Swedish micro-mobility startup Vassla has raised $11m to fund the “Vässla Club”. The new platform will allow people to rent the firm’s flyweight electric moped for short periods or subscribe for ongoing usage.

The Vassla Bike is an interesting one. A passing glance and you might think it a compact urban very-slightly-folding e-bike, but Vassla have taken the unlikely decision to do without pedals.

So technically it’s a moped – albeit one with a 250W or 500W motor.

Vassla already produces an electric moped – the 1,800W Vassla 2 – but believes this new vehicle fills a niche.

Vassla founder and CEO, Rickard Bröms told Phocus Wire: “The problem with electric pedal bikes is that your morning commute becomes a workout session – you arrive at work or at your important meeting sweaty and tired. It’s really no better than using packed trains or buses.

“With Vässla, our e-moped solved a problem for the upper range of short trips, but wasn’t that optimal for the lower range. Now, with Vässla Bike, we’re fulfilling our vision to provide customers with a micro mobility vehicle which is lighter, sleeker and ideal for the thousands of short trips made every day.”

It's priced at €2,000 and limited to 25km/h, like an e-bike.

It’s worth pointing out at this point that in the UK, an electrically-assisted pedal cycle (EAPC) must have pedals. This means you’d need a licence, insurance and all the rest to ride a Vassla Bike.

The loss of pedal power also reduces the range of course. Vassla reckon you could get 40km. Estimates of electric vehicles’ range being what they are, you probably couldn’t.

Vassla plans to launch the bike in a number of European cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Madrid and Vienna.It also says it has hopes of operating in the UK, suggesting that new legislation on e-scooters could provide an opening. As we reported last month, the government are unlikely to make such chances before March of next year.