‘Our beautiful mission’: VanMoof boss on changing cities with e-bikes

In the 13 years since Ties Carlier and his brother started their e-bike company, it has grown to over 1,000 employees but, he says, there is a lot more to do to improve urban environments

The rebuilt Battersea power station in south-west London is an impressive architectural feat: its landmark towers were carefully deconstructed and then rebuilt while the derelict structure beneath was filled with modern conveniences. It has also received its fair share of opprobrium, with critics objecting to the privatisation, monetisation and gentrification the project has entailed.

All of which makes it an apt place to meet Ties Carlier, at the new London store of VanMoof, the e-bike company he founded with his brother in 2009. He, too, is out to reinvent an old classic, building it from the ground up for the modern era, injecting convenience and polish where others prefer the more rustic charm of what came before.