As president of the TWIKE Klub, one of my favorite responsibilities is organizing our annual general assembly.
Finding the right location is always a bit of an adventure — it needs to comfortably fit up to 50 people, have some connection to sustainability, renewable energy, or ideally one of our own TWIKE pilots. Furthermore, it has to offer enough electricity to get all our TWIKEs fully charged and ready for the trip back home afterward.
Our general assembly day usually kicks off with some relaxed catching up over coffee, then we spend a couple of hours exploring the venue.
After that, we have some lunch and we then dive into the formal part of the day: the assembly itself, which runs for about 2–3 hours. We typically wrap things up with a live video call with TWIKE GmbH to get the latest update on how development of the TWIKE 5 is coming along.
This year, the location couldn’t be any closer for me — literally just down the road from where I live, about 2 km away: the EKZ Stromhaus Burenwisen.
The Stromhaus is a hidden gem that I’ve known about since I moved to Glattfelden an eternity ago but have never got to visit — a former hydroelectric plant (one of Switzerland’s earliest!) that’s been converted by EKZ into an interactive energy museum. It has a 1925 Kaplan turbine, vintage electrical appliances, old-school meters, and loads of fascinating bits and bobs to explore.
One of our members works at EKZ and offered to tailor the tour specifically for us — those who don’t need an explanation what a watt-hour is.
I head over to the Stromhaus about an hour before the official start to set up the charging points — more on how that looked in a bit.
At 10:00 sharp, I welcome everyone, run through the day’s agenda and a few housekeeping notes, and then we split into two groups to begin our tour of the museum.
Let’s go!
All in all, the tour was great – we all learnt a lot about energy distribution and above all how electricity made its way in to modern households.
After lunch we got down to business: the general assembly. I always make a point to keep it interesting, not only voting on the finances and the budget, but to also include an overview on the strategic initiatives the club is working on, upcoming activities and foster a dialogue on how to keep our TWIKEs on the road longer.
This is why our general assembly usually takes around 2-3 hours and this time is no different… there is, however a big, big difference at the end, this time.
As we have a member of our club currently working closely with TWIKE GmbH, we arranged for the usual call with TWIKE GmbH to be as ‘live’ as it gets: TWIKE GmbH brought the prototype to our general assembly!
I couldn’t imagine a more powerful demostration of how far the vehicle is as offering test rides and hands-on probing of the electronics.
The TWIKE 5 prototype arrived mid-afternoon and was ready for us when the assembly was over.
The inventors of TWIKE 3 got to sit in the prototype first. It still lacks outside panels but otherwise is fully functional and already has full insurance coverage and plates.
At the end of every assembly we line-up our TWIKEs for some pictures. These always turn out great.
Then it’s time for me to get a taste of what the new TWIKE 5 feels like.
I’m one of the lucky few that actually got to drive a TWIKE 4 many years ago and was curious as to which elements of the previous model had made it into the current prototype.
I also had the opportunity to go for a short drive with Martin Moescheid, the CEO of TWIKE GmbH.
Getting in and out of this TWIKE is comfortable. Of course, as a long-time TWIKE III pilot, certain movements are second nature by now. Still, it all feels right, particularly the seating position. The pedal axis is slightly lower than in the TWIKE III, which I find more comfortable.
Although the shoulder width between the two seats is only about 2 cm greater than in the TWIKE III, the interior feels a bit more spacious. In the TWIKE III, two tall passengers already make for a fairly full cabin. Arm room to the left and right is improved, even if only slightly — it still makes a difference. The TWIKE III, while sufficient, always felt rather tight, especially with the controls positioned quite prominently on the driver’s left side. I’d say the few extra centimetres in the TWIKE 5 bring things much closer to an ideal layout. Leg and headroom are also appropriate.
Off we go. The acceleration is great. The soft whirring of the inverter — feels familiar.
The narrow road to the Stromhaus with its uneven surface, offered a good opportunity to test the suspension. And it delivers — just as I would hope for in an everyday vehicle: comfortable, not too firm, and no unnecessary bouncing. Very well tuned.
I wasn’t able to test the steering myself, as I was a passenger, but it seemed well-calibrated too. I’m certainly looking forward to the first proper test drive behind the “wheel”.
Although the drive was short, I was nonetheless impressed by the cornering, the regenerative braking, and the general driving experience. Powertrain and suspension — the core components of the new TWIKE — are convincing.
It’s also nice that the new TWIKE 5 has somewhat more power than the current TWIKE 3. While 190 km/h isn’t strictly necessary, nor allowed anywhere in Switzerland, it’s good to be able to keep up with traffic comfortably.
Relying on a pre-existing automotive-grade drive system makes sense and will comfort anyone doubting the build quality. While the TWIKE III’s drive unit usually works well, the TWIKE 5 clearly operates on a different level in terms of reliability and durability.
I’m now curious to see how the canopy and the outer bodywork will look. I hope the ventilation will also be improved compared to the TWIKE III.
Once those parts are in place, I’m convinced interest in the vehicle will rise significantly.
Martin and his team have shown persistence and competence for decades. They are deeply committed to the TWIKE concept and are refining it into a viable everyday vehicle.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for them!
Martin got to drive along the small road many, many times as most visitors wanted to feel how the TWIKE 5 prototype handles.
When the last member disconnected their TWIKE from the two distribution points, I started to pack all the electrical stuff I’d brought to satisfy our charging needs.
It’s still crazy to think that we are able to charge around 20 TWIKEs with 2*7.1 kW without any problems!
Below you can see how I set up the whole thing.
This was a fun day! Worth every minute of preparation!