E-bike company moves to get motorists out of a jam

Nathan Siy (center) works on an Evoke motorcycle with friends Sebastian Chvobok (left) and Chris Lee Rethen. YAN DONGJIE / CHINA DAILY

For many Beijing residents, traffic jams are a nightmare that occur every day. Yet, for Nathan Siy, the problem has huge profit potential for his electric motorcycle business.

Siy, a Chinese-American who came to Beijing in 2006, established his company last year in Zhongguancun, a hub of Internet companies in the capital city, to make and sell e-motorcycles.

In discussing why he established the company, Siy said he used to be frequently annoyed by the traffic congestion in Beijing until he bought an electric scooter in 2007.

“It was so convenient, cool and environment-friendly. It took me around to understand more about the culture and the people here.”

Naming the company Evoke, Siy said he hopes to “evoke” new lifestyles, convincing people to change the way they commute. The first two letters of Evoke stand for “electric vehicles”, he added.

Siy’s idea of making e-motorcycles has been embraced by two of his friends — Sebastian Chvobok of Germany and Chris Lee Rethen of the United States. The two joined Siy’s company last year.

They all are optimistic about their business. “We in total have 40 years of experience in China. We know it even better than some locals,” Rethen said.

“The biggest problem is the traffic. You can get really stuck if you drive a car,” he said, adding that the high efficiency and convenience of e-bikes is a key to address the traffic jams in Beijing.

Evoke motorcycles are entirely hand made. As Siy studies electronic engineering and Rethen is crazy about battery techniques, they spend most of their time in a workshop.

“It’s so lucky that I have two companions sharing the same goal and dream with me,” Siy added. “It’s cool when you ride an Evoke motorcycle, and it feels even cooler when you make one.” According to Siy, the new model, Evoke Sports, can go as fast as 120 km/h.