Viktor Musil
Urban-X Accelerator Drives Innovation in Electric Mobility and Bike Safety for Sustainable Transportation
As cities invest more in biking infrastructure and electric bicycles grow in popularity and affordability, e- bikes will take a more prominent role in transportation, especially in deliveries, Johan Schwind, managing director at URBAN- X, told Government Technology.
The newest cohort of earlier stage companies, a group special for its focus on advancing the use of electric mobility and two-wheeled transportation, has been named by Urban- X, an industrial tech accelerator based in New York. It will provide companies in the cohort with expertise and resources after taking into account 79 applicants.
According to Schwind,” We typically view this as a very positive trend that can address both space-use and emissions-related challenges for cities,” Schwind wrote in an email in reference to e-bikes ‘ increasing popularity. ” However there are also downsides, especially in the increased fatalities in cyclists, which increasingly involve e- bikes”.
Addressing E-bike Battery Challenges: Pop Wheels’ Vision for Battery-Swapping Infrastructure in Urban Mobility
These kinds of issues were important in the selection of the seven startups for the 14th cohort, which was made public on March 11. Velo AI is developing a bike safety platform known as Copilot that will track the cyclist as they approach other vehicles in real-time, giving the cyclist more insight into the streetscape around them. Pop Wheels, another batch company, is focused on growing its e- bike battery- swapping operation, seen as a must for higher- use cycling in the goods delivery sector.
Most e-bike batteries power a bike for four to five hours, David Hammer, president and co- founder of Pop Wheels, told GT. But, if delivery people want to work a full day, continuous, they need two batteries. This can be expensive and cumbersome because the cyclists then need to store and charge the free.
” On top of all this, their batteries are usually lower- quality, used beyond their designed cycle life, and/or charged poorly, serving as key drivers of the fire crisis devouring New York City”, Hammer said.
PopWheels was established in New York City, has conducted battery swapping experiments in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and plans to expand there even further this year.
E-bikes: Transforming Urban Mobility for Business and Commuters
We do not doubt that battery-swapping will be a significant component of industrial infrastructure for several cities in the future, Hammer said, adding that e-bike-share businesses also need to charge and/or swap out batteries.” We believe battery-swapping can be a significant part of this industry going frontward,” he continued.
E- bikes are particularly well suited for business- to- business ( B2B ) operations, Schwind said.
” For commuters, e- bikes make a difference in that they make longer commutes possible, but factors like whether or how nice the route is are even important”, he said. ” For people using bikes appropriately, those factors are less important, and e- bikes allow them to be more successful and earn more income. We’re enthusiastic about e-bikes for business, and one of our traits is the inclusion of PopWheels into our most recent group.
Two more cohort companies are looking into needs for energy vehicles. By providing information on the steps involved in installing charging infrastructure in homes, LCtrium assists in facilitating the installation process for EV owners by connecting EV owners to electricians and product suppliers. The Chargely app assists in identifying charging locations for cars.
The three different demographic companies concentrate on different technological fields. Vertify Analytics uses drones to perform building inspections. The concept of developing space-based thermal fresh energy and bringing it down to Earth is being explored by Virtus Solis. Additionally, Rego created a waste management app.
