By the end of 2018, one can already talk about a "E-Scooter Hype" with new start-ups hustling into the free-floating e-mobility market every week, often founded with millions in the two-digit area.
Until 2020, about 85 % of all share vehicles will be electric.
Simply because free-floating concepts with simple bicycles already proved economically difficult to scale. Issues with vandalism, maintenance, public perception, weather and governmental agencies caused huge damages to the industry and operating free-floating bicycles became a nightmare for many operators.
Going electric without rethinking the concept just worsifies the issues:
In addition to the issues above, electric mobility is challenged by additional problems:
Just like with electric cars, electric micro vehicles need a viable charging and service infrastructure to work in a rental environment. Using untrained personal as "chargers" is not a scalable solution and raises questions about liability in case of burning batteries.
EPAC (Electric Pedal Assist Bicycles) are designed following a worldwide valid set of regulations, allowing them to be legally ridden as a bicycle in every country of the world:
So we simply decided to design a unique, super light yet stable folding electric bike that is as compact and light as a e-scooter but enjoys all the benefits of a legal electric bicycle.
And because it is foldable, our Why.Taxi e-bike can be taken with you for free on most public transportation services.
In theory, dumping millions of free-floating vehicles to the streets may on first glance offer enough coverage so that everyone would find a vehicle nearby when needed.
In reality, there are many limitations to that assumption:
Our station based system is highly optimised in terms of locations, type of users and trips quality. Besides, our stations offer valuable route infos and infotainment on LCD screens, allowing us to make revenues even in bad weather conditions.