Cities around the world are suffering from the effects of increasing car traffic. Micromobility has the potential to reduce traffic jams and pollution whilst also offering accessible, comfortable and affordable transport options for all.
Micromobility is a worldwide trend which aims to combine private transport, high traffic volumes and an efficient use of resources. E-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and Segways make it possible for us to travel short distances quickly and easily. These trips can include getting from home to the nearest car sharing point or from the train station to work, for example. This significantly reduces the environmental footprint for mobility – firstly because they don’t take up much space, and secondly because of their efficiency.
“Modern transport solutions are characterised by differentiation and tailored use,” emphasises Markus Emmert, board member of German e-mobility association Bundesverband eMobilität. “Driving a two-tonne vehicle to transport two 10-kilo bags from the supermarket to your house within the same district is ecological insanity. We need incentives for smart transport services and for downsizing. In the case of computers or telephones, the market has long since decided this; in passenger transport, the car fixation prevents us from doing so.”
New class of vehicle
A new class of vehicle is expected to offer an alternative to large and expensive cars – Small or Sustainable Urban Mobility, SUM for short. Generally, these are two-seater electric quadricycles which stand out due to their ultra-compact size, accessibility (in reference to driver’s license class and price) and safety. The Renault Twizy, Mircolino 2.0 and Citroen Ami are among the first series-produced representatives of this class. The concept “…meets new needs and satisfies a new generation of customers seeking mobility and individual freedom, particularly teenagers and young adults,” says Vincent Cobée, Citroën CEO.
Improving profitability
Operators of shared micromobility services in particular have also significantly expanded their activities. However, according to the technological research company ABI Research, they have so far placed little emphasis on developing a sustainable business model.
“After years of rapid but disorderly expansion, most players have high idle vehicle rates and low profitability in various markets due to a mismatch between vehicle supply and demand,” explains Maite Bezerra, Smart Mobility & Automotive Industry Analyst at ABI Research.
It is, therefore, imperative to adopt measures to reduce costs. Vehicle charging alone makes up 50 percent of running costs. Along with rebalancing (the distribution of vehicles in the area of operation), these are the highest operating costs for shared micromobility. According to ABI Research, the costs of charging the batteries will drop by 30 to 60 percent with replaceable batteries, as the vehicles do not have to be transported to the warehouse separately. At the same time, the charging time can be cut from four hours to 15 minutes.
Replaceable batteries reduce costs
Lime, a leading global provider of micromobility solutions, equips its latest generation of e-scooters and e-bikes with standardised replaceable batteries which can be used in both types of vehicle. The new batteries can store almost an entire kilowatt hour of energy, which means the e-bikes need to be charged less often. This keeps down the number of battery changes by the local service team, and consequently also the number of service runs. At the same time, the user can drive more than twice as far with the new batteries in comparison to the industry standard, and the uptime of the vehicles increases.
650 cities offer shared micromobility services (as of February 2021).
Source: International Energy Agency IEA
Repairable batteries
To further improve the sustainability of batteries in micro-vehicles, the Bordeaux-based company Gouach is aiming to develop a battery which can be repaired in less than ten minutes. The hope is that this battery will reduce the amount of electronic waste and lower the carbon footprint of micromobility batteries by 70 percent. The idea is based on a study which reports that many defective batteries still have lots of properly functioning components. Gouach batteries are thus expected to have components that can be easily and safely replaced when they are faulty. According to a study by Magelan, Gouach batteries produce 2.6 times less CO2 than a conventional battery, need 2.5 times less water and are just as efficient.
Safety system for e-scooters
Another challenge for micromobility is the high accident rate. To solve this problem, the company Dock-Y has developed an AI-controlled system for e-scooters and similar vehicles which is based on sensors and camera technology. It recognises potential hazards early on and helps the user to avoid dangerous situations on public roads. Among the most important features are autonomous braking, the detection of pedestrians and crowds of people, all-round proximity sensor technology, progressive user alerts and an intelligent speed limiter.
Self-driving passenger transportation
The CiKoMa concept vehicle by Honda has already incorporated such intelligent systems. The user can summon the electric self-driving micromobility vehicle via voice control and communicate their exact pick-up point with words and gestures. CiKoMa is controlled “cooperatively” – the route can be directed by operating a joystick, assisted by the automatic driving technology.
The Citybot by EDAG goes even further. These are networked, autonomous robotic vehicles which can be linked to various utility modules such as trailer and rucksack modules. Thanks to this modular approach, Citybots can be used anywhere: for transporting people and goods, as city-cleaning vehicles or for private applications, which improves efficiency. The vehicles are not an isolated solution, rather an integral part of a demand-based and holistic transport system.
Last mile transportation
However, micromobility isn’t just an interesting prospect for passenger transportation. It also offers opportunities for the logistics industry to become more efficient and better conserve resources, especially for “last mile” transportation. One such solution is the mini-transporter by Onomotion. It combines the advantages of a fast, narrow and manoeuvrable cargo-bike with a weather-resistant cabin, a loading capacity of two cubic metres and a maximum payload of 220 kilogrammes in one exchangeable container. The pedelecs can use cycle paths, are quiet, don’t get stuck in traffic, don’t double park and don’t need any parking spaces. “Our goal is to rethink urban logistics and establish innovative mobility and logistics,” says Beres Seelbach, co-CEO and founder of Onomotion. “This will allow us to reduce traffic, space demands and emissions in cities, making them more liveable.”
Efficient e-scooters
Range per kilowatt hour:
1.3 kilometres for a petrol car
6.6 kilometres for an e-car
133 kilometres for an e-scooter
Source: Wired Magazin
