Copenhagen Introduces Smart Electric Bicycles

The city of Copenhagen is having its shared co-operated bikes replaced with motor-assisted electric bicycles, which feature their own touch-screen instrument panels. The bikes were beta-tested last September and October, and have motors that provide up to 450 watts of power and can be recharged at dozens of docking ports across the city.

Copenhagen’s New High-Tech Electric Bicycles

The new electric bicycles have tablet computers installed between the handlebars, which allow users to book and pay for the bikes and to navigate with GPS. Bikes can also be reserved remotely via a phone app or a computer.

Availability is a crucial aspect of city-wide bike-sharing, and this is another area where the new tablet technology comes into play. The system can detect whether a certain dock is getting more reservation requests than bikes it can provide. If this occurs, nearby cyclists are presented with the opportunity to receive credits towards future rides if they leave their bike at a specific location when they are done. This system helps to reduce the number of costly shuttles needed to keep bikes in areas where demand is high, and also reduces the overall number of bikes required in the city.

How much bicycle-sharing will cost to the users depends on whether they are subscribed to the service and how long they plan to ride for. The city is expected to pay for approximately 60% of the system, with user fees covering the rest of the cost. This is about on par with the cost split of other public transit systems. The pricing model differs from other bike-sharing schemes such as Vélib’ and Citi Bike, which are partially supported by advertising. Copenhagen’s system is built around an effort to compete with cars for commuters, hoping to draw car drivers away from their vehicles and onto electric bicycles instead.

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Anyone looking to purchase their own electric bicycle should browse our extensive range of high quality e-bikes and e-bike accessories. You can try out any of our bikes at one of our traffic-free test tracks in London or any of our UK dealerships. Our experienced staff will be on hand to answer any queries you may have.

If you would like to find out more about electric bikes, contact us by filling in our online contact form. Alternatively, speak to one of our experts on 020 7378 4728 and we will be happy to answer any queries.