A 21-year-old French engineer has opened a crowdfunding campaign to push his self-designed electric moped from rolling prototype toward series production.
Eliaz Barré, based in Alençon in Normandy, began the Barrolex project two years ago while still a student at IUT Grand Ouest Normandie, where he earned a degree (BUT) in mechanical engineering and production. The vehicle, unveiled publicly in February 2026 and shown to the press at the Orne Expo fair on February 28, is designed as a lighter, simpler, and more repairable alternative to today’s electric scooters. Barré states the Barrolex was engineered entirely from scratch rather than adapted from an existing moped platform.
The prototype, referred to as the Barrolex type 113, weighs under 55 kg, against an average of roughly 80 kg for comparable electric scooters. It is powered by a 3,000W motor, described as equivalent to a 50cc combustion engine, paired with a modular LiFePO4 battery pack that can be removed and serviced with basic tools. Barré is targeting a range of 40 to 50 km, aimed at urban and short-distance use, and a retail price under €3,500. The vehicle’s styling draws directly on 1970s and 1980s mobylettes, a design period Barré says he associates with simpler, more function-first engineering and long service life.
Homologation is the next hurdle. Barré has said he cannot yet legally ride the prototype on public roads and is working toward EU type approval for the production version. He has received early backing from the City of Alençon, which awarded €3,000 through its Fonds Initiative Jeunes in January 2026, along with support from the Essor MPI Orne-Est entrepreneur network and the Association Germinal – Groupe SOS. Barré estimates full industrialization at around €500,000 (source: France 3 Normandie) and is currently assembling a technical and industrial team to get there.
The Ulule campaign, titled “Barrolex – Inspiré des mobylettes des années 70,” is the first public fundraising step toward that goal, positioned as a way for early supporters to back the project as it moves from bedroom-built prototype to a homologated, locally manufactured product.
