Land Moto Rides into Warren’s Brite Energy Incubator

WARREN, Ohio – An electric-powered eBike with sophisticated technological features made its Mahoning Valley debut Friday, much to the excitement of its new owner.

“I’ve been looking around for cars or trucks to get into the EV space,” said Tim Petrey, managing partner at HD Davis CPAs in Liberty Township. “I came across this on TikTok, oddly enough.”

What he came across is an EV bike, the Land Moto, manufactured by Cleveland-based Land Energy. The bike has the capability of adjusting to four different modes at the touch of a display screen. These modes allow the EV to shift from bicycle mode, at a top speed of 15 miles per hour, to a moped speed of 30 mph and a motorcycle speed of 75 miles per hour.

“We’ve got more orders than we can produce right now,” said Scott Colosimo, president of Land Energy. “The market is there.”

Colosimo was on hand at Brite Energy Innovators, an energy incubator located downtown, on Friday to deliver the Land Moto to Petrey.

Petrey, Colosimo, Brite CEO Rick Stockburger and Andrew Dobson, co-owner of Servpro’s Warren-based operations, then engaged in a short roundtable discussion about the importance of developing the “Voltage Valley.”

Representatives from Servpro, a damage restoration service, were on hand to deliver a mock check for $15,000 to Brite.

“We love the opportunity to be on the cutting edge,” said Jim Standohar, marketing manager for Servpro. “This whole EV movement is something we want to be involved in.”

Servpro’s local operation operates six electric vehicles in its fleet, he said. “We have three Ford Mustangs, an electric transit vehicle; we have some hybrid F-150 Ford trucks,” he said. “We’ve found they’ve been effective for us in various ways. We’ve been on this movement since it started.”

Land’s Colosimo said his company recently built out an additional 12,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Cleveland while expanding and improving its technology platform.

“We always have to keep the tech relevant,” he said. “This isn’t like sitting in a greasy factory – this is high-tech manufacturing.”
Among the most critical aspects of developing and designing the product in northeast Ohio is that the intellectual property remains in the region, Colosimo said. “We’re not going to wholesale our division off to another country,” he said. “The tech stays here. We grow the tech here.”

The Moto’s battery fits into a compartment at the front of the bike and can be swapped out for a fresh one at the end of its lifecycle, which is, on average, about five years.

These used batteries could then be repurposed for energy storage, he said.

The larger battery has a range of 100 miles; on motorcycle mode it averages between 50 and 60 miles. On eBike mode, on the other hand, it could stretch out to 120 miles before recharging. Meanwhile, technology continues to improve the range and life of EV batteries.

Colosimo emphasized what makes the Land Moto interesting is its software capability and connectivity. “This is probably one of the highest-quality vehicles at this price range.”

So far, 65 of the bikes have been delivered and more than 1,000 are on order, Colosimo said, making Petrey among the first owners. The company also designed a bike for Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb. Production is expected to ramp up in 2023, Colosimo added.

Petrey said he paid a visit to the company’s production facility – about 2 miles from downtown Cleveland – and was impressed with the level of technology and detail used to build the bikes.

“It’s a very Tesla-type approach to manufacturing,” Petrey said. “Every piece of this is revolutionary.”

Land is among 60 Brite portfolio companies related to energy development, research and storage that work with the incubator, Stockburger said.

Stockburger said it’s important that organizations such as Brite act as a conduit to help new technology realize its commercial potential, and Land is a good example of that.

“We’re so proud because we can actually see that happen,” he said. “It’s a product you can touch, feel and ride.”

As for Petrey, he’s been an ardent proponent of the Mahoning Valley’s transition to Voltage Valley and a longtime motorcycle aficionado; his uncle once ran Youngstown Cycle Supply on Market Street.

“I’ve been around motorcycles my whole life,” he said. “For me to get back in the motorcycle area and do it in a way to support the Voltage Valley is really exciting.”

Pictured at top: Scott Colosimo, president of Land Energy: Rick Stockburger, CEO of Brite Energy Innovators; Tim Petrey, managing partner at HD Davis CPAs; and Andrew Dobson, co-owner of Servpro.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.