To charge an e-bike, you either need to plug it into a socket, or remove the battery and plug that in. But a Dutch startup called Tiler has come up with a new method: A wireless charging pad that sits on the floor, or is permanently mounted in the ground, and plugs into a socket.

Power is delivered through the pad and into a companion kickstand mounted to your bike and wired to the battery.

Called the Tiler Compact, the arrangement is being marketed to both e-bike-owning individuals and fleet operators; up to 24 of the pads can be daisy-chained and supported by a single outlet. Top-ups typically take 3 to 6 hours per bike. Installation of the kickstand is straightforward for DIY'ers, the company claims; for those who'd rather leave it to the pros, a bike shop can easily handle it.

To date, the company has installed over 200 Tiler charging stations across Europe for hospitality operators and e-bike fleet operators.

Now they're seeking to scale up, taking pre-orders from consumers. The units require a €29 (USD $34) down payment towards a €250 (USD $293) total price, and they expect to ship by next summer.

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