine, but U.S. and Western European markets are capable of absorbing sticker shock.
Iryna Aniskina is Delfast’s chief marketing officer. She told the Kyiv Post that Delfast’s clients are not limited to business-to-government domains. She explained the range of business clients who also use the bike for eco-friendly delivery services. “The whole world is switching to electric transport, and we are helping to contribute to this,” she said.