The episode in detail
Turning any bike into an e-bike: the Clip concept
Turning any bike into an e-bike without buying a new bike, that is the promise of Clip. Clément De Alcala, co-founder of this startup born at MIT and based in Brooklyn, presents in this episode of the Vélotaf podcast a portable friction motor patented in 45 countries. The principle recalls that of the Solex: a roller makes contact with the front tyre, detects the speed and drives the wheel to reduce the effort needed. Fitting it takes a few seconds, the motor detaches just as fast, and a full charge takes 60 minutes on a standard socket.
The 549-dollar price in the United States sits well below the average cost of a complete e-bike (1,500 to 2,000 dollars). The stated ambition: to get down to 250 dollars to open up access to electric assistance.
“The e-bike is turning into the SUV of micro-mobility. Most people do not need permanent electric assistance.”
From bike commuting in Tanzania to MIT: the journey of a citizen of the world
Clément De Alcala has bike-commuted on three continents before co-founding Clip. His Erasmus exchange in the Netherlands reveals to him the bike as a tool for daily travel, in all weather. In Tanzania, in the south of the country near Lake Malawi, he discovers the bike as the only way to connect isolated areas to the economic opportunities of neighbouring towns. Entrepreneurs there carry fruit and vegetables by bike to sell in the next village, where prices are better.
In Brooklyn, the picture is different but points the same way. New York builds dozens of cycle tracks every year. Cambridge, near Boston, around MIT and Harvard, has such a density of bikes that cars have become rare there. The figure Clément De Alcala often cites: two billion bikes worldwide, against one billion cars.
“There are two billion bikes in the world. Everywhere I have been, I have always seen bikes. And sometimes, bikes are the only way to get around.”
Environmental impact: cutting your emissions by a factor of 150
A study carried out with the Pollution Prevention Institute measured Clip’s impact. People who switch from car to bike with Clip cut their transport emissions by a factor of 150. Those who give up the bus, by a factor of 30. Those who give up the metro, by a factor of 25. With 30 to 40% of solo-car urban trips able to be replaced by the bike, the potential for reduction is huge.
Clément De Alcala insists on one point: not everyone needs a permanently electric-assisted bike. Most urban journeys are on flat ground, over distances under 5 kilometres. Occasional assistance is enough for climbs or mornings when you want to arrive fresh for a meeting. A portable motor also has less impact in production than a complete e-bike, and its smaller battery uses less lithium.
“If we switch everything to e-bikes tomorrow, we are creating a dependency and using up resources that are extremely limited.”
The bike creates different societies
Beyond the environment, Clément De Alcala champions the bike as a creator of social bonds. In Brooklyn, he passes the same cyclists every day on his route. Conversations start, an informal network forms. That closeness does not exist shut inside a car. In New York’s isolated neighbourhoods, where the transport crisis is real, having access to a bike means having access to other opportunities: employment, training, social relationships.
Clip works with local ambassadors in Brooklyn: bike teachers, workshops that refurbish old bikes, communities that redistribute repaired bikes. The idea is to make use of the existing fleet of two billion bikes rather than manufacturing new ones.
“The bike creates different societies where empathy matters far more. You cannot ride a bike without paying attention to the people around you.”
From prototype to market: five years of hardware development
Clip was founded in 2018 by Clément De Alcala and his co-founder Somme, an MIT engineer. The first two years were devoted to studying how people use bikes in cities. The first prototypes, in 2019, were held together with sticky tape. Covid interrupted the project: the MIT team turned to developing medical ventilators instead. Work resumed in 2021 and produced the first commercial model. The first orders arrived in 2022.
The European launch was planned for the following summer, with tours in the Netherlands, Germany and France. Clip is also developing a low-cost, permanently fitted model for shared bike fleets. The patent covers 45 countries. The goal has stayed the same from the start: making electric assistance accessible to as many people as possible, without repeating the mistakes of car-centric transport.
“We do not need to reinvent a new car or a new network. We have this bike everywhere in the world that is ready to do the job.”
