Jun 20, 2021Getting from A to B and back again is part of everyday urban life. For cities around the world, alleviating the challenge of "last mile" personal transportation—commuting from a public transit hub, such as a railway station, bus depot or ferry berth, to a place of work, home or another final destination—remains a work-in-progress. One major roadblock is that existing transport infrastructure doesn't take people door to door. At the same time, millions of people traveling from point to point each day must consider the cost of the trip, congestion, parking availability, health issues and even environmental impacts—in other words, factors which tend to favour leg- and pedal-powered options over engine-powered, carbon-intensive modes of transport (think cars and buses).
For these reasons, technology-driven micromobility encompassing shared-use fleets of small, lightweight, fully or partially human-powered personal vehicles, such as bicycles, electric bikes (ebikes) and electric scooters (escooters), has been leading a change of direction for urban mobility. The global number of public-use bicycles soared from 2.3 million in 2016 to 18.2 million within two years, while in 2018 an estimated 1,600 bike-sharing programs were in operation worldwide (according to analyst Statista). In the United States alone, people took 136 million trips on share bikes, ebikes and escooters in 2019, a 60 percent increase compared to the previous year, reports the National Association of City Transportation Officials.
The Journey to Advanced Urban Mobility
But like so many established and emerging industries, the previously accelerating, multibillion-dollar micromobility market came crashing back to earth amid the chaos of 2020. Ridership and revenue plummeted as COVID-19 tightened its grip around the globe, with a combination of lockdowns, border closures and travel bans, strict social-distancing measures and a transition to working from home hardly promoting the role of advanced urban mobility. For example, research by McKinsey showed the immediate impact of COVID-19 saw the number of shared and private micromobility passenger-miles traveled decline by 50 to 60 percent worldwide.
Yet fast-forward to the new reality of 2021 and beyond, the micromobility sector is already bouncing back. And the very same health crisis responsible for the downturn is now pushing the industry on its road to recovery. Indirectly, the pandemic is generating a renewed interest in the use of lightweight personal vehicles as a genuine alternative to cars. As people increasingly prioritize healthy, hygienic, low-risk, affordable, greener and congestion-free commuting, the McKinsey modeling suggests passenger-miles traveled will rise back up to 10 percent above pre-pandemic totals by 2025.
Looking ahead, bike-sharing initiatives, which have been successfully implemented in Europe, Asia and North America, will help solve the last mile (and first mile) commuting problem. Long rows of bikes parked in a fixed docking station—either staffed, coin deposit or automated—will perform the roles of bike rack, digital bike lock and registration system, all in one. The bikes are available for hire on a short-term basis for a small cost or subscription fee, often via mobile payment. These systems feature smartphone mapping apps showing nearby available bikes and open docks. To overcome the drawbacks of the fixed dock—primarily the inconvenience of locating a (relatively) nearby station at both the start and end of journeys—dockless smart bike systems have also emerged.
Wireless Tech Supports Micromobility Solutions
Just as wireless technology formed part of the foundation of micromobility's success before the pandemic, so too a reliable link between smartphones and networks of low-maintenance bikes will remain crucial in the post-pandemic world. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is currently used in most share bikes for communication between the bicycle and an associated smartphone app, while some systems are employing cellular Internet of Things (IoT) with BLE as backup. Crucially, the low power consumption of the wireless technologies ensures these vehicles stay connected and can be located throughout a journey and beyond.
A standout example is Hellobike, backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba, which provides micromobility services for 230 million registered users in more than 200 cities, making it one of China's largest bike-sharing platforms. From a smartphone app, users can find a smart bike near them and instantly unlock it using integrated BLE technology from Nordic Semiconductor. The system works well, in part, because BLE SoCs provide seamless interoperability with virtually all modern smartphones.
When pushing the pedals unassisted is not a desired option, ebikes with lithium batteries and compact, brushless electric motors, as well as their two-wheeled cousins, escooters, come to the fore. Ebikes promise not only to extend micromobility to a wider audience, but also to change last mile trips to every mile ones. And if, as anticipated, shared ebikes are eventually equipped with cellular IoT-based geofencing capability, it will be easier to manage the areas in which the bikes can be used and avoid incidents of riders tempted to take their hired powered bikes well beyond city limits.
Barcelona, Spain-based recreational electric vehicle developer Unlimited, for example, has launched an ebike kit enabling a user to turn any bicycle into an electric bike in just a few minutes using BLE connectivity for wireless electric power-assist activation. While today's machines are still controlled by wires, it is not difficult to see ebikes becoming wireless, with not only the gears, but the motor being controlled by radio signals.
Considering that 35 percent of all U.S. car trips are under 3.5 kilometres (2.3 miles), as measured by the National Household Travel Survey, wider availability of alternatives such as ebikes would encourage travelers to make these short trips without relying on personal cars, taxis or ride-hailing vehicles that contribute to traffic congestion, urban sprawl and even climate change.
Wireless tech-based alternative modes of single-occupant transport are on track to supercharge sustainable urban mobility, taking travelers the first mile, the last mile and perhaps every mile of future citywide commutes.
Alf Helge More is the business development manager for transportation at Nordic Semiconductor.
