From City Pilot to Scaled Infrastructure: How Swobbee Grew Its E-Bike Battery Network in New York
Overview
Swobbee provides charging infrastructure for e-bike batteries. In New York, the company offers a subscription-based, app-based battery swapping service for delivery riders. Riders sign up for a weekly or monthly subscription, receive a battery, and can swap it at charging cabinets across Manhattan and Jersey City as often as they need. Swobbee has been building e-bike charging infrastructure in the EU for eight years and expanded to the U.S. in 2024.
The Challenge
New York City faced a serious safety problem. After allowing e-bikes during the pandemic to support delivery services, the city saw a surge in fire incidents caused by unsafe lithium-ion batteries. The city launched a pilot program to bring safer charging infrastructure into public spaces. Swobbee was selected as one of three participants and operated under the city’s umbrella for one year with around 40 to 50 trial customers. The pilot proved the solution worked. But scaling independently after the pilot brought an entirely different set of challenges: permits, FDNY approvals, site visitations, landlord negotiations, public land regulations, and legal requirements. In Manhattan, where public space is dense and heavily regulated, each station required consulting with many stakeholders before it could go live.
How German Accelerator Helped
Stakeholder introductions: German Accelerator helped create introductions to landlords, partners, legal institutions, and investor circles that were essential for navigating the post-pilot phase.
Market insight: The connections and insights into the U.S. market were the most valuable input the company received from the program, helping the team understand what permits, approvals, and partnerships were actually needed.
Pitch opportunities: German Accelerator gave the company several opportunities to pitch its product. This helped Swobbee get on the radar of investors and stakeholders. At the German Accelerator Silicon Valley Pitch Night in January 2025, Swobbee won the Best Pitch Award.
Timing: The support came during the pilot phase, which meant the company could build relationships and momentum before the pilot ended, not after. That timing was critical for keeping the expansion on track.
Outcomes and Achievements
• Completed a one-year city-backed pilot in Manhattan
• Won the Best Pitch Award at the German Accelerator Silicon Valley Pitch Night (January 2025)
• Expanded to 16 stations across Manhattan and Jersey City
• Built connections to landlords, partners, legal institutions, and investors through German Accelerator
• Continuing to expand in New York and exploring opportunities in other U.S. cities
“The most valuable input we got from German Accelerator was the connections and the insights into the market. We had introductions to landlords, partners, legal institutions, and investors. They also gave us several opportunities to pitch our product, which helped us get on the radar.”
Senior Manager, Growth and Communications, Swobbee
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