Car2Go Meets Bike Meets Electric Vehicle
70-80% of emissions from crude oil come from tank to wheel, or actually driving a vehicle. It makes sense that cities keep putting in bike lanes to try and be more sustainable. Vancouver has a mild climate which would be perfect for commuting via bike except for one major issue, the rain. The guardian article we read suggests that companies should focus on the product or service to tie sustainability to the company’s core business to satisfy customer’s needs (Sherwin, 2011). VeloMetro Mobility is a company which has produced a three-wheeled, full-enclosed bicycle that takes the power input of the rider and multiplies it through a battery pack. The vehicle, VeloCar is able to operate in bike lanes, allowing citizens to skip traffic and operate the vehicle without a driver’s license. It goes up to 32km per hour, can help users climb hills and travel longer distances and the electric power assist can be adjusted for user preference. The vehicle combines the best of an electric vehicle, bicycle and Car2Go. The vehicle follows a similar car sharing or bike sharing program where consumers pay per minute. VeloMetro has created this product to address consumer needs and to tackle the issue of sustainable transport.
The Velocar takes one of Ottman’s fifteen strategies for sustainable product development; energy and fuel efficient. The vehicle is definitely fuel efficient in that no gas is needed to run the vehicle. The sharing service makes it even more sustainable.
On one hand it would be interesting to see the life-cycle analysis of this vehicle. It is very sustainable to operate and would hopefully reduce the amount of cars on the road. On the other hand, it would be hard to compare the vehicle to other alternatives. There are currently no direct competitors to this vehicle. It is slower than a car2go and you have to pedal, yet easier and more convenient than a bicycle.
The VeloCar is currently in beta testing and is planning its full launch in 2016. It will be interesting to see how successful it is and whether the city of Vancouver will help promote this product as part of the Greenest City 2020 Plan.
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/products-services-sustainable-business-strategy
http://beedie.sfu.ca/ideas/2015/01/pedal-power-hybrid-vehicle-set-for-vancouver/
Hello Kristen,
VeloCar seems to be a such an interesting looking with combination of Car2Go and a bicycle. It could have been more helpful to see if there were any demo videos of how it actually works and looks in detail. I feel VeloCar will also go well with Vancouver’s the Greenest City 2020 plan, with its energy and fuel efficiency. I will also look forward to see next year of how it will do on the actual market and what are responses for it. Thank you for a great post! 🙂
Sujin