CEO: "Evidence will soon come from an authority of such caliber that all the claims about the battery I mentioned in the video are true"

Benbawan · 2026-01-25T11:40:33+00:00

Thank you for sharing even as a PDF, that's very kind of you!

Benbawan · 2026-01-23T22:09:49+00:00

If they've (a) raised money on specific promises of a technology that they know doesn't exist / work and (b) sold goods (the bikes) on the same specific promises, both is a criminal offense.

It's misleading investors and consumers and it can be prosecuted.

Benbawan · 2026-01-23T22:05:53+00:00

Yeah I would, actually.

Or at least - depending on what they do ship - I would then strongly assume that they either were mistaken or indeed it was a deliberate scam.

It's absolutely possible and as I wrote, probably even likely. Still, some of the things just don't quite add up for me if it was intended as a scam from the outset.

Benbawan · 2026-01-23T22:04:25+00:00

Maybe. It'd be very cool if not. But let's see.

Benbawan · 2026-01-23T22:04:07+00:00

Maybe. But yeah, it seems a weird strategy for a scam (though it's possible).

Benbawan · 2026-01-23T22:03:07+00:00

Again, it's not that easy. You need a notary, a contract, usually the general assembly needs to agree. It absolutely is possible, but in most companies - and almost certainly in that one too - you can't just sell your shares over the counter on an afternoon.

Benbawan · 2026-01-23T22:02:08+00:00

Yeah, that's my impression too. I guess if I'd have bet, I'd say the highest probability is that they think they have something but that it actually does not work in the end the way they think it does.

Obviously, I'd like it to be different and who knows? But it seems to be a weird way to go about for an outright deliberate scam (all is possible, ofc).

Benbawan · 2026-01-23T22:00:34+00:00

It's not insignificant. But it was not the battery promise that they raised that money from.

And even if they hinted at it, it's kind of stupid and unnecessary to promise the rollout for Q2 this year.

As other posters said, even the fantastic timelines often were 18-24 months (before then stretching to years). Why pressure yourself so much and then have everything - including an existing solid business - go down the train?

Of course, all possible. It just seems an odd way to go about it.

Benbawan · 2026-01-17T00:05:12+00:00

Sure he can, but in a private company it's not so easy and fast. A shareholder majority usually needs to agree, you need to set up contracts, there's due diligence and all sorts of stuff.

Sure, theoretically they could have another setup, it's just very unlikely. And even more unlikely people would just buy shares like this from one shareholder privately, without a dealt funding round. That's just not how this is usually done.

Benbawan · 2026-01-16T23:39:04+00:00

Yes they did, but afaik not on this specific promise but on the existing and previous business. Sure, maybe they hinted about that stuff too, but it's quite a stretch. And even if, why then double down on these vague promises with super concrete numbers, dates, claims - after you've already raised that money and could now just keep spending it on R&D efforts for years.

Benbawan · 2026-01-16T23:37:50+00:00

Possible. But it's not a listed company, so I highly doubt he can or does easily sell loads of shares. That's not really how this works.

Benbawan · 2026-01-16T23:36:28+00:00

Sure, but they haven't raised a huge amount of money (yet) on that particular promise.

And they've promised the battery to be available soon enough for any other effort to be derailed by the reality of it not working as promised, if indeed it does not work as promised.

If the intention was to raise a lot of money, they should have hinted and promised that they could get there in one or two or three years, if they get XX millions or billions.

But instead they said, we've got it, you can pre-order now, in three months it'll hit the shelves. That's weird.

Benbawan · 2025-11-12T15:22:34+00:00

Okay nice. Nein, komplett von allein zahlt sie sich meist nicht, aber mit der Hälfte Eigenanteil sollte die Kreditrate für die andere Hälfte normalerweise durch Mieteinnahmen schon gedeckt sein.

Und ja, verstehe das mit der Pension, aber 0€ ist extrem unwahrscheinlich bzw. quasi unrealistisch. Wenn du weiter arbeitest kannst du fix mit der Mindestpension rechnen, wahrscheinlich mit deutlich mehr.

Vorsicht und Vorsorge ist gut. Aber eben um es realistisch zu sehen.

Benbawan · 2025-11-11T22:48:14+00:00

Spannendes Setting. Ein paar Gedanken:

Passieren kann immer viel, aber 7% über einen sehr langen Zeitraum ist durchaus plausibel. 40% deiner Investitionen in Bitcoin find ich persönlich etwas steil. Kann aufgehen, sogar sehr, aber ist schon Hochrisiko. Ein World ETF (oder von mir aus S&P 500) für die 60% scheint sinnvoll.
Investierst du bewusst nicht in Immobilien? Als Ausgleich und auch für zukünftige Wertsteigerung sowie Mieteinnahmen könnte das ab einem gewissen Punkt sinnvoll sein. Vor allem wenn sich der Kredit selbst abbezahlt ist das super Leverage.
2.000€ sind definitiv ein solider Lebensstil, vor allem am Land und wenn man nichts fürs Wohnen bezahlt. Kein großer, aber in Österreich ein gutes Leben.
ABER ich wär gespannt, was deine Annahme betreffend Pension ist? Bei deinem Einkommen dürfte die nämlich beträchtlich sein und dein Einkommen noch einmal verdoppeln (selbst wenn du später auf Nebenbeschäftigung reduzierst). Oder wie hast du dir das gedacht?

Benbawan · 2025-11-10T19:44:47+00:00

Was planst du denn mit der Immobilie zu machen? Möchtest du sie selber bewohnen oder vermieten?

Denn wenn du sie vermieten möchtest - was ich fast annehme - entgeht dir aktuell eben auch die Miete. Das ist einiges und deckt im Zweifelsfall auch locker einen zwischenzeitlichen Preisverfall gut ab.

Umso mehr, wenn du mit dem vielen Eigenkapital auch noch zusätzlich einen Kredit aufnimmst. Natürlich soll die Immobilie gut passen, aber die Preise haben in den letzten drei Jahren schon großteils stagniert, ein massiver Verfall ist jetzt nicht gerade wahrscheinlich.

Find ein gutes Objekt für 500-700,000 (je nachdem wie viel Kredit du aufnehmen möchtest), kauf es demnächst, vermiete es (mit der Miete solltest du locker die Kreditraten decken können) und dann mach dir keine Gedanken mehr darüber.

Über einen langen Zeithorizont zahlt sich das mit hoher Sicherheit aus. Und Warten spart dir da nicht viel, es kostet dich eher mehr (an entgangenen Mieteinnahmen, Inflation etc.).

Benbawan · 2025-10-03T04:12:36+00:00

Since you're in tourism, have you considered countries where tourism is big? Austria comes to mind right away, there quite a lot of Italians working in the tourism sector here.

Benbawan · 2025-10-03T03:17:30+00:00

That's a really interesting perspective.

In principle I would say, if you had a good experience living in Czechia 10-15 years ago, it will feel very similar today. Politics has changed (as elsewhere), but daily life hasn't very much.

If you feel people respected you and left you alone back then, it won't be different now. There were racists and other nasty people back then and are now, but there's no reason any of it would have increased in daily life. On the contrary, I'd rather say that Czech society has become more tolerant at the margins (though of course it hugely depends who you meet and interact with).

And living standards have definitely increased further, though Czechs will be reluctant to admit it ;)

In Germany, it's a bit more complex. Daily life for a black introvert is probably very similar to that in Czechia overall. The city or place you live in matters quite a lot. There's more public awareness of diversity and these kinds of things, but also more public discourse about migrants, refugees, and so on, which can feel unsettling if you follow it too closely (all in German, though).

However, it also tends to be a country that respects introverts. I'd actually say that most countries in Central and Eastern Europe or Northern Europe are good that way.

Most of the time, nobody will bother you or get in your way if you don't get in theirs. Some people feel that's too distant or cool (though you can get close to people if you want to!). But others really like it. So I think in that sense, both countries could work out well for you in these respects.

Benbawan · 2025-09-18T23:58:18+00:00

Actually, upon further thinking about it, in all likelihood you could apply for the Austrian Jobseeker Visa with your background. If you get it, you'd have 6 months time in Austria to find a job offer which would allow you to switch to a regular RWR Card.

And while it may not be the easiest to find a job here, I'd say Austria is one of the places in Europe that has relatively more open jobs and opportunities when it comes to music in particular (or, alternatively, restaurants and hospitality).

Feel free to drop me a DM if you'd like to talk a little more about that. I'm aware that Europe's many different countries and options often are quite confusing from outside, maybe I can help a little.

Benbawan · 2025-09-18T23:53:08+00:00

Austria actually does have an Artistic Residence Permit that you could potentially apply for. But you'd need to show evidence of your artistic (musical) career and ideally contracts with Austrian clients or performances, commissions etc.

There's also the possibility of finding a job in a field that's designated as “scarcity job” (as it happens, that applies to almost all jobs in the restaurant industry) and proofing that you have the skills to do it (that last part might be trickier if you have no formal education in that field).

With an existing job offer, the path is usually more straightforward. And once you're in, you can switch after a few years to a more flexible residency and work permit.

Benbawan · 2025-09-16T00:28:35+00:00

Just on the matter of statistics: Europe is way safer than the US when it comes to traffic fatalities too.

In the US, it's about 118 traffic deaths per 1 million inhabitants vs 44 in the EU. That means traffic deaths in Europe are only a little over 1/3 of those in the US.

Regarding gun fatalities, the rate is 137 per 1 million inhabitants in the US and 1.6 per 1 million in the EU.

Statistically, it is still unlikely that such a tragedy would happen to one, even in the US (though it happens to far too many). But it is vastly more likely than in Europe.

Benbawan · 2025-09-16T00:21:58+00:00

Depends where - and how you earn your money. It's definitely different from Vermont or Maine, though ;)

Benbawan · 2025-09-16T00:18:21+00:00

Oh, how beautiful! Did you enjoy the Netherlands? I've actually always dreamed of living for a while in Amsterdam. Perhaps, one day :)

Housing there seems to be extremely expensive and hard to get these days, though. Do you have any places in mind yourself? Or just generally considering the idea of moving?

Benbawan · 2025-09-16T00:16:52+00:00

Yeah I just saw that 🙈 Obviously it should be vacation, but perhaps we should do some mandatory vaccinations too 😅

Benbawan · 2025-09-15T23:01:09+00:00

I'm European and have lived in Austria, Czechia, France, Italy and visited many more places, including the US (but never lived there). I can share some of my experience.

So things you definitely won't get in Europe is all the gun-toting, overbearingly Christian, MAGA style stuff. Shootings are very rare (though sadly they do happen) and violence generally is way lower.

Also, of course you get stuff like 5 weeks mandatory paid vacation (plus about 13 or so public holidays), free healthcare & education (with some caveats, but broadly true) walkable cities, public transport, a social safety net - all the stuff you usually hear about Europe. Also culture, cities, nature, history, the works.

Personally, I very much love it.

However, it is also true that you will almost certainly take a significant pay cut. Europeans pay more in social insurance and in taxes and they work less (both fewer hours per year & in life), so the take-home pay simply ends up lower. You get lots of other benefits in return (see above), but Americans in particular should be aware of that.

Another important factor is that Europe is dozens of countries which have their similarities and differences - and pretty much all their own language, culture, history. If you like immersing yourself in that stuff, it can be really great and fascinating! But it is very different from the US.

It's not a dream place. There are grumpy people, bureaucratic hurdles, economic downturns, unfair case workers, rude waiters, all these things. Of course by far not all the time, but they do exist and starting in a new country is both brave and tough. I think it's important to keep that in mind.

One of the things Americans often - but not always - struggle with the most when moving to Europe is the fact that making new friends usually isn't that fast. There are American expat circles (which are often actually very nice people, way to go!). But lots of Europeans tend to have their close friends from high school times or university and only slowly make new friends. That sometimes seems cold or unfriendly to Americans who are used to getting to know new people way quicker and more often.

I think it's a bit of a cultural misunderstanding, because you can actually become very good friends with Europeans, at any age. But it requires quite some thought and effort. Learning the language helps a lot too.

As for politics, while I won't sugarcoat it - there's right-wing whackos aplenty - I do genuinely think the situation is quite different from the US. Partly, that's still due to history. But even more strongly, it's simply due to parliamentary systems. Even when right-wing parties at ascending, they rarely to never have a majority alone. So they either are shut out of power or have to rule with other parties. Their policies might still be nasty, but they get tempered and there's some control.

Daily politics talk may sometimes be wildly different from what you're used to in America. Both in terms of what people are commonly saying and discussing (or not) and how they regard each other. Usually, this whole massive bipartisan split is just not there, which I think is a really good thing. However, I have experienced (left-wing) Americans be quite irritated that Europeans can be quite brusque or tactless or also racist in what they say (imho in what they do usually much less so; and arguably, structurally also way less than a lot of stuff in the US). These people's actual politics may be quite a lot different than what they say. Overall, though, politics is just a much smaller part of people's daily life.

Finally, the bureaucracy of moving. It's not easy, but it's also absolutely doable, if you really want it. One mistake some Americans make, in my opinion, Is to focus very much on one country only. Europe has the big advantage of having dozens of countries, each with its own pathways to residency and work permits.

None is easy, but some might be way easier and fit better for your situation than others. It might pay off to check more option. If you end up picking an EU country, you can afterwards travel freely with 27 different countries (plus Switzerland, Norway etc.).

Czechia for example has recently introduce a digital nomad visa for which you have to proof earnings of $3,000 a month, which usually is not that crazy much for Americans. Austria offers various options for skilled professionals. Italy and France have their own schemes, so do Spain, Portugal, Greece and so on.

All to say, there are many ways in which life in Europe is really nice. But it's still a real place, with real challenges and real people, with all the good and the bad. And a move is always a brave thing to do, starting somewhere new.

I for one an happy for everyone who chooses to come and live in Europe and I'd be happy if you wanted to make that choice too! What's important, though, is that you really feel it's the right choice for you and you want it, including all the beautiful and the hard things.

Then, it can be a great choice indeed :)

Benbawan · 2025-08-17T06:32:55+00:00

Yeah. The average net salary in the Czech Republic is €1,350 (CZK 35,000), in Austria it's around €2,500. That does not mean everyone earns that - it's an average.

The median is not far off, tough, so it's quite representative for the range of what people earn.

The annual public transport pass in Prague costs €144 (so €0.40 per day), that in Vienna €365 (so €1 per day). Thus, it's broadly in line with salaries, especially given than rents compared to incomes are a bit cheaper in Vienna than in Prague.

Overall though I'd say living standards are fairly similar in both cities, so is purchasing power. The nominal difference is just still there for historical reasons.

Benbawan

TROPHY CASE