When most people think of electric vehicles (EVs), massive transportation fleets and electric cars at the consumer level come to mind. However, electric scooters and bikes are gaining momentum in cities worldwide. They provide clean and quiet alternatives to gas-powered vehicles and serve as connected, rentable solutions to CO2 emissions and traffic congestion.
The Rise of E-Scooters and Sharing Programs
Twenty-one countries have scooter-sharing programs. Since 2019, the number of shared scooters on the road has grown from 66,000 to 104,000 — an increase of 58%. In 2020, 122 cities worldwide offered moped sharing, and the number of global moped sharing providers grew from 54 to 76.
Kumpan electric, an e-scooter manufacturer in Germany, offers e-scooters as an individual purchase or as part of a free-floating sharing system. The system enables users to rent and park e-scooters in designated business areas. The station-based option empowers organizations to make their e-scooters and charging stations exclusively available to employees.
EV Charging and E-Scooters
One primary benefit of e-scooters is that they can be charged wherever there is a power outlet. Kumpan electric’s scooters allow users to charge the batteries individually at any standard household socket. Batteries can also be charged at an EV station. These batteries provide many years of use without capacity loss.
Most electric cars and motorcycles need 220 V outlets, the standard voltage for outlets in Europe and other regions. There are efforts to make these more widespread across the U.S. Some of the simpler e-scooters can use standard 110 V outlets, making them suitable for college campuses, business parks or busy cities in the U.S.
E-scooters and sharing programs represent a considerable effort to curb the harmful effects of burning petroleum-based fuel. Moreover, these compact vehicles can reduce traffic congestion in cities, which is becoming a pressing problem as urban populations grow.
IoT Connectivity Requirements for E-Scooters and EV Charging
Kumpan electric’s scooters have an intuitive touch display that shows useful data to drivers, such as speed and range. Kumpan also provides cities and enterprises with vehicle tracking capabilities and alerts them to mechanical issues.
These features require a stable internet connection and network availability for proper IoT device functioning. Cellular IoT connectivity plays a crucial role in shared mobility. EV charging stations cannot process transactions or track data without cellular IoT modules and at least one type of SIM technology. Kumpan electric needed an all-in-one solution that included telematics-grade modules, SIMs and device management from one IoT partner, which they found with Telit.
Telit Empowers Better Urban Transportation
Telit’s IoT enablement solutions can reduce the costs of connectivity and device management and simplify scalability for your EV charging deployment. We offer flexible, customized data plans and solutions like Telit simWISE™ that streamline operations. Our IoT module portfolio empowers manufacturers to launch their IoT devices in markets worldwide.
Speak with our IoT experts to get started on your EV charging solution.