About a 30 minute drive from the nearest city (Breda), in the rural south of the Netherlands lies a small village of some 2,000 residents. This is the village where Fleur van Oorschot grew up. Fleur is the co-founder of TUX mobility – a young and ambitious e-mobility startup producing innovative electric and solar powered tuk-tuks that won the 2020 Breda Startup Awards. So how did we get here? Emergi’s Eline Terneusen sat down with Fleur to talk about her fascinating journey. Let's explore!

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At the age of 18, Fleur left her parental home to study business, specifically focusing on the process of company (re)organization. She felt suited to this work as she is goal-oriented and direct. In fact, she feels comfortable with discussions and confrontation. She was always searching for change and not easily satisfied with the status quo. This is an attribute which we often see in entrepreneurs: the urge to shake things up, think big and break rules. 

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After some time, she decided that she wanted to work with others towards a common goal, having impact with a team. After some job hopping in her 20’s she and her partner Laurens went on a few long trips, living out of their self-built campervan and driving from Canada to Panama. Eventually their travels took them to Pakistan. They were intrigued by this quirky tuk-tuk vehicle and were keen to explore what the needs are within this market. This led them down a rabbit hole which inspired them immensely. Thus, upon their return to the Netherlands, TUX mobility was born! 

‍“I want to directly contribute to protecting the things that I saw on my travels, because I fell in love with nature, places and people. I don't want to watch from the sidelines.” 

TUX mobility wants to make positive change in places where noise and air pollution is negatively affecting people. For this reason, their focus is on the Indian and African markets. They consider Emergi their ideal customer: we focus not only on income generation but also on creating value and upward social mobility for the end user. In order to make this accessible, costs need to be kept in mind from the very beginning of the design stage, through to production:

‍“It’s so fun that at a low cost we can offer a product which is truly innovative, and truly different”

You could say TUX and Emergi have ‘grown up together’, with connections reaching back to the first six months of the company. As two of the few Dutch companies working in the electric three wheeler sector, we have a special affinity for one another. Connecting both on content and through sharing the challenges and victories of startup life. 

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Ok, let's get technical. 

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With tuk-tuks you have a distinction between L3 (up to 25 km/h) and L5 (up to 50 km/h) with both built to transport either passengers or goods. Unique with TUX’s product is it can convert from transporting passengers to transporting goods. Also, TUX’s product has the engine directly in the wheels, making it energy-efficient, fast, and one of the few quality L5 electric tuk-tuks on the market. What is even more unique, is its incorporated solar panel on the roof. 

“The typical electric tuk-tuk needs to be charged one or two times per day. However, this is usually obstructed by the absence of a stable electricity network and a shortage of charging facilities. In an average smoggy city in India our vehicle can drive 300 days per year without charging from a charging station due to our technologies. Ultimately, our vehicle will be independent of the grid.”

TUX has developed a truly outstanding product, which will be launched soon on the Liberian streets. Fleur is excited to experience what this can mean for the residents of Monrovia. She is also intrigued by the decision of Emergi to work solely with female drivers. As a woman working in the technical sector Fleur knows very well how people can react when seeing a woman in a typically male-dominated sector. 

‍“It's very unique. It shows Emergi is not afraid of a different approach. For the women, it’s wonderful that they can earn a fair income for themselves. It's wonderful to break the stigma in Liberia that all tuk-tuk drivers should be men.”

Over the coming years TUX is expecting to collaborate with more customers worldwide. Their wish is to continue growing and innovating, so their impact can be infinite.

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