Scooting out of Covid-19 on an 8Tev 

We talked to Itzik Ben Aharon, founder, and CEO at 8Tev about the goal to become a major brand in the global micro-EV market adapting to an ever-changing transport landscape starting with our scooters which provide an innovative approach to modern transportation and here is what he said about it.

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded 8Tev.

Itzik Ben Aharon: In 2017 I opened the first electric scooter shop and electric scooter engineering workshop in the UK, Scootin, as the sole distributor of Inokim. 

Since then, I founded 8Tev investing in micro-mobility engineering, and created a much safer and more reliable micro electric vehicle designed in Israel, Italy, and the UK and distributed across the world. 

How does 8Tev innovate? 

Itzik Ben Aharon: We have an engineering team – some of whom had an electric bicycle background, some traditional bicycles, and some solely focused on electric scooters – we are evangelical as a team about micro-mobility so spend a lot of team time innovating – we now have a small family of vehicles which we intend to grow. Ultimately every household will have a two-wheel, a three-wheel, and four-wheel electric scooter – nimble, clean, safe, and reliable. 

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Itzik Ben Aharon: We had to slow our manufacturing as we could not travel to check our prototypes but sales have been solid and in key cities London, Paris, Barcelona they will grow post-pandemic when cities fully reopen. 

Did you have to make difficult choices regarding human resources and what are the lessons learned?

Itzik Ben Aharon: We have a very supportive team and we have so far managed to retain most of them. Lessons learned – without getting too philosophical – stay lean, save your cash, and take good care of your team.

How did your customer relationship management evolve? Do you use any specific tools to be efficient?

Itzik Ben Aharon: We are 100% human and we believe in human interaction – we are B2B so communicate with distributors via video, in-person visits, and on the phone.

Did you benefit from any government grants, and did that help keep your business afloat?

Itzik Ben Aharon: We have had rates rebates – we also had to furlough some of our team.

Your final thoughts?

Itzik Ben Aharon: It has been a tough 12 months for all but on the scale of business life, and with respect to but without dealing with the human harm, we are stronger and more stimulated than ever – lockdown has helped to emphasize the need for easy independent traveling avoiding crowds and that is exactly what 8Tev offers.

Your website?

www.8tev.com

www.8tevgreece.com