CEiiA is transforming the business model of a scooter rental company that operates in several European cities, supporting the implementation of a shared electric scooters system in Barcelona. During 2016 this service will be extended to Paris, Milan and Madrid.
mobi.me transforms scooter rental business
CEiiA was selected by Cooltra to enable a new service of shared electric scooters, the eCooltra Motosharing. Cooltra is a motorcycle rental company with presence in more than 50 cities in Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Greece and Brazil, with about 100 employees and a turnover of more than 7 million in 2015.
The eCooltra Motosharing began to be installed in Barcelona in early December and the commercial phase was launched in March. The service will feature 250 scooters until the summer, which represents an investment of around EUR 1.5 million, which will be expanded in the future to 500 scooters. By 2019 the service will be extended to 20 cities, with a total investment of 20 million euros, in partnership with CEiiA.
CEiiA provides the electronic systems embedded in all scooters (MDC - Mobility Device Connector, a device developed in CEiiA) that are linked in real-time to mobi.me, the first smart management system for urban mobility. These components enable communication and integration of the scooter data, which in turn feeds the interfaces with the end user (via a web portal and an app) and optimizes the operational management of the business. The MDC also allows to remotely control the actuators installed in the scooter.
Arriving to Barcelona and using an electric scooter
The access of the users to the system is made through an app developed by CEiiA, a key element for using the service, offering features such as checking the availability of electric scooters in a particular area, booking and payment. The app also allows the user to turn on and off the scooter engine and open the compartment where the helmet is located.
One of the main advantages of the app is that there are no fixed points of collection and delivery. The free-float system allows the user to rent any scooter available within a predefined geographical area, make the trip, and leave the scooter in the most convenient location within the authorized zone, a zone that can be changed dynamically by Cooltra (for example, in order to avoid acts of vandalism during events such as demonstrations).
USER'S APP FEATURES
Consult the account and usage history.
Search available scooters. After choosing the scooter, a reservation can be made and the user has 15 minutes to check-in.
Lock/unlock and turn on/off the scooter.
Open the compartment where the helmet is located.
Report damages in the scooter.
Real-time information about the trip and the battery state of charge.
Easier operational management of the business
In addition to the user interface, CEiiA is responsible for the integration of all data and processes in real-time in order to optimize the operational management of the business.
Among other services, the system transforms the messages received in billable transactions to the user and enables Cooltra to make decisions about business strategy (reports, for example on the need to replace the batteries with low charge, in order to ensure a high level of service).
CEiiA offers mobi.me according to the software as a service model, a risk sharing approach with partners based on a compensation scheme 100% variable that does not require significant investments in equity by the mobility operators.
This allows partners to work alongside with CEiiA in the creative process behind the idea and implement, launch and improve new models of mobility in an easy way.
The project with Cooltra is a clear example of how the technology developed by CEiiA allows the transformation of a traditional business model, where the mobility operator is already successfully present (scooter rental), and turn it a new smart mobility service like scooter-sharing. The new eCooltra Motosharing service in Barcelona is expected to have a turnover of EUR 1.5 million in 2016.
Information for more sustainability
Through mobi.me, all the relevant information and processes of a city can be integrated, as the system ensures the "roaming" of other mobility services such as charging or parking.
Additionally, information can be shared with the city authorities. In fact, it is being developed a specific impact model for electric scooter-sharing which will account for emissions of CO2 saved and support the definition of business strategies but also public policies that contribute to a better quality of life and more sustainable cities.