Two Swords Commuters, Two ENGWE Folders, and €7,200 Saved: How Mateo & Darragh Beat Airport Gridlock and Clontarf Traffic

BY LIFTY ELECTRIC TEAM · PUBLISHED FOR DUBLIN COMMUTERS

THE SWORDS CONUNDRUM: TWO JOBS, TWO GRIDLOCKS

Happily married and living together in their Swords apartment near Main Street, Mateo Rossi and Darragh Connolly faced two completely different Dublin commuting nightmares every single morning.

Mateo, originally from Southern Italy, works in ground logistics and ramp coordination at Dublin Airport. His journey is approximately 5 kilometres door-to-door down the R132 from Swords Main Street. Without traffic, it is an 8-minute run. But at 7:00 a.m., peak morning congestion backs up through the Pinnock Hill and Airport roundabouts, turning the drive into a 25-to-30-minute crawl. Once you add parking in a remote staff lot and walking through to the airside logistics desk, door-to-clock-in time regularly stretched to 45 minutes on bad mornings. Worse than the lost time was the financial bleed: Dublin Airport employee parking permits cost him €150 each month (€1,800 annually) just to leave a diesel hatchback on cold tarmac.

Darragh, a store supervisor at a supermarket near Clontarf Dart Station, had a 12-kilometre journey down through the Swords Road and Malahide corridor. Relying on commuter bus links meant contending with unpredictable timetables, buses displaying Full signs on rainy mornings, and monthly ticket combinations running to €160 per month.

THE APARTMENT HURDLE: NO GARAGE, NO EXTRA PARKING SPACE

Like many married couples renting in North Dublin, Mateo and Darragh live in a managed apartment complex. Their unit includes one allocated outdoor parking bay. A second parking bay would have cost €100 per month (€1,200 annually) in management fees, with a six-month waiting list.

Standard full-size rigid commuter bikes were out of the question: blocking the shared apartment corridor violated fire regulations, and leaning muddy 28-inch wheels in the living room was a non-starter.

The solution lay in space-smart 20-inch wheels with wide, confidence-inspiring 4-inch all-terrain tyres. Mateo's Engine Pro 2.0 folds down in three quick latches to tuck into the hallway utility cupboard next to the boiler, while Darragh's compact M1 slots neatly alongside against the entryway wall. No second parking bay needed, no bikes left chained outdoors in the rain to attract bike thieves, and zero living space surrendered in the apartment.

THE WEAPONS OF CHOICE: ENGINE PRO 2.0 VS ENGWE M1

Both visited Lifty Electric's Capel Street showroom to test their dimensions and confirm real-world specifications before placing employer orders. Because their commuting routes differed, each selected a model tailored to their specific terrain and ergonomics.

MATEO'S PICK · AIRPORT COMMUTE

ENGWE ENGINE PRO 2.0

Full-suspension torque-sensing beast for rough utility roads and tarmac transitions.

Motor	250W EU Pedelec (750W Peak)
Torque	75 Nm with Torque Sensor
Battery	52V 16Ah (832 Wh) Removable
Suspension	Full (Hydraulic Fork + Rear)
Brakes	Hydraulic Disc (160mm)
Tyres	20" × 4.0" Puncture-Resistant
Assisted Range	Up to 110 km (PAS 1)
Lifty Price	€1,699.00

VIEW ENGINE PRO 2.0 →

DARRAGH'S PICK · CLONTARF COASTAL

ENGWE M1

Motorcycle-style fat-tyre cruiser with plush bench seat and dual suspension.

Motor	250W Rear Hub (EU Pedelec)
Torque	65 Nm
Battery	48V 15.6Ah (749 Wh) Removable
Suspension	Dual (Hydraulic Fork + Twin Rear)
Brakes	Hydraulic Disc (160mm)
Tyres	20" × 4.0" All-Terrain Fat Tyres
Assisted Range	Up to 90 km (PAS 1)
Lifty Price	€1,249.00

VIEW ENGWE M1 →

THE DOUBLE BIKE TO WORK SCHEME: APPROX. €14 A WEEK EACH

Neither Mateo nor Darragh purchased their bikes outright in cash. Both leveraged Ireland's statutory Cycle to Work Scheme through their employers, securing maximum marginal tax relief.

Under Irish Revenue rules, pedelec electric bikes qualify for tax relief on up to €1,500 of the purchase price. For employees paying the higher rate of PAYE (40% income tax + 8% USC + 4% PRSI = 52% total marginal relief), the salary sacrifice reduces taxable earnings before paye is deducted.

*Calculations based on 52% higher marginal rate of PAYE, PRSI, and USC over a 12-month payroll agreement. Lifty Electric charges 0% administration fee on direct employer bank transfers.

For Darragh, paying €11.53 per week on salary sacrifice was less than a single return Swords Express journey and lunch. For Mateo, €17.67 per week was a fraction of his airport parking bill alone.

CALCULATE YOUR BIKE TO WORK SAVINGS →

RUNNING ECONOMICS: THE 42-CENT CHARGE BREAKDOWN

How much does it actually cost to power an e-bike every day in Ireland? A common misconception is that electric bikes produce noticeable spikes on household electricity bills. The physics of lithium-ion batteries proves otherwise.

Mateo's ENGWE Engine Pro 2.0 features an 832 Wh (0.832 kWh) 52V battery pack. Darragh's ENGWE M1 carries a 749 Wh (0.749 kWh) 48V pack. Allowing for roughly 15% energy loss in the transformer and AC-to-DC charging cycle:

• Mateo's 832 Wh battery: Consumes ~0.95 kWh from the wall socket for a full 0% to 100% recharge. At standard domestic electricity rates of €0.42 per kWh, a complete charge costs exactly €0.40.
• Darragh's 749 Wh battery: Consumes ~0.86 kWh from the wall socket. At €0.42 per kWh, a full charge costs just €0.36.

With both riders charging twice weekly to cover their full weekly commuting mileage, their combined household electricity cost is under €3.00 per month (€36 per year).

THE €7,220 ANNUAL SAVINGS AUDIT

When you eliminate car parking permits, petrol/diesel, bus fares, and an extra apartment parking space, the cumulative savings reshape a household budget completely. Here is the verified comparison over their first 12 months:

In Year 2 and beyond, once the 12-month salary sacrifice agreements are fully cleared, their ongoing recurring household savings surpass €7,000 every single year.

DUBLIN REALITY: RAIN, GREASY ROADS, AND WINTER SAFETY

Commuting in North Dublin is not a Mediterranean summer ride. Between October and March, riders face horizontal drizzle off Dublin Bay, wet autumn leaves rotting on the R132 cycle tracks, slippery manhole covers, and inevitable potholes.

How do the two ENGWE bikes hold up on wet Irish tarmac?

• 4.0-Inch Fat Tyres: Both bikes roll on high-volume 20 × 4.0-inch pneumatic tyres run at 22–24 PSI. The wide rubber footprint floats over gravel, wet tram tracks, and leaf-covered tarmac where standard 28mm or 35mm road tyres lose traction. Potholes that would bend a standard bicycle rim are absorbed smoothly by the air cushion.
• Hydraulic Disc Brakes: Wet Dublin rim brakes lose up to 50% of their friction in downpours. Both the Engine Pro 2.0 (160mm hydraulic discs) and ENGWE M1 (160mm hydraulic discs) provide crisp, immediate one-finger stopping power even when rims are soaked with road spray.
• Full-Face Commuter Helmets: Mateo and Darragh both ride in sleek, full-face modular commuter helmets equipped with tinted drop-down sun visors and clear outer shields. In cold North Dublin winds and driving rain, a full visor shields eyes and face from stinging rain and road grit, while providing crucial jaw protection in commuter traffic.
• Commuter Dark Gear: Paired with waterproof technical commuter jackets, heavy-duty weather sealing from Lifty Labs, and integrated high-lumen front and rear LED lights wired directly to the main bike battery, they ride comfortably in conditions that leave car drivers stuck in gridlock.

HOW TO REPLICATE MATEO & DARRAGH'S SETUP

If you commute along the M1, R132, Swords corridor, or Malahide to Dublin coastal routes, here are the three straightforward steps to transition from traffic jams to clean savings:

1. Select Your Bike Model: Choose the full-suspension ENGWE Engine Pro 2.0 for longer, rougher multi-surface routes with heavy loads, or the motorcycle-style ENGWE M1 for relaxed coastal cruising, twin rear suspension, and extended touring range.
2. Request an Employer Bike to Work Quote: Use Lifty Electric's direct quote builder. We provide official Irish Revenue compliant employer invoices with 0% processing fees for direct employer bank transfers.
3. Collect Fully PDI-Inspected from Dublin 1: Collect your bike pre-assembled and safety-inspected from our Lifty Labs workshop at 157 Capel Street, Dublin 1, or order online for direct nationwide delivery anywhere in Ireland.