// startup autopsy

Clean Mobile

Electric mobility pioneer that ran out of charge before the market sparked

timingAcqui-hire

Fatal mistake: Launched consumer electric vehicle products before charging infrastructure, battery economics, and consumer awareness made mass adoption financially viable.

Founded	2006
Closed	2013
Country	Germany
Sector	Cleantech

50%

Key Events Timeline

2006-01-01

FOUNDING

Clean Mobile founded in Germany to develop electric mobility solutions including e-bikes and light electric vehicles.

2008-06-01

FUNDING

Raised early venture funding to develop electric vehicle hardware and begin pilot programs in German cities.

2009-09-01

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Launched consumer e-bike and light EV product line in Germany amid nascent EV market awareness.

2011-06-01

FUNDING

Closed final funding round totaling $16.19M as company sought scale; EV consumer adoption remained slower than projected.

2013-03-01

SHUTDOWN

Acquired by larger mobility player after failing to achieve sustainable unit economics in the pre-mainstream EV market.

Full Analysis

Analyst plan

Documented cause

Clean Mobile developed electric mobility solutions including e-bikes and light electric vehicles in Germany but faced insurmountable market timing challenges. The company raised $16.2M in funding but ultimately...

could not achieve standalone profitability in a nascent consumer EV market. The core issue was premature market entry: EV infrastructure remained underdeveloped in Germany, consumer adoption rates we

Verified lesson

“...”

Unlock full lesson →

€29.1M

Peak valuation

HypeCycle · MoatType · ResearchTags

Clean Mobile raised €16.193969M before launched consumer electric vehicle products before charging infrastructure, battery economics, and consumer awareness made mass adoption financially viable. ended it. See the documented cause, verified lesson and all failure signals.

Unlock full analysis →Create free account

See all plans·Analyst plan — €149/mo