Trevor also targets short city trips — © Trevor Motorcycles
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Trevor, an Antwerp manufacturer of electric dirt bikes, raised more than one million euros last week after an investment round. Founder and director Jeroen-Vincent Nagels reports this to your newspaper. “This investment allows us to continue to grow and start up our production,” says Nagels.
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David Van TurnhoutSource: Own reporting
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The story of Trevor Motrocycles begins in 2018 when Philippe Stella and Jeroen-Vincent Nagels dream of a clean alternative to classic petrol-powered dirt bikes. At that time, both already had solid experience as consultants in the automotive sector. For example, they worked for Saroléa, a producer of electric racing motorcycles.
Nagels: “However, these motorcycles were completely geared to the racing world. The high price also made them less suitable for a large audience.” When both entrepreneurs suggested to their employer the idea of developing a new electric dirt bike, they were almost immediately convinced to help. Trevor, the new brand, with headquarters at Antwerp’s IJzerenpoortkaai, was born.
–Founders Jeroen-Vincent Nagels and Philippe Stella — © Irmyphotography
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Prototype
The name Trevor was not chosen by chance. It is a tribute to the founder of the British sports car brand TVR. “The spirit of the sport plays an important role in the development of our motorcycles,” emphasizes Nagels. In the first place, the entrepreneurs therefore focused on global motorsport, but it soon became clear that the market also demanded a city version for small trips. That is why the company has already approved a version that is suitable for public roads. In this way it responds to two markets at the same time.
Now that the design, development, demonstration and pre-sale phase has been completed, production can finally start. However, that requires a lot of money.
Local production
In order to be able to count on support from the Flemish government, the emphasis had to be on local production. That is why the prototypes and test models were developed in the Saroléa workshops in Oudenaarde and Temse. Final production will eventually move to Brussels, although the head office will remain in Antwerp. In order to make a definitive start and to be able to realize the first deliveries, a Canadian investment fund is investing no less than 1.1 million in the Antwerp start-up. As a result, the company is now worth more than five million euros.
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