184: The story of Onyx Motorbikes with founder Tim Seward and CEO James Khatiblou

184: The story of Onyx Motorbikes with founder Tim Seward and CEO James Khatiblou

Author: Oliver Bruce and Horace Dediu May 26, 2023 Duration: 53:48

We're really excited to share this episode with the team from Onyx Motorbikes who are based in Los Angeles. Oliver visited Onyx in Southern California in January as part of the So Cal Micromobility Tour. They are the winners of this years Rider's Choice Awards for Best Moped. It was great to hear about the story of how they got started and have manage to ship more than 5000 bikes – We have a deep respect for anybody who just manages to ship and get vehicles out. The build a real cult following and I am excited to see where they get to with the new bike range, which they discuss in this episode.


Specifically they discuss:

- Tims's background as a designer and his work at Bird

- The initial design of the Onyx and their first fundraiser

- Transitioning from a project to a company and James joining

- Their expanding product line and what they are excited about

 If you enjoy this conversation, you will also enjoy Micromobility both in Europe and America. We have Europe coming up on June 8 and 9th, and then we have America happening in the Bay Area on the 18th and 19th of October. We will of course be at both. Looking forward to hopefully having some more of you there along with more than 1000 people at both events talking about the latest in Micromobility and lightweight electric vehicles. And with that, here is Tim and James!


Catch us on Twitter ⁠⁠@MicromobilityCo⁠⁠. ⁠⁠Horace⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Oliver⁠⁠ are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our https://micromobility.substack.com/⁠⁠ is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

We’re also on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.



Ed Niedermeyer, an author and analyst with a sharp focus on the automotive world, guides Ride AI alongside co-hosts Horace Dediu, Oliver Bruce, and James Gross. Together, they navigate the complex intersection where artificial intelligence meets transportation, a space that's rapidly reshaping how we think about movement, business, and urban life. This isn't just a series of interviews; it's a deep exploration of the forces driving change, from autonomous vehicles and electric scooters to the broader economic and societal shifts they trigger. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the strategies and struggles of founders, investors, and engineers who are building the future of mobility. You'll hear candid discussions that go beyond the hype, focusing on the practical realities of investment, the nuances of technological adoption, and the lessons learned from both successes and failures in the field. For anyone curious about the business models behind the tech or the investment theses shaping this volatile sector, this podcast offers a grounded, insightful perspective. Tune in for conversations that are as much about the journey of innovation as they are about the destination.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Ride AI
Podcast Episodes
EV Winter? (with Tyson Jominy) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:46
On the latest episode of the Ride AI podcast, our host Ed Niedermeyer talks to Tyson Jominy, VP of Data & Analytics for J.D, Power, about the recent dynamics in the car market. They touch on COVID, the EV market, the pro…
Disrupting the Car (with Horace Dediu) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:53
This week’s episode of the Ride AI podcast is a mind-meld between automotive analyst Ed Niedermeyer and tech-innovation scholar Horace Dediu about why the car industry is ripe for disruption. Their conversation is a refl…
Climbing the Slope of Enlightenment (with Mike Ramsey) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:25
For the inaugural episode of the new Ride AI podcast, author and analyst Ed Niedermeyer discusses the hype and disillusionment surrounding several new mobility technologies—namely autonomous vehicles—with Mike Ramsey, a…
Micromobility in Europe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:16
Leading up to Micromobility Europe, James Gross talks the state of micromobility in Europe with Prabin Joel Jones, Founder and CEO of Mayten along with Augustin Friedel, Senior Manager, MHP – A Porsche Company who is sha…
Horace Dediu: Is Apple Done With Mobility? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:34
Apple is reportedly exiting the car industry, focusing instead on software and mobility services. The company's decision is driven by the challenges and complexities of the automotive industry, including high costs, long…
The State of the Micromobility Review Market [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:15
On this episode of Ride On! we are talking with Tyson Roehrkasse, the Chief Reviewer at our sister company, Ride Review. Tyson has been with us now for around 4 months and comes from a tremendous background in electric b…
Bird Goes Bankrupt. What Company Will Blink Next? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:51
In an emergency podcast episode of Ride On!, James Gross and guest Prabin Joel Jones discuss the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Bird, one of the high flying shared micromobility companies over the last 5 years.. They delve int…