Velomobiles and intermediate vehicles, a promising sector, yes, but…
The medium-sized vehicle sector is promising, but there are still many obstacles to their mass adoption to decarbonize personal transport.
All those interested in cleaner mobility and low-carbon urban personal transport are keenly interested in all initiatives based on innovation and practicality in this sector. In addition to electric bicycles and electric scooters, the range of intermediate vehicles continues to expand. . As part of the weekly Automobile Propre podcast, I spoke with Aurélien Bigot, an independent researcher on the transport energy transition and co-author of a 40-page dossier on the future of intermediate vehicles (file link – payment – available on the podcast page).
An opportunity to see this sector change rapidly, both in terms of the variety of offerings and the ingenuity of certain solutions on offer. It is also possible to question the path taken by car manufacturers who want to completely repeat the car model known to us for several decades by “replacing” only thermal energy with electric energy in all segments of the market.
Thus, heavy, luxurious and powerful vehicles would be more suitable for daily use, mainly in suburban areas with trips of several kilometers, than light, sober and energy-efficient vehicles.
The file “The Future of Intermediate Vehicles” summarizes this situation very well: ” Almost half Cars sold today are safe SUVsequipped, very aerodynamic and not heavy. transport wehicles
best-selling electric cars are also best-sellers heavy As for motorized two-wheelers, they have seen themselves weight doubles at 60 years. All these machines carry now essentially its own crowd, even it is rarely used to its full potential. This is huge confusion cannot be sustained : the advantages it brings Already insufficient to achieve park electrification to France’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions The greenhouse effect is eroded by these kilos. »
An e-bike ticks almost all the boxes for this use for personal transport, although it is limited to 25 km/h or more (speed bike or speedelec), while a cargo bike can meet the needs of those with children or some goods. transportation.
But VAE, despite all its qualities and practicality, does not meet all needs. Some still – and always will – do not want to use bicycles, especially in urban environments, for many reasons, some of which are completely understandable and legal.
For this part of the population, therefore, there are somewhat more “safe” and comfortable alternatives, intermediate vehicles. What is it about? In fact, the classification is quite complex, as the sector is already highly regulated and divided into 7 categories, from L1e (speedelec) to L7e (Citroën AMI-type mini-cars).
Between two, 5-class vehicles that are sometimes a bit difficult to categorize, but each meets well-defined standards. Motorized two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers (with passenger compartment) correspond to categories L2e L3e L5e, respectively, while ultra-light vehicles weighing less than 100 kg correspond to class L6e-A and carts L6e-B.
It’s not always easy to navigate, but something is certain between a classic bike and a car, as the report explains classic, weight and there is a big difference the power that vehicles try to charge mediators.
According to the report’s authors, a classification or “passive” vehicles, which move only with electric motor and battery power without human effort, and another segmentation between “active” vehicles, still deserves to be clarified. it requires muscle power to move (mostly where you have to pedal).
Lack of readability in this proposal velomobiles probably harming its adoption by the general public.
But this is not the only reason. There are other potential barriers to mass adoption of this mode of travel. We identify at least three of them.
The issue of traffic and the use of public space
We already have the opportunity to see that it is not easy to park a simple VAE when faced with the risk of theft. Many companies or coworking spaces prohibit storing your bike indoors near your workstation for safety and traffic concerns. That’s why it’s important to have a secure solution, ideally a locked bike garage, to park your bike during business hours. If it’s already complicated with an e-bike, what about an intermediate 3- or 4-wheeled vehicle that’s half the size of a small city car? Where should you store this type of car that does not fit in an elevator, bicycle garage, or apartment? On the street? But where? On the sidewalk, on the road, in the parking lot? We don’t talk about it much, but the issue of maintaining these machines will come up sharply in the fairly near future.
Security issue
Depending on their weight, power and size, some intermediate vehicles are allowed to use bike lanes and lanes. But here too, the question of coexistence with other users due to congestion and therefore security arises. It is already quite difficult to negotiate some sections of cycle paths with a bicycle, what about a 50 to 100 kg velomobile with three or four wheels? Another safety point is driving on the road shared with cars. Both the bike’s agility and the VAE’s limited ground grip allow it to get out of certain tricky situations quickly, as with a 25km/h speed-limited intermediate four-wheeler with two people on board. A major thoroughfare with heavy traffic can be especially dangerous.
A matter of price
This is perhaps – and often – the most important question, because it directly affects the portfolio. After our podcast was published, I received several comments via email, including one that mentioned a topic that we didn’t mention in the interview because the report wasn’t the focus of the report. As this listener said, there’s a bit of a difference here too before intermediate vehicles become mainstream.
- Let’s take it eav load. for sale with two cubic meters of luggage (very interesting for transport) in very good condition (roof and windshield – 25 km/h) Between 11,000 and 13,000 euros ! Reminder: For comparison, the L’AMI sells for 7,400 euros without pedaling or holding at 45 km/h on a straight road.
- Then we have ARI van whose access is due 7400 euros without tax ! It is a 3-wheeled electric gasoline with a trunk of 1 cubic meter.
- Germany has started several projects for bad weather cabin velomobiles (2 or 3 seats – 25 km/h). Here we start even earlier 7000 euro
- Carver Drive launched a 3-wheeler – 2 seats and a small trunk – at a speed of 45 or 80 km/h. Appropriate prices 14,399 and 15,488 €!
- there are those bicycle taxi (25 km/h) is popular for city trips for tourists in the south of France. The introductory price is over 7000 euros ! Note that this same model is available online at a china site is well known with €3500 !
- British cargo ship Paxter starts £15,596 !!!
- And why not celebrate Aixam electricity starting price 18,000 euro!!!
I would add to this a fairly iconic vehicle, as it is regularly found in the media and at specialized fairs, so much so that it is starting to become a joke, since pre-orders are open for more than a year. The Frikar from Podbike, which I had the opportunity to test at the EVS35 show in Oslo last July, will launch in spring 2022. It is difficult to have an official price on the manufacturer’s website (unfortunately, as is often the case with projects of this type), but we know that it should be at least between 7,000 and 10,000 euros. A very attractive product, but very expensive.
Or anyway, if we put ourselves in the perspective of changing the bike, it is too expensive. It’s cheaper to replace a second car (or even a car), but in this case it has more capacity and limited range than a Citroën AMI, Microlino or Silence SO4.
At the end
But what can we conclude from all this? The growing intermediate vehicle sector is a great opportunity to replace the traditional car in urban use while maintaining some of the comfort and protection, but it will still take changing mentalities and infrastructures to allow all these little everyone to live peacefully in public space. highway. And the prices are significantly reduced.
