Rad January funding or close

If you need any replacement parts or extra battery, it might be a good time to get your order in. Rad is telling its employees that without new funding, they will close in January:
Rad Power Bikes has informed its employees that it will shut down in January if it is unable to find new funding or get acquired, according to an internal staff email viewed by TechCrunch.

The company’s leadership is “still fighting to find ways to continue,” and “the cessation of Rad’s operations is not a forgone conclusion,” according to the email, which was sent by Rad Power’s “people team.” Rad Power employees were told there had been a “very promising” option to keep the company alive that “appeared to be likely to close,” but the deal — which was not specified in the email — “did not come to fruition.”


“Rad is nothing without its people and wants to ensure that all employees are taken care of and provided for to the fullest extent feasible. Executive leaders are hopeful that a viable solution will be found to ensure that Rad team members remain gainfully employed for the foreseeable future. However, to be fully transparent, despite our collective efforts, it is possible that this may not happen, and Rad may be forced to cease operations,” the email reads. GeekWire was first to report the contents of the email.

Seattle-based Rad Power has gone through multiple rounds of layoffs over the last few years coming out of the pandemic. While the early pandemic days were a boon to micromobility companies like Rad Power, a “sudden drop in consumer demand” left the company saddled with excess inventory, according to the email viewed by TechCrunch. “Rad continues to face significant financial challenges, including in the form of tariffs and the macroeconomic landscape.”


“At this time, Rad’s leadership is focused on supporting our employees, serving our Rad Riders, and giving Rad the best chance for longevity,” a spokesperson for the company said.

 
As the owner of a new Radster Trail, I sure hope they can turn things around. They seem to be at that awkward stage... their older models seem to be peceived as lower end and somewhat crude (and limited to class 2), while their new Radster models are class 3 and clearly a step up in sophistication (and price). But it's hard to play both ends.

I'm tempted to order a spare battery, as the Radster's semi integrated battery (which really is nice) isn't going to be easy to match. But the advance warning of trouble is interesting; one wonders if they're hoping for a bump in income with "just in case" spare parts sales. But OTOH, the news will surely hurt new bike sales.
 
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