Made in Pakistan, made by Pakistan, made for Pakistan. This is what we’re all about, reporting our very own success stories. Mode Mobility is Pakistan’s first electric vehicle automotive startup. Automotive is a vast and developed industry but Mode Mobility challenges a lot of traditional constraints.
Automotives were already being assembled in Pakistan and some parts were also being manufactured here to be exported later on, given our cheap labour it was always a feasible option. But, hardly ever do we hear the term “designed in Pakistan”. Mode Mobility challenges this by providing a sustainable bike that is designed in Pakistan using locally manufactured parts.
Another common perception is, if you’re doing engineering, particularly Mechanical Engineering, there’s no scope in Pakistan. Go abroad, learn, earn and make yourself rich and accomplished. The team of Mode Mobility breaks these limitations by staying in Pakistan and making employment opportunities for mechanical engineers.
Most engineering students do innovative projects during their degree, but as soon as they graduate, they go for a corporate job and stick to it. It is rarely we see engineers working in relevant fields in Pakistan. The founders of Mode Mobility took their passion for robotics, vehicle design and car manufacturing to the next level by creating an engineering and design startup focused on the development of sustainable mobility solutions.
NUST Formula Student Team
Mode Mobility is the brainchild of Shah Talha Sohail and Syed Najiullah Hussaini who were later joined in by the third co-founder Shayan Mahmud.
Talha and Nijiullah worked together to transform their university race team into what is now known as the NUST Formula Student Team. This duo played a crucial part in setting the strategic and technical direction of the team.
This team developed the locally manufactured EZY Racing powered Formula Car that participated in the formula student motorsport competition held at Silverstone, UK.
The team has ever since had many great engineering students and won many international competitions making headlines around the globe. This early experience in innovative vehicle manufacturing laid the foundation of Mode Mobility.
Shah Talha Sohail – Co-Founder and CEO
Shah is a Mechanical Engineer from NUST. During his time there, he transforms the university race team into what is now known as the NUST Formula Student Team along with his team-mate and now co-founder Najiullah.
After graduation, Shah joined Ezy Corp, an organisation that creates a platform to conduct business across countries and industries. After working a year at Propakistani as the head of operations, he shifted to Eikon7, a multinational advertising agency as Director Operations.
In 2017, he co-founded Trademor, Alibaba’s Channel Partners in Pakistan and continues to work as the Chief Operating Officer. The idea of Mode Mobility was formed in 2019 and officially launched in 2021.
Syed Najiullah Hussaini – Co-Founder & CPO
Najiullah is a NUST alumnus who was actively involved in NUST Formula Student Team that developed Formula Cars for International competitions. Right after his graduation, he went on to do his Masters in Automotive Engineering from RMIT Univesity Australia.
Coming back to Pakistan, he worked with educational institutions in the teaching and research domain. He left his job at SZABIST to work full time on Mode Mobility and now works as the Chief Product Officer.
Shayan Mahmud – Co-Founder
After completing his education from abroad, Shayan came back to Pakistan and started working with Interactive Group of Companies as the director of Marketing. In 2017, he founded trademor with Shah and headed it as the CEO. He was simultaneously heading ProPakistani, Pakistan’s largest online independent publisher, as the Chief Brand Officer.
He had been working with Eikon7, a full-service advertising agency since his graduation and now serves as the Managing Partner. In 2021, he joined Mode Mobility as a co-founder.
What is Mode Mobility?
Mode Mobility is broadly focused on developing sustainable mobility solutions for consumers of Pakistan and similar countries. The founders saw a gap in the traditional automotive industry and the innovations being implemented in other regions.
The concept of Mode Mobility not only provides for the local demand for electric vehicles but contributes to the global drive towards net-zero emissions with this venture.
“We will introduce products that are efficient, durable, cost-effective, and made for and by Pakistanis.”
~ Shahyan Mahmud, co-founder Mode Mobility.
First product launched: The C-Series
Mode Mobility aims to cater for the needs of the local consumers by kick-starting a wide adoption of electrified transport in Pakistan. The series of Electric Scooters named C-series was announced at the end of January 2022. The pre-orders are expected to start mid-2022 with proper operations by the end of this year.
The company revealed its design and specs on social media. The products are designed to be functional, easy-to-use, aesthetically impactful, and especially focused on the needs of women riders.
Design and Specs:
- Speed up to 75 km/h
- Lithium-Ion Battery in footboard
- Up to 2kW swappable battery
- 1kW and 2kW motors are available
- Can run up to 65km per charge
- Step-through design
- All LED lighting
- Custom front panel
- Front and Rear brakes on the handlebar like a bicycle
How is Mode Mobility different?
Sustainable
With the shortage of natural resources, rising prices of fuel, the way forward is none other than electric-powered vehicles. Not only is it need of the hour but this shift is environmentally necessary. Mode Mobility is the sustainable solution in-line with the developed world’s initiative to cut down fuel usage and resultingly pollution.
Inclusive
The best feature of Mode Mobility’s c-series is however the step-through design also referred to as the “ladies” frame. It is a design with a low or absent top tube or cross-bar.
This feature further elaborates the designer’s approach to serving the local market. The women in Pakistan usually wear flowy, loose and long attires that often get stuck in the tyres causing awful accidents. Among many other reasons that keep the majority of women away from the roads specifically bikes, this is also a prime reason. The step-through design makes it easy to ride even if you’re wearing a skirt.
Easy Maintenance
A great design and great manufacturing is nothing if the customer has to wait for ages to get parts sourced from other countries whenever an issue comes up. Mode Mobility uses locally manufactured and easily available parts so to make their product easy and cheap to repair and maintain.
Economical
Sustainability and Inclusivity are great selling points if you’re operating in the west. However, in our less-income country, if the product is expensive, not many people would care how it benefits the environment or social structure.
The price is not yet disclosed however it has been repeatedly claimed that Mode Mobility is a cost-effective solution to mobility inefficiencies of the country.
The Startup’s A-Team
In a virtual interview with the payoneer team, Shah Talha shared that in his opinion team is the basic foundation of any startup and he believes nothing can be achieved without the right team. His idea of the right team is a group of talented individuals of high character that can work effectively in a team.
He further added that he wishes to build an environment where the employees could grow beyond the company’s existence. Mode Mobility is a team of dynamic and highly talented designers and engineers who have the relevant experience and expertise required for the startup to escalate.
Future Plans for Mode Mobility
Mode Mobility is currently conducting on-road tests and customer focus groups in order to optimize the design and experience of the C-Series.
The electric scooters are, however, just the start for Mode Mobility. In the future, Mode Mobility’s product range is also expected to include electric buses, trucks, and passenger cars.
Bikes have become the national vehicle of Pakistan. The ever-rising number of bikes on the roads and now the inclination of women towards scooters and bikes make it just the perfect timing for an electric bike to succeed in Pakistan’s mobility industry.
Share your thoughts on the design, specs and idea of C-series scooters. Do you think it would be an instant hit and would you use one? We would love to hear your views.