1 July 2025

Photo by ChargeHyve

 

E‑bikes are rapidly becoming a mainstream commuting option in the Netherlands. More than a third of the working population cycles to work, and that percentage is ever-increasing as people cycle longer distances on their e‑bike. Employers generally are open to accommodating e-bike commuters, but there are growing safety concerns around e-bike charging. Charging outdoors is bad for batteries due to temperature differences, and charging indoors using unsafe power strips increases the risk of fire. Batteries and chargers are also susceptible to theft.

ChargeHyve, a Dutch company with roots in the University of Twente’s fertile breeding ground for startups, claims it has found the solution to these problems: the ChargeHyve® is a modular charging cabinet that offers fire safety, secure storage, and smart access, all in one system – and it’s a system that looks good, too. MoveTheNeedle.news spoke with founder and CEO Jorg Wellink about their technology, and how they’re going to use their recent capital injection of nearly €1 million from Oost NL, Hanzestrohm's investment vehicle Kairos, and a business angel.

Why ChargeHyve’s Innovation Matters — Locally and Globally

Wellink’s background is in mechanical engineering; he studied at the University of Twente. He saw the growing popularity of e-bikes all around him — but he also noticed the lack of adequate battery storage and charging infrastructure. This lack of infrastructure is slightly odd, considering that more than 500,000 e-bikes are sold annually in the Netherlands, and that almost 50% of Dutch households already own at least one e-bike.

Wellink believes that the growing popularity of e-bikes is a good thing, as they encourage people to leave their cars at home. Research he conducted in the Netherlands in 2020 confirmed that owning an e-bike resulted in 33,4% fewer car trips. On a less positive note, Wellink also observed that e-bike batteries were often charged unsafely indoors, including, worryingly, at the workplace.  “Add to this the rapidly increasing risk of having your e-bike battery and charger stolen: there are approximately 9,000 thefts per year in the Netherlands. Clearly, there’s an urgent need for our cabinet.”

What Sets ChargeHyve Apart

There are a variety of fire-proof charging solutions on the market, as well as separate battery storage solutions that claim to be theft-proof. But where ChargeHyve is unique is that it combines the two functionalities, according to Wellink. “Where our cabinets also stand out is their aesthetic design and ease of use. Our software and hardware are fully integrated: for monitoring, access control, and alarms. The ChargeHyve makes charging safer and more attractive for users and administrators — without companies having to impose bans.”

ChargeHyve officially launched in 2019 and has since run several successful pilots, including at technology company Demcon, and recently at energy company Gasunie. “The pilots at Demcon and Gasunie scored an average 9/10 for user-friendliness, and at both, everyone wanted to keep the system,” Wellink pointed out.

Designed for the Workplace

The company uniquely focuses on the workplace: employers with 100+ employees, such as corporates, hospitals, provinces and schools. “In the future, we could extend our reach to include housing corporations and homeowners' associations,” Wellink added.

This is where new investor Kairos could also help. Sander Polman, Investment Director at Kairos, said in a press release: ‘Through Kairos, we invest in technical innovations that align with Hanzestrohm's vision of safe and comfortable living and accommodation. ChargeHyve fits in well with this. We contribute our knowledge of fire safety and certification and our network, which includes housing associations, so that ChargeHyve can focus on rapid growth.’

The ChargeHyve is designed for professional use in indoor parking facilities, reception areas or parking garages. The system is modular, Wellink explained. A single ChargeHyve can consist of 7 to 15 boxes. Multiple units can be placed seamlessly next to each other to form a ‘wall’ of secure lockers. “We focus on light electric vehicles such as e-bikes and speed pedelecs, but can also scale up to other battery sizes, such as e-scooters,” he said.

What’s Next

The recent capital injection enables ChargeHyve to complete the product in terms of certification and fire testing (working together with Twente Safety Campus and the fire brigade). The company is also actively recruiting an operations manager.  “This is essential to deliver our first signed orders in early 2026, and to scale up,” said Wellink.

The plan is for ChargeHyve to become a brand, with its own production in Enschede, the Netherlands, he added. “We strongly believe in local and in-house production. We recently moved to a new office and assembly hall in Enschede. From there, we will build a capacity of 100 systems per year towards the end of 2026. While we sell under our own brand, we are open to collaborations with distributors or strategic sales channels. The biggest opportunity lies with insurers: they can incentivise the use of safe solutions such as ChargeHyve for e-bike insurance policyholders.”

And the biggest challenge? “Scaling as a young company. As with any startup, there are growing pains, but with this team, these investors and our focus, we believe we can handle them. We are excited and ready for the next step.”

Outside of the Netherlands, the popularity of the e-bike is growing worldwide—Germany, China, and the U.S. are seeing similar urban commuting trends. So could ChargeHyve become a global brand? We will continue to watch the company.

 

Photo by Florin Pausan