Urban mobility should be safe, accessible and hassle-free. It should contribute to a liveable, free and open city life. This calls for a smart vehicle that makes life simple for everyone. This fall, we will present the world’s first Solar City Car, optimized for shared mobility.

Creating something both simple and impactful is no easy task. In 2019, we started with a powerful vision: a solar city car for everyone. Above all, we wanted to simplify mobility for users, fleet owners and cities all over the world. The result: the SQUAD Solar City Car, available in 2022.

Simple to Share

What makes the SQUAD easy to share? It’s all about access, energy, space and connectivity. The two-seater vehicle is easy to access and operate. It charges automatically in sunlight and includes swappable batteries. Its small size helps to quickly navigate the city and easily park anywhere. The robust design makes it safe and stable. Essential vehicle data is available 24/7 for fleet management, and mobile app connection.

Robert Hoevers, CEO of Squad Mobility: “Keeping a free-floating fleet charged is one of the main operational costs of an EV sharing fleet operator. The automatic, wireless and free solar charging is of course a wonderful solution.” “Also, cities love solar charging, as this is a sustainable energy source. It decreases the load on the local charging infrastructure and energy demand.” “Cities are looking for zero emission mobility solutions with a small space footprint. We have achieved both. A per capita energy consumption lower than public transport and a space footprint comparable to a bicycle. And all this, while offering the flexibility of personal transport and the comfort of a car”.

Smart Solutions

On top of a 100km range provided by the swappable batteries, automatic solar charging provides up to an extra 20km per day. As the average person in this LEV segment drives 12 km per day, this is enough on most days. Three SQUADS fit comfortably in one parking space. The aluminum tubular frame and roll cage guarantee safe rides. The tires act as bumpers to protect the bodywork. Sensors enable remote diagnosis, e.g., operating condition, charge levels, tire pressure, location, etc.

Durable & Affordable

SQUAD is designed to withstand the wear and tear of heavy use. Both interior and exterior are easy to clean, broken parts are easy to replace. Recycled materials are used where possible. The bill of materials and construction have been optimized, making the SQUAD simply affordable and guaranteeing low CAPEX and OPEX for sharing operators.

Swappable batteries and Battery Fleet Management System

Next to solar charging, the SQUAD features swappable and portable batteries. Batteries can be swapped when vehicles need a quick recharge. Battery State of Charge and State of Health, as well as many other parameters like maximum discharge rate, cell temperature and misuse indicators like water damage or excessive G-forces are monitored and are available to the operator. Squad will offer a smart charging & swapping station for reserve batteries to fleet operators. Other charging options include charging from a regular power socket and DC charging directly from locally installed solar panels.

Remote diagnostics, maintenance, control, cameras

Information is key, users want to know where the vehicles are and what the state of charge is. We offer additional information on the state of operation, tire pressures, cleanliness, damage, etc. Operators need all relevant information on the state of the fleet so they can plan maintenance as efficiently as possible.

We will equip the Squads with cameras to check the state of the vehicles and their position in the public space, the usage by the customer and the cause of accidents. Customers tend to be much more careful when the vehicles are equipped with cameras. They can also ask the operator for help when necessary.

Finally, cameras offer the possibility for remote control of the vehicle by the operator, for instance, when the vehicle is improperly parked or blocking an exit. Chris Klok (Chief of Design), “Remote control means we take extra capabilities into account in the design, such as the application of remote actuation of the steering and the possibility to relay data from the CAN bus to the operator and back in a secure way.” “In the longer term, we envision the use of autonomous technology to control the fleet in the city, for example to move vehicles back to places with high demand or more sunshine for charging.

The SQUAD Solar City Car is currently available for pre-order. Sharing operators are invited to get in contact with Squad Mobility for customized designs and offers.

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Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis on the micro-mobility industry finds that, globally, it is set to become one of the most attractive forms of sustainable mobility thanks to its convenience, affordability and safety.

 Comprising bike-sharing, kick scooter sharing, and scooter sharing, the global micro-mobility market is estimated to register 31.9 million vehicles by 2025, up from 20.5 million in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.2%.

Bike-sharing currently accounts for almost 98% of the micro-mobility market’s fleet size but kick scooter sharing and scooter sharing are gaining traction in several countries around the world. Despite COVID-19 significantly affecting the market, the easing of lockdowns and post-pandemic shift in commuting habits have increased demand for micro-mobility options.

“One of the key disruptive trends in the growth of micro-mobility services can be attributed to technology advancements,” said Chanchal Jetha, Mobility Research Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. “Technology providers will offer a host of solutions for fleet operations and management, including infrastructure solutions such as smart docking stations and solar-powered charging stations and hardware solutions including smart locks and sensors. Advanced technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent fleet management systems and navigational systems will drive growth for the micromobility market.”

Jetha added: “On a macro level, a trend which is already happening is the integration of micro-mobility with mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) platforms. This convergence will enable first- and last-mile connectivity for better journeys as well as managing and catering to evolving demand-and-supply requirements more effectively.”

To tap into the lucrative growth prospects created by the rising demand for micro-mobility, market participants should focus on the following:

• Sustainability: With increased support from governments and city authorities to promote sustainable mobility, OEMs and other allied manufacturing industries should consider designing vehicles that seamlessly transport people and focus on sustainability.
• Explore Business Model Diversification: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of service diversification for micro-mobility providers. Operators should move toward models that provide all types of micro-mobility options under one app, thus serving customers’ multimodal needs.
• Leverage Technology Innovation: In addition to solving key challenges such as vandalism and vehicle range, participants can explore new areas with high potential, such as self-cleaning handlebars, children’s bikes, and cargo bikes.
• Develop Industry Partnerships: Public-private partnerships between technology companies, manufacturers, and public agencies will result in the joint development of strategies for developing and deploying autonomous mobility services.

The post Global Micro-mobility Market to Thrive with Bike-sharing Set to Dominate by 2025 appeared first on Eco Car Guide.

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But going anywhere, any time in robotic driving mode is a long way off.

Mobility and freight services, over well-defined routes, may be the first major step.

Toyota is developing an e-Palette autonomous electric vehicles service to provide on-demand transport facilities in the early 2020s.

This will be trialled at Toyota’s Woven City, a prototype city being built in the foothills of Mount Fuji in Japan.

This real-world testing will pave the way for commercial operation in the next few years to deliver goods, services and mobility to people when needed.

It might still be used for private, mechanically chauffeured trips, especially with an ageing population, but shared vehicles and moving freight will be of great benefit to the community.

Motoring Minutes are heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. Motoring Minutes have an average daily audience of over 150,000 listeners. Motoring Minutes are also broadcast as part of Overdrive Radio Program, which is broadcast through the Community Radio Network across Australia and has a weekly audience of over 450,000.

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In the past, the image of “the future” was a series of fanciful dreams from the marketing department based on doddles from the design studio.

There is still some of this, but Hyundai, for example, is now promoting its ‘Strategy 2025’ to Accelerate Transition into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider

The strategy builds on three pillars: Smart Mobility Device, Smart Mobility Service and H2 Solutions.

That they are talking about mobility means they are pushing much more than horsepower and handling to consider how they might help customers get around in a practical way that may not always include owning or driving a car.

This is a response to car companies that have burnt their credibility with over optimistic projects about when fully autonomous vehicles will be available.

Im David Brown

Motoring Minutes are heard around Australia every day on over 50 radio channels through the Torque Radio network. Motoring Minute has an average daily audience of over 150,000 listeners. Motoring Minute is also broadcast as part of Overdrive Radio Program, which is broadcast through the Community Radio Network across Australia and has a weekly audience of over 450,000.

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