Trendy British electric urban bike maker Maeving has had an impressive month on the PR front. First, its bike appeared on the BBC’s blockbuster show The Apprentice, where it avoided being barked at by bearded business behemoth Lord Alan Sugar. The Maeving RM1 machine was used as part of a marketing challenge in the show, with unintentionally hilarious results from some of the contestants.
Maeving co-founder Will Stirrup said: “Being able to be involved in a project on The Apprentice, which is such a household name and so well-known, has been fantastic for all of us at Maeving. There have been months of secrecy around the fact we were involved and it’s been really tough for all of us who knew about it not being able to say a word!
“We’re a new company but we’ve worked hard to develop an electric motorcycle which we believe is well-suited to the mission of bringing the joy and freedom of riding a motorcycle to new people in urban areas.”
Tony Campbell, CEO of the Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA) appeared on screen as an expert judge on the show, rating the efforts of the contestants. He said “It’s fantastic to see our sector receive coverage on The Apprentice. The programme will create interest and discussion for both new and existing riders”.
Maeving also featured in a speech by transport minister Jesse Norman to the annual MCIA conference last month. The firm was mentioned in his pre-recorded video address, as an example of how the future of motorcycling might look. Speaking about the consultation on de-carbonisation of the sector, Norman said, “We will publish a full response in due course, but it’s clear to me now that with end of sale dates for non-zero emission cars and vans already in place, we must match that ambition across L-Category vehicles. And that will open us up to a future where our roads are, if we play it right, less congested, offering not only tangible carbon cutting but a reduction in air and noise pollution, and an increase in the wellbeing of everyone. A future where motorbikes like Maeving’s are a symbol as quintessentially British as the morning milk float or the MCC.”
The Maeving episode of The Apprentice is available to watch on BBC iPlayer (Series 17 episode 5).