What has BrainBox SA done – What are the next steps
Using a bicycle for transportation is gaining more and more fans in the European cities both among the residents and the visitors. Thessaloniki is no exception and this has allowed BrainBox SA to deal with the specific market in the last decade, innovate and eventually expand its activity across other Greek cities as well. In 2008 the company successfully launched the EasyBike system and is now taking the next step. From sharing classic-style bikes with automated rental, it goes to the electrically-assisted e-bike, which is self-contained and completely controlled by a smartphone, as long as the user has downloaded the application and has registered for easybike. BrainBox has already placed 900 e-bikes in total by the end of the first half of 2018 in Thessaloniki, Athens and Rethymno, 300 in each city. The goal is that by the end of the year these new electrically-assisted bikes will have reached the number of 3,000.
Brainbox’s new proposal for the development of sustainable mobility with the use of the greenest mode of transportation, the bicycle, and the use of GPS (tracking) and GPRS (security) systems and also the e-bike itself were presented at CERTH (Centre for Research and Technology Hellas) at a special event for the promotion of technologies that contribute to the development of the tourism product.
The white-yellow bike is designed and controlled under BrainBox’s software and systems and it is manufactured in China. E-bike is locked and unlocked via the smartphone, and it is secure once the payment is made by the user electronically, so it is protected against theft. For this reason, it is not necessary to park bicycles in a controlled area, and because it is equipped with a tracking system, the user can either collect it or leave it wherever it is convenient for him in the city or the area where it was rented, and not necessarily at a bicycle parking station. The e-bike, which easily climbs an uphill slope, carries a battery with a lifespan of 100 km and the capacity for 140 loads. The user of the bicycle or the administrator does not have to charge the battery as the company promotes a battery exchange system, which means that exhausted batteries are exchanged with charged ones. Moreover, with the e-bike, the cyclist will not worry about a flat tyre or the tyre pressure, as the tyres are solid with no tubes. According to the administration of BrainBox, the communal e-bike is ideal for municipalities near the coast and hotels that want to offer their customers a friendly and enjoyable way of travelling, combining exercise with relaxing transportation.
It is worth noting that BrainBox has up to now 3,500 classic-style bicycles in the EasyBike system in 36 cities in Greece and 6 abroad. The company, which first launched with the EasyBike system in 2008, has exported its system to Eindhoven, Nicosia, Montpellier, Krakow, Levanger (Norway) and Istanbul.
Brainbox, with EasyBike, has entered successfully markets where cycling and eco-friendly modes of transport have a lot of punch, as do the systems that support them, something that is expected to happen with the e-bike as well.
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