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Innovation & Technologie Angebot

Urban mobility sharing system based on a for that purpose designed electric vehicle

Country of Origin: Switzerland
Reference Number: TOCH20180425001
Publication Date: 23 May 2018

Summary

A Swiss spin-off offers an emission-free, sustainable mobility sharing system based on a specifically developed vehicle: three-wheel, electric with a roof, made of sustainable material. In its function, comfort and investment costs it is positioned between the car and the (e-)bike and developed for the first and last mile. The company is looking for partnerships with cities, public transport and sharing fleet providers as commercial agreement in form of feedback to the offered mobility solution.

Description

According to the UN, it is expected that by 2050, 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. This implies an increase in both individual travel and traffic congestion. There is an urgent demand for “Smart Cities” replacing the fossil-fuel vehicles by public transport and sharing systems, actively promoting an environmentally-friendly and sustainable form of transportation. Innovative solutions for the “first and last mile” problem within cities are needed to reduce car traffic.



Conventional sharing systems offering bikes or scooters are known to reach only about 30% of their user potential, due to bad weather conditions and the fact that these two-wheel vehicles attract mostly younger, athletic and more likely male users.



The offered mobility solution consists of a free-floating fleet of three-wheel electric vehicles, which can be localized, booked, locked/unlocked, operated and paid by a mobile app. 



The vehicle

The vehicle has an electric drive, is made from sustainable materials and has a hard-top weather protection with a solar roof. It is the first vehicle in the world specifically designed for sharing use in urban areas and is catering to the needs of all age and social groups. Its use requires no personal fitness or motorbike experience, as it is extremely easy and fun, yet safe to drive in all weather conditions and also on slippery floors. 



The vehicle has a maximum speed of 45 km/h, and due to its design with a safety belt, a helmet is not needed. It has the smallest footprint (1.2m2) and is the lightest (80 kg) three-wheel vehicle on the market. Beside that it features a newly developed tilting mechanism and has swappable batteries.



Mobility solution

Available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, the offered mobility solution offers a safe and comfortable possibility to travel short and medium distances. It compliments the public transport system and provides an extremely convenient and user-friendly way to cover the “last mile” and provide mobility in areas/times not profitable for other public transport solutions.



In addition to its use in urban sharing settings, the offered mobility solution can also be implemented in firm fleets and sales to private users.



Next steps

The project is funded at this time with two different EU funds (Eureka and SME Instruments) as well as by a seed money investor. The company is currently doing production stage development of the vehicle and the user app, evaluating the market situation and establishing contacts with potential producers. In autumn 2018, the company will open an investor round series A. Technical development and TÜV approval will be finished by spring 2019. In autumn 2019, the company will start operating their test fleets in the Swiss cities of Baden and Winterthur, both of which have confirmed their participation.



Market launch

With the support of a Swiss University of Applied Sciences, in 2020 the vehicle will be launched onto the market. Within 5 years of its launch, the mobility solution will be operational in nearly 35 cities with more than 100’000 residents and five major cities with more than 1 million residents, requiring 17’000 vehicles. In the future, people will use the vehicles to make their way from the train station to the office, carry heavy shopping bags home or catch a ride to a doctor’s appointment on a rainy day.



Cooperation

Both to adjust the company’s concept to actual market needs and to strengthen their position in negotiating with possible investors, the Swiss company is looking for commercial agreements with technical assistance in form of feedbacks from cities, public transport organizations and sharing fleet providers. Every feedback, and especially a statement of interest (no financial obligation) would be highly appreciated and help them to advance the project.

Advantages and Innovations

The offered solution is the first vehicle in the world which has been radically developed to meet the following needs:



- Use as a sharing vehicle in urban areas

- Attractive for all age and social user groups, meaning easy and safe to drive, also for less sportive users and on slippery floors

- Comfort for the user: offering weather protection, no helmet required

- Being extremely space-efficient and lightweight

- Electric drive, emission-free

- Storage capacity

- Made from sustainable materials, sustainable production



These criteria are met with the following technical developments of the vehicle:

- controlled by a specifically developed mobile app that finds, books, locks/unlocks and accepts payments 

- 3-wheel construction with a newly developed, innovative tilting mechanism, which ensures both maximum driving safety also on slippery floors and a sportive driving feeling

- features a hard top made from sustainable materials and a seat-safety-belt construction which makes use of a helmet redundant

- with its 1.2m2 footprint and its weight of 80 kg the smallest and lightest 3-wheel-vehicle on the market: 6 vehicles can be parked on one car parking space

- equipped with an electric drive, powered by both swappable batteries and solar panels on the hardtop, making it basically emission-free

- offers space to store at least 2 big shopping bags

- Materials used for production of the vehicle are sustainable, and finding European producers for the components, who can ensure a sustainable production process, is an important development goal

Stage Of Development

Under development/lab tested

Requested partner

The specific area of activity of the partner: 

Responsible for smart city programs and mobility solutions in their city or providers of shared fleets of big companies.



The tasks to be performed by the partner sought:

The company is looking for feedback to the offered mobility solutions from cities, public transport organizations and sharing fleet providers as well as for expressions of interest to offer the mobility solution in their city or company.

Every feedback, and especially a statement of interest (no financial obligation) would be highly appreciated and help to advance the project.