Anniek Francken is a self-employed electrician based in Antwerp. She was looking for a mobility solution with low running costs making it possible to carry all her equipment at once — and found the solution in a NÜWIEL eTrailer.
We met Anniek in Antwerp to see how she uses the eTrailer in her daily work.
“Fifteen years ago, we bought a house and I wanted to do all the renovations by myself.I was afraid of electricity, so I went to school and studied it. Afterwards, friends started asking me, ‘Can you do it for me?’ There were so many requests that I thought I should start a company as an electrician to help other people too.”
From the very beginning, Anniek wanted an alternative to a van.
“I wanted something that wouldn’t cost me money when I wasn’t using it. With a car you have to pay for insurance and taxes even when it’s not being moved. Then I thought about bikes: you don’t have to pay for them while they’re standing still.”
On a normal working day, she covers 10 to 25 kilometres. At first, she used cargo bikes, but their limited load capacity forced her to keep returning to her garage for tools and materials. Today, her eTrailer carries everything she needs at once: drills, switches, fuse boxes, even a stepladder. This allows her to complete about 90% of her jobs without extra trips.
“When I switched to the eTrailer from NÜWIEL, everything became much easier. It’s a closed box. It’s lockable. Now I can take lots of standard equipment with me, so I can serve more customers every day.”
Sometimes Anniek shares the eTrailer with a colleague:
“The eTrailer is simple to attach to any bike. When I have to leave earlier, we can change it. He can tie the eTrailer to his bike and ride home after he finishes the job.”
Another reason to visit Anniek was that we provided maintenance training, so she can maintain the eTrailer and save even more costs! This is offered to all customers who live and work outside Hamburg. We aim at making it possible for everyone to handle maintenance and minor repairs in an independent and cost-saving way.
“When I bought the eTrailer, my biggest concern was maintenance. What do I have to do if it breaks? NÜWIEL is based in Germany. I’m in Belgium. I can’t live without my eTrailer. So, when something goes wrong, I must be able to fix it by myself.”
We’ve designed the eTrailer to be used by anyone regardless of gender, age and social background. Its inclusive and modular design makes it also possible for anyone to be able to maintain it.
The eTrailer has also become her best marketing tool:
“My eTrailer is also my biggest promotional tool. Everyone sees it and asks about it – even when it’s parked outside a house. While I’m riding with the eTrailer, people always ask what I do for a living. They ask if I can come to their house too. You’re very approachable and open to questions from other bikers. And you can discuss minor problems. You can give them some advice while cycling together.“
For Anniek, the future is clear:
“I’m sure it’s the future! It’s much easier to transport everything on a bike than in a big van. This is particularly true in a city where your customers are often close by, but there are a lot of traffic jams and parking problems. With a bike, parking and riding are easy. I’m faster than a van. On a bike, there’s so much more possible than there is with a van.”
If you live in the Antwerp districts of Borgerhout, Borsbeek or Deurne and need an electrician, visit Anniek’s website or send her a WhatsApp message — and don’t forget to say hello from us!
