Red-E-Scooter

Red Electric, operating under the Red E Group SAS, was a French manufacturer of electric scooters established in July 2015 by co-founders Etienne Mao and Valentin Dillenschneider. The two founders, who were students at the time, conceptualized the business in 2014, aiming to develop electric scooters with exchangeable batteries specifically for delivery and service providers. The company, based in Nancy, France, successfully captured a significant portion of the French B2B market, reaching a 40% market share by 2020 with its China-manufactured RedE Pro model, which launched in February 2017. Their client base included food service suppliers, express services, and e-commerce delivery services.

The business model initially focused on the business-to-business (B2B) segment, providing electric vehicles tailored for commercial delivery operations. The company generated revenue through the sale of its electric scooters. In a strategic shift, Red Electric began developing a new line, the RedElectric Model E, in 2019, which was offered in three versions: E50, E100, and E125. This move marked the company's expansion into the business-to-consumer (B2C) market, with sales to private individuals starting in the autumn of 2020. To support this expansion, the company entered a distribution partnership with the retail chain Fnac Darty in January 2021 and announced a €10 million capital increase from financial investors.

Red Electric's scooters were noted for their features, including various speed ranges, multiple color options, disc brakes, and remote control access with anti-theft management via a mobile app available for both Android and iOS. The company also initially outsourced its production to Asia to minimize costs before deciding to relocate manufacturing to France to focus on its home market. Despite its initial success and expansion efforts, which included a Series B funding round, Red E Group SAS declared insolvency in November 2022.

Keywords: Red Electric, Red E Group, electric scooter manufacturer, Valentin Dillenschneider, Etienne Mao, B2B electric scooters, last-mile delivery, electric vehicle, micromobility, food delivery scooters, e-commerce delivery, swappable batteries, RedE Pro, RedElectric Model E, French technology, urban mobility, sustainable transportation, vehicle production, Fnac Darty partnership, Nancy startup