Source: Stackerbiker/The Pack News | “It’s again a sad day for the electric motorbike industry – and for entrepreneurship more broadly. Every time one of these stories comes out, it’s a reminder of how hard it is to build a hardware company in this sector. I have deep respect for entrepreneurs like Victor Sommer, who take risks and put everything they have into creating something new.” – Guy Selens, The Pack Global.
Munich-based electric motorcycle manufacturer Black T Motorcycles has entered preliminary insolvency proceedings. On July 14, 2026, the Munich District Court ordered preliminary bankruptcy administration over Black T motorbikes GmbH, appointing Munich lawyer Florian Loserth as preliminary administrator. Their function is to assess the company’s financial condition, secure its remaining assets, and determine whether continued operations or restructuring is possible. Formal insolvency proceedings have not yet been opened. (Das Verbraucherschutzforum)
What the order means in practice for ongoing operations, outstanding orders, open repairs and supply of spare parts is not yet known. The Pack’s German partner outlet Stackerbiker contacted Black T motorbikes for comment; The company had not responded by the time of publication.
Last production update pointed to growing problems
The most recent detailed update from Black T Motorcycles came on March 21, 2026, when founder and CEO Victor Sommer posted a video update. They described delays in storage and charge tanks, missing chargers, late wiring harnesses, and — most importantly — difficulties sourcing new battery packs for the 2026 model year Bonfire and Wildfire.
To let customers start regardless of the season, BTM planned to initially ship motorcycles with old or used batteries, later swapping out batteries ordered by customers. The CBS versions were targeted for delivery from April; The planned ABS model faced potential delays in both homologation and battery supply.
That update reveals one detail: Customers who had only paid a deposit were asked to transfer the balance before delivery, so that BTM could make full payment for the pre-ordered batteries and expedite their arrival. In retrospect, this points to tight liquidity in early March, although this is not proof in itself.
The monthly production updates promised by BTM did not continue thereafter. It is currently unclear how many of the announced motorcycles were ultimately delivered.
Owners and pre-order customers expressed concern
There was already unease in the community before the bankruptcy proceedings became public. Several users on the electroroller-forum reported that they had been unable to reach Black T motorbikes by phone, email or WhatsApp for some time, while others said they had had contact with the company as recently as early July. (Elektroroller-Forum.de)
Since the bankruptcy order became public, customers have come forward saying that they have made full payment for the wildfire but have not received it. Others are waiting for parts to be sent for repair, retrofit, or service. The forum post also describes canceled orders for ABS retrofit kits. These accounts come from individual affected customers and have not been independently verified.
Beyond financial concerns, a practical question now comes to the fore: how will the motorcycles already on the road be serviced and repaired over the long term? Some owners have begun storing manuals, wiring diagrams, videos, and supplier information, while others are offering to share their own fixes and sources of parts within the community.
From university project to German manufacturer
Black T motorbikes began in 2019, when Victor Sommer built an electric café racer as a university project. Black T motorbikes GmbH was founded in June 2020, and its subsequent crowdfunding campaign raised over €600,000 to develop and organize Bonfire. Series production of that first model began in 2021.
The Bonfire relied heavily on the components and design principles of combustion motorcycles. That relatively simple construction – a hub motor, removable battery, and a plethora of off-the-shelf parts – makes it easy to understand and comparatively easy to repair. Black T Motorcycles itself has stated that it has worked extensively on combustion-motorcycle parts during development.
The Wildfire marked a huge step forward for the small Munich company: a purpose-built platform with an unusual riveted stainless-steel frame made of intricately folded panels, with no conventional welds. Development ended in 2024 and the bike reached the market in 2025. In doing so, BTM achieved something that many other start-ups failed to do: developing, homologating, producing and actually delivering an entirely new electric motorcycle to customers.
Stackerbiker/The Pack’s Take
Black T motorbikes have come a long way – from a university project and a single prototype to a German electric motorcycle manufacturer. Following the Bonfire, which still relied heavily on a design designed for combustion motorcycles, the small Munich team did some of the hard work with the Wildfire: developing, homologating, and actually bringing an entirely new vehicle platform to the road.
But the market around it has become tough. The Honda WN7 is now a direct competitor priced not too far off a well-equipped Wildfire. Its battery is a bit small, but CCS fast charging, cornering ABS, traction control, a liquid-cooled drivetrain and a major manufacturer’s dealer and service network make it feel quite mature – and it’s even offered in an 11kW version for A1 license holders.
The A1 and 11kW electric motorcycle segment is far more competitive today than when BTM’s story began, while development, sourcing, homologation and production have all become more expensive. This leaves little scope for a small manufacturer to absorb rising costs without increasing prices.
What’s next for Black T motorbikes is not yet clear. Early bankruptcy administration doesn’t automatically mean the end of a company – other electric motorcycle manufacturers have gone through bankruptcy, ownership changes, or major restructurings and come out on the other side.
For existing owners, at least, BTM’s own philosophy may now work in its favor. The company was relatively open about the components it used, relied heavily on standard parts, and made its bikes modular and accessible – which improved the chances that the community could organize future repairs, sourcing parts, and technical improvements.
Our thoughts are with the riders, pre-order customers, Victor Sommer and the entire team at BTM. We expect that these bankruptcy proceedings will prove to be a difficult chapter for the company to deal with. Black T motorbikes brought colour, freedom and a personal touch to the electric motorcycle market – we would miss it if it disappeared.
If you prefer to read the original (German) article from our media partner Stackerbiker / The Pack News, here is the link:
