Rebel Without a Carbon Footprint

The West Midlands has long been recognised as a world-leader in the design and manufacture of motorcycles; top British marques including Triumph, Royal Enfield and Norton all trace their roots to the area. Now, as part of the region’s growing electrification sector, the next generation of motorcycle design is making its mark. Maeving, led by co-founders Seb Inglis-Jones and Will Stirrup, is the UK’s first electric motorcycle manufacturer.

Inglis-Jones says,

‘Electrification of transport is a clear trend. We’re all moving towards electric; in fact many governments are mandating a move towards electric transport. Will and I always knew we would start a business together, and we knew it would be something combatting climate change. Maeving is the result of our desire to do something good for the planet, combined with our love of British motorcycle engineering.’

The West Midlands’ design heritage is something which runs through Maeving’s product lines. ‘We wanted to celebrate the café racer culture of the fifties and sixties, when style icons like James Dean and Steve McQueen really put British motorcycles on the map. But it was so important to us that we bring the technology up to date.’

When Inglis-Jones and Stirrup analysed the transportation market, they realised the average commute to work is less than seven miles, and it’s a journey most people complete on their own. While electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers typically focus on extending journey mileage, Maeving has taken note of the trend in China and India towards removable batteries.

‘By contrast, incumbent manufacturers have built big, fixed battery, plug-in bikes that fail to account for the main barrier to EV adoption: the lack of charging infrastructure. By creating a removable battery which can be charged at a standard socket, our motorcycles make electric travel much more accessible.’

Maeving motorcycles don’t rely on stylish design alone; performance is key. Inglis-Jones says, ‘Another critical thing in our sector is pushing electric powertrains as far as possible. By and large, cell technology is the same around the world, but we’ve painstakingly developed one of the most powerful electric hub motors (for its size), and the most energy-dense battery, which means our bikes perform better than all the Chinese scooters that are making waves across the world.’

Inglis-Jones is proud to be part of the EV sector which is emerging in the West Midlands.

‘When we were deciding where to build our business, there really was only one option. The talent available in the West Midlands, and specifically Coventry, is unmatched anywhere else in the UK – even in Europe. And it’s telling that a lot of Chinese and Indian motorcycle manufacturers are now basing their design teams right here in Coventry too. It is the beating heart of the British automotive industry, where all the original British motorcycle manufacturers have been designing and building motorbikes right from the end of the nineteenth century. In terms of electrification expertise, Jaguar Land Rover is round the corner; we’ve got Polestar, the London Electric Vehicle Company… Being here means that we really do have access to the best designers and the most knowledgeable engineers in the world.’

As much as Maeving loves the West Midlands, the West Midlands has reciprocated their affection. The company has received £1mn in debt funding from the Midland Engine Investment Fund (MEIF), and several grants from the Mayor and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) helped them build two factories and set up their assembly line. ‘All this support,’ Inglis-Jones happily admits, ‘has been a huge boost. We’ve gone from just the two of us to employing 49 members of staff. But it’s about more than the money. In the West Midlands there’s a really positive can-do attitude. If people come up against a problem, they find a way to solve it. There’s a real determination here to push the electrification sector forwards and we want to play a part in that.’

Supporting their local sector is critical to Maeving, which sources 65% of all production components from local suppliers.

‘We’d love our motorcycles to be made of 100% British components. That’s our goal. At the moment, there’s no denying China is leading the way in terms of cell technology and battery production, even motor production. But we believe, over time, this will change. The proposed Gigafactory will have a massive positive impact on our business – and the sector as a whole. Maybe one day every Maeving motorcycle will be designed and built by British engineers using entirely British components.’

Inglis-Jones’s ambitions don’t stop at making Maeving machines 100% British-made. The company has plans to expand from focusing purely on urban and suburban riding to a wider range of motorcycles. ‘We want to make bikes that cater for every single use case that exists and, increasingly, we want to drive innovation in the sector.’

So, what advice would Inglis-Jones give to someone else with automotive ambitions?

‘My advice to anyone entering the motorcycle space, the EV space, the automotive space in general, is that you’ve got to make the West Midlands your home because you really won’t find talent like this anywhere else in the country – maybe the world.’