Anton Wass discovered his passion for motorcycles when, as a little boy, he watched a neighbour ride a motocross bike through his hometown near Stockholm. By 16, Wass had co-founded an e-commerce business dedicated to motorcycle spare parts that became a global leader. Despite his success, Anton still dreamt of inventing a game-changing bike.
“For many years, I couldn't stop dreaming that it should be possible to build electric motorcycles that are better than the best gas bikes,” he says.
So, he started Stark Future in 2019. Based in Barcelona, the company aims to transform the motorcycle industry with its electric motocross bikes. In 2021, it launched the Stark VARG, Swedish for “Strong Wolf”, the most powerful dirt bike in the world.
“It was a like a bomb in the motorcycle industry,” Wass says. “I believe it was the most successful launch of any motorcycle company in history.”
Looking ahead, the company wants to continue to innovate and plans to make its motorcycles even more sophisticated. That is why the European investment Bank is supporting the company with a €40 million credit facility, signed in September 2024.
“We are here to inspire the motorcycle industry to sustainability and we're inspiring customers by making a better product,” says Wass.
Without a clutch
Stark Future’s electric dirt bike uses cutting-edge technology and engineering, featuring custom-made key component and innovative electronics. To achieve this, Wass and his team had to reimagine the very essence of the motocross bike itself.
“Motocross is maybe the most difficult motorcycle to build, and the reason is that it does the most extreme type of riding,” says Wass. “So, it needs to be extremely durable and strong, but it also requires having perfect weight balance, very low weight, high power-to-weight ratio, and all of these things have to match perfectly.”
This becomes even more complex when designing an electric bike. You need to consider components such as the battery and electrical systems, which significantly impact the bike's weight, balance, and overall performance.
“You no longer have things like a gas tank, gears, clutch and an exhaust system,” Anton adds. “It really changes the whole construction of the chassis. But if you stay open minded, this also gives you new opportunities.”
The final product is truly impressive. The company has developed the most powerful power-to-weight motor of any production motocross bike. The 6.5 kilowatt-hour battery, coupled with a custom carbon fibre sleeve motor, provides up to 80 horsepower, 30% more power than a comparable 450cc motocross gas bike. This setup allows up to six hours of technical trail riding or enough energy to complete a full motocross race, with a recharge time of just two hours.
The bike also has an adjustable power setting, enabling riders to set the power level anywhere from 10 to 80 horsepower. Thanks to this feature, new riders can reduce the power as needed during the learning curve.
Supporting disruptive products
Stark Future wants to keep advancing its technology and motorcycles.
“We want to continue to focus on innovation both in research and development but also in production,” says Wass, “and then, of course we want to enter the road categories of motorcycling to expand the business.”
The European Investment Bank’s financing will support the company’s efforts in developing new e-motorbike platforms and help scale-up its manufacturing capacity. The financing is done under InvestEU, the EU flagship programme to mobilise more than €372 billion of additional investment from public and private sector funds to support EU policy goals by 2027.
"Supporting startups is crucial to foster a competitive market and retain knowledge within the European Union,” says Joanna Lisboa Tiago, a loan officer at the European Investment Bank who worked on the deal. “Without financial backing, the venture capital market shrinks, reducing players and appetite for risk. We aim to fill this gap.”
A benefit for Spain's economy
The company will have a positive local impact, too.
Stark Future
“The work of Stark Future will give a big boost to the local economy in Spain, particularly around Sant Boi de Llobregat where Stark Future is based,” says Matteo Fusari, a senior engineer and principal advisor at the European Investment Bank. “By ramping up production capacity, this loan is expected to create skilled jobs and fuel regional economic growth.”
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Is the future electric for bikes?
For Wass, there is no doubt that electric motorcycles are the future of the industry, and he has plenty of reasons to back his contention.
“Electric motorcycle will perform better [than a non-electric bike], be more reliable, require less maintenance, and have lower cost of ownership,” he says. “They will be easier and more fun to ride. They will be better in every single aspect.”
Stark Future
They are better for the environment, too.
By producing zero tailpipe emissions, electric motorbikes can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, compared to gasoline-powered bikes. They are also more energy efficient and operate quietly, which helps minimise noise pollution.
“We created this company because we don't want to ask people to compromise for sustainability,” says Wass, “because people don't want to compromise.”
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STARK (IEU G)
The Project comprises the Company's Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) activities for the development of new motorbike platforms and models, the further development of the Company's proprietary technologies, the deployment of production technology to scale-up manufacturing capacity. The investments will take place in Spain over the period 2024-2027.
