Is UAE's quick-commerce delivery market taking to e-bikes?

Dubai: The UAE’s quick-commerce delivery market – where orders are handed over to the shopper in 15 minutes or so – currently has one of the fastest growth rates around. And retailers and delivery aggregators are throwing in resources and technology to make those deliveries happen in time, whether they are using drones or bikes.

Even e-bikes, when it comes to those last minute insta-deliveries when bikes and drones take too long.

This is where EDaddy wants to make a mark. The startup is offering what it says is a full set of solutions for last-mile deliveries. And one where fuel costs are taken out of the equation through using e-bikes.

“Our business model is built around a connected ecosystem that includes the E Daddy X7, Thunderbolt X, and the E-Swap X battery swapping station,” said Yasmeen Jawaharali, co-founder and COO of EDaddy.  

“While each component—the electric motorcycles and the swapping infrastructure—can operate independently and generate value on their own, the true strength of our model lies in the integration.”

The X7 and Thunderbolt X are the e-bikes and E-Swap X is where the battery on the e-bikes get ‘swapped’ in a matter of minutes. This reduces the time taken to get the vehicles up to speed – and with no fuel costs involved.

"While e-scooters and e-bikes have recently come under stricter regulations, our EDADDY electric motorcycles are fully licensed road vehicles," said Yasmeen. "As such, they comply with existing traffic laws and regulations that govern motorcycles in the UAE.

"This means riders must adhere to standard safety and licensing requirements, ensuring a safer riding experience while benefiting from the advantages of electric mobility."

But this is also a business model that can be replicated again and again by the competition. All that they need to do is source lower priced e-bikes. And that would mean losing competitive advantages – something that EDaddy cannot afford to lose in a margins obsessed business.

Yasmeen realizes that such a scenario is downright possible.

“That’s why we’ve intentionally moved beyond just e-bikes,” she said. “We have spent 2 years on design and engineering a complete electric mobility ecosystem. While each component has value on its own, the power lies in how they work together.

“What sets us apart isn’t just hardware—it's the entire solution that integrates safety, performance, sustainability, and rider well-being.”

One thing is for sure. The UAE market for daily staples is primed for quick-commerce. Whether it’s the biggest online market place or the neighbourhood grocer, q-commerce matters. And for that, the last-mile deliveries with e-bikes.

“Through the E-Swap X station network, we offer delivery companies a reduced-downtime model,” said Yasmeen. “Riders can swap batteries in under 2 minutes and get back on the road. This makes us uniquely positioned to serve the high-frequency, time-sensitive needs of urban logistics.

“We're already in discussions and pilot programs with multiple last-mile and food delivery operators. And we see fleet partnerships as a major growth driver in the next phase of our rollout.”

In Q-commerce, who does the last-mile best wins. EDaddy is hoping that its combo pack can do its part.