“We still have ten years before the earth warms up by another one and a half degrees. Then a lot of what we love will be destroyed.” Maurice van der Ende, co-founder of Mountox, a comprehensive platform for electric propulsion, is determined to make the economy more sustainable. “We can’t just sit back anymore.” That’s why he jumped straight onto the platform two years ago.
Why are so few electric cars driven in the Netherlands? With that question the brothers embarked on their start-up adventure. Their platform Mountox offers consumers an overview of electric mobilty. “People are able to explore our website. They can find an overview of all the electric cars, are able to calculate what they can save in comparison with fuel, and booking a test drive is easily arranged”, explains Maurice van der Ende. In so doing, he hopes that more people will make the switch to electric vehicles.
“On our platform, we bring together all of the information relating to electric motoring,” he continues. “We do a lot with infographics in order to make the information easier to read and understand.” In addition, they also pay attention to current developments within the field of electric vehicles. “For example, we write blogs about buying second-hand electric cars or about recharging using solar energy.”
What is your main motivation??
“Our goal is that by 2025, around 90 to 95 percent of new cars will be electric. Now we’re at six to eight percent. It is an ambitious goal, but it is certainly achievable. A study has shown that there are enough raw materials available to produce batteries. On the other hand, it has also become clear that the production process of batteries is not always sustainable. Then we have to make sure it is in any event as sustainable as possible. Hydrogen and electricity are the only options for running on renewable energy. We have to take that chance.”
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?
“We have plenty of good ideas to make transport more sustainable. Only there is limited capital. That’s frustrating at times. We know what we want to do and achieve, but finding funding to realize this huge expansion is challenging. Although in the end it is feasible.”
“We are now operating with our own capital. Aside from that, we also see an increase in turnover every month. If one of our visitors signs a lease or another product with one of our partners, we receive part of the sum paid. This revenue model is a conscious choice. In this way, our turnover is in line with our goal. We want to make the world a more sustainable place. Making money whenever people buy a sustainable product is a logical choice. We are also looking for investors in order to further develop our company.”
What was the most overwhelming moment for you?”
The most enjoyable and memorable moment was the launch of the website. In fact, we had been preparing with a lot of uncertainty for a whole year beforehand. In March of last year it was finally ready. At a time like this, it is just a matter of waiting to see how people react to the website. Fortunately it went very well and was picked up by the media. We even got partnerships with large companies because of this.”
“We made some major changes after that. For instance, we have launched a savings tool which allows users to easily see how much they would save with an electric car. It us able to determine how much someone is paying for their car on the basis of their registration number. It also calculates what a comparable electric car would cost per month. That way, the difference can quickly be seen.”
What can we expect from you in the coming year?
“We want to broaden our range of products to include electric scooters and motorbikes. We have noticed that there is a demand for this. In the coming year we will be looking for partners in order to be able to provide these.”
“We also want to expand into new markets in Belgium, Germany and the United States. That’s the nice thing about an online platform. We can expand relatively easily because, for example, we don’t have to open physical stores in the US. We will translate the website and develop new content. New partners are also joining the market. That’s why we’re going to expand our team.”
Where will the company be in five years??
“Over the next five years, we want to become a global brand. Everyone has to think about Mountox if he or she wants to become more sustainable in their actions. For example, in the future with electric cars but also with solar panels. In addition, new tools and services, such as autonomous driving, will of course be introduced on to the market. We want to be involved in this so as to make the world sustainable as soon as possible.”
“I wake up every day trying to combat climate change. The next ten years are crucial. If we don’t do something now, there will be huge consequences. For example, the sea level could rise by up to 7 meters. We all need to move towards a sustainable economy and way of life.”
Background information
Founders
Roel van der Ende (24) – Engineer. Left his job to work full-time with the start-up.
Maurice van der Ende (21) – studied commercial economics but did not finish. “As an entrepreneur I learn a lot from the practical side.”
Year of Foundation
2017, website online in 2018
Funding
Revenue is increasing, but is reinvested in the company. And also looking for new investors.
Employees
Victor Tremouille works as a freelancer for Mountox. He takes care of the sales and is part of the team. “As we don’t have a management structure, everyone is responsible for their own actions.”
Ultimate goal
Making the world 100% sustainable.
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