Somerset-based e-scooter firm Pure Electric says it has an ambitious bricks-and-mortar growth programme an aims to open more showrooms in 2021 after launching a new store in Plymouth, creating five jobs.
The company, founded by entrepreneur Adam Norris, city centre鈥檚 quirky Rotunda building.
Only founded in 2019, Pure Electric has made Britain鈥檚 Ocean City its 18th 海角视频 outlet, the nearest being in Bristol, and has already opened in several European cities such as Paris and Madrid, targeting 500 stores by 2028.
And the firm said the latest showroom opening is part of 鈥渁n ambitious bricks and mortar growth programme鈥 that has seen more than 20 showrooms opening across the 海角视频, France and Spain in the past 12 months.
Further growth is planned in 2021 and beyond and it is also launching its second-generation Pure Air e-scooter range.
Pure Electric is the brainchild of entrepreneur and former Hargreaves Lansdown Pensions Director, Adam Norris, who launched his e-scooter business in 2018 before diversifying the company into e-bikes in 2020.
Last summer the company developed its first own brand e-scooters, and in the past 12 months has expanded in Europe with showrooms and online stores in France and Spain.
The new Plymouth showroom, which creates five jobs, is in a leased building on the Charles Cross roundabout near British Land-owned Drake Circus Shopping Centre. The Rotunda became vacant when Evans Cycles moved to larger premises in New George Street in 2020.
Pure Electric said expert staff will be on-hand to offer friendly advice to people interested in adopting electric transport technology, while the fully-qualified service centre technicians are ready to service and repair all kinds of bikes and electric scooters.
The showroom stocks a wide range of e-bikes, e-scooters and accessories from leading manufacturers such as Brompton, Haibike, Orbea, Scott, Bird and Xiaomi, alongside Pure Electric鈥檚 own brand products including the just-launched second-generation Pure Air electric scooter range.
Rebecca DeNiro, chief executive, Pure Electric, said: 鈥淲e're delighted to be opening our 18th 海角视频 showroom in Plymouth. As a business located in the South West, making electric scooters and e-bikes more accessible to this region of the country is important to us.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to be opening this new showroom in conjunction with the launch of our new second-generation Pure Air e-scooter range 鈥 our colleagues can't wait to introduce everyone to the new and exclusive Pure Air e-scooter range.鈥
The company said its aim is to make 鈥渁 real, meaningful positive impact on the way we all travel every day鈥.
Founder Adam Norris has 鈥渁 passion for new, game-changing technology that improves everyday lives鈥, and his team believes electric scooters and electric bikes can play a pivotal role in reducing society鈥檚 reliance on cars, lowering air pollution and congestion in cities across Europe, alongside walking and taking public transport.
However, the e-scooters remain illegal to use on public roads, pavements, parks or car parks in the 海角视频, and in Plymouth a man recent pleaded guilty to driving one of the vehicles whilst disqualified and without insurance.
Police, who have received an increasing number of reports of e-scooters being used illegally, have threatened to seize the vehicles with owners potentially receiving fines and penalty points.
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The Government is currently conducting a year-long trial for rented e-scooters in a number of locations, including Bristol, Bath and Yeovil, but not Plymouth.
Pure Electric is pressing for the law to be changed and a statement on its website says: 鈥淓-scooters are currently illegal to use on 海角视频 public roads and pavements despite being legal in many other European countries.
鈥淲e make sure that we inform all our e-scooter customers of the current legal position so that you can decide for yourself where you personally stand on this sensitive issue.
鈥淧ure Electric firmly believes that the 海角视频鈥檚 current road and transport legislation is outdated and ready for a much-needed update with a legalisation of all e-scooters. This process has begun with the trial of rental e-scooters, and that may pave the way to a cleaner, healthier future for us all.鈥
The company, which stresses it only stocks e-scooters and e-bikes that have been tested and approved by its expert technical team, said that while it is 鈥渆ncouraged鈥 by the trial it remains 鈥渃oncerned that the trial process will take too long to see e-scooters legalised quickly enough for the challenges we face today鈥.
