At a time when innovation runs fast and sustainable mobility has become not only a necessity but a real frontier of industrial and cultural development, some choices tell more than just a business strategy. This is the case of the partnership between Etriko and HopOnMobilityan alliance that immediately caused a stir with its unprecedented combination of industrial solidity and technological momentum. This is not just a meeting between an Italian manufacturing giant and an IoT start-up: a much more ambitious game is being played here, involving the very future of shared micro-mobility.
A 50-year industrial history
To understand the value of this alliance, one must start from the roots: SKG Italythe holding company of Etriko, is a family business with more than fifty years of manufacturing history behind usfounded in Parma and today a leader in automotive components. Its customers include names such as: Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Valeojust to name a few. It produces battery coolers, filters, air conditioning components and has a supply range of about 90% cars in Europe.
But there's more: SKG is a multinational company in its own right, which has managed to diversify without dispersing. Infrared burners for Weber, lead batteries for the marine and automotive markets, even the invention of the 'Rolly', the world's smallest toothbrushalso sold under Disney and Marvel licences. Yet, at the height of its industrial maturity, SKG decided to look to the future. Thus was born Etrikoits electric micro-mobility division.
Etriko: electric mobility with the DNA of Italian engineering
The vision behind Etriko is clear: to address electric micro-mobility not as a passing trend, but as a strategic verticalwith its own identity and production culture. It is not a matter of importing scooters from China and 'branding' them: Etriko designs and manufactures. The approach, as Alessandro Fontanesi, the company's Brand Manager, is 'a bit old-fashioned': before even launching a product, 'we already have the parts in house'because after-sales service is an integral part of reliability.
But Etriko's true hallmark is its design. The scooters Riviera, Bellaggio and Venus are not mere vehicles: they are hints of the Italian dolce vitainspired by the 1950s, with lines evoking Lambretta, Rumi, Ducati. It's not nostalgia, it's neuromarketing: 'friendly' design that generates trust and lowers the threshold of technological adoption.
"Our Venere already has 200 km of range and high performance," explains Fontanesi. "But to offer a real plus to our partners, something more was needed: an advanced digital platform. And that's where HopOnMobility comes in."
HopOnMobility: the start-up that speaks in code... with a spanner in its hand
On the other side of the synergy, there is HopOnMobility, an Italian start-up with a IoT platform designed to revolutionise light fleet management. With an approach that combines technology, field experience and B2B business focus, HopOnMobility is more than a software provider: it is a digital transformation partner for anyone operating scooters, e-bikes or electric scooters.
"For us, this collaboration with Etriko is an important recognition," states Nadia MangiavacchiCEO of HopOnMobility. "Having the trust of a company like SKG Italia means that our IoT solutions are perceived as solid, scalable, reliable."
The HopOn platform does not only manage rentals and bookings: it is a complete digital ecosystemwhich enables real-time vehicle monitoring, intelligent alerts, geolocation, route optimisation and access to strategic data and customised KPIs. The whole, with keyless managementmulti-vehicle compatibility, and even the possibility of offering customised tourist routes thanks to Artificial Intelligence.
The spark: an encounter, an insight, a shared vision
The spark was ignited at theEICMAthe most important mobility fair in Europe. Nadia Mangiavacchi, founder and visionary mind behind HopOnMobility, noticed the Venere scooter and immediately recognised its potential for the fleet market.
"It is not only beautiful," he says, "but it is well built, designed to lastwith excellent real-world autonomy. Perfect for those who want to manage a touring or corporate fleet."Etriko's approach also strikes a chord: the guys in this start-up are not classic lab nerds, but people who "he works with a spanner in his hand." And that, in the world of vehicles, matters.
"The thing that convinced us,"says Fontanesi, "is that at HopOnMobility they never tell you 'it can't be done'. They tell you: 'let's try it'. This is the approach we were looking for. Because in our industry, every obstacle is an opportunity to innovate."
Projects in the field: tourism, fleets and smart hotels
The synergy has already produced concrete results. The models Riviera, Bellaggio and Venus have been engineered with HopOnMobility systemsand are currently in circulation. A first test has started on Lake Maggiore: a fleet of shared electric boats and scooters, fully integrated with the IoT platform.
For Etriko, the focus is now clear: tourism and the hotel sector. The goal for 2026 is to bring intelligent scooters to hotels, campsites and resorts in Italy and abroad, offering turnkey packagesvehicle plus software, ready to use.
"With HopOnMobility," explains Mangiavacchi, "we offer accommodation facilities the opportunity to become sustainable mobility hubgenerating new sources of income by offering tourist experiences, partnerships with local activities and customised itineraries."
The new frontier of micro-mobility: from mechanics to artificial intelligence
What emerges from this collaboration is a paradigm shift. It is no longer enough to produce a good vehicle: you need to make it smart, connected, manageable. And it must be done with proprietary technologyscalable, designed for the real world.
HopOnMobility succeeds in meeting these needs, integrating perfectly with Etriko's values: quality, service, reliability. And vice versa, Etriko allows a young start-up to prove that its technology can work on a large scaleon mid- to high-end products designed to last.
"Our aim,"Nadia Mangiavacchi concludes, "is not only to simplify fleet management. È enhancing the territorymake tourism smarter, more sustainable and more engaging. Micro-mobility is a huge opportunity, if managed sensibly'..
An Italian school case of bottom-up innovation
Etriko's decision to focus on HopOnMobility is a clear signal: even large companies can (and should) opening doors to external innovationif they want to remain competitive. But it is also a lesson for start-ups: credibility is not only built with pitches, but in the field, with greasy hands and brains switched on.
Together, these two Italian companies are charting a concrete and ambitious course for the mobility of the future: a course made up of beautiful, intelligent vehicles ready to explore the world. A route, finally, all Italian.
A new culture of hospitality
HopOnMobility is much more than a platform: it is a vision of sustainable, digital and territorial travel. In a world where authenticity and responsibility are increasingly in demand, it offers hirers and facilities the opportunity to become protagonists of experiential tourism.
HopOnMobilty offers a complete and integrated ecosystem which includes a management platform for desktop and mobile, aapps for end users capable of showing customised points of interest, routes and maps, based on preferences, thanks to artificial intelligence. We guarantee the compatibility with IoT devices and third-party hardware.
