“I moved to San Francisco in 2006, and back then Craigstlist was good to me. I found my job, my apartment, and my first moped,” says Nathan Jauvtis. “I so quickly realized that these two-wheelers were perfect for getting around the city.”
Jauvtis is the owner of Bolt Motorbikes, a company manufacturing a fully electric motorbike in San Francisco.
It wasn’t long after working and living in the city that he realized there was a need for easier, more convenient transportation. In 2013, he quit his day job and put his 100,000 miles of riding experience and engineering expertise to work.
The first Bolt bike, the Bolt M-1, is almost a three for one deal: the thrill of a motorcycle, the practicality of a scooter and the approachability of a bicycle. Riders do not need a special license, insurance or registration (like a bicycle) but it still has the highest range and power of any electric bike available. The company has been accepting preorders, and is about to make the first production run of ten, which will go to local customers first. The seat, plastics, body work, dashboard, electronics, batteries, and cable harnesses are all made and assembled here.
“We’re pretty psyched about making it here,” he says. “We’ve found that other manufacturers across different industries are going through similar challenges and it’s nice to have a community and network I can reach out to.”
Visit Bolt’s website here.
