Micro-mobility operator Dott is to launch a new e-bike in London in March as part of a hire scheme that will also feature e-scooters. The move comes after Transport for London (TfL) and London Councils launched a competition to identify up to three e-scooter operators for a 12-month trial last month.
Dott has been operating e-scooter share schemes in 15 European cities, but is now adding a bike to its service.
The firm’s co-founder, Maxim Romain, said there was a need for vehicles “for everyone to use.”
Speaking in the e-bike’s launch video, he explains: “The e-scooter is great, it’s super exciting to ride, but very clearly it’s not something that my mother today would want to use.
“If I want to be able to offer a service for everyone, I need to offer a service that my mother also can use, and therefore I thought that the e-bike is probably the most universal vehicle that we could offer to people in cities.”
It’s certainly a distinctive-looking thing.
Built in Portugal, the frame is a single piece of aluminium and it employs a shaft drive transmission in a bid to reduce maintenance.
An all-in-one lock, motor and brake is integrated in the rear wheel.
Other than that, there’s a swappable battery, an LCD display, front and rear LED lights and 26” non-spoke wheels.
Dott have also come up with a smart parking system – assigned points to pick up and drop off e-bikes and e-scooters – that has reportedly seen 97% of all trips in Paris end in an assigned parking area.
Dott e-bikes will be available to rent in London from March 2021, after which they’ll also be rolled out in Paris.
The initial launch will see 100 e-bikes across 30 locations, quickly rising to 700 bikes.
Romain said: “This European made bike has been designed in line with our mission: to make mobility accessible to all.
“Our multimodal (e-bike and e-scooter) service will include the same level of operational excellence: removable batteries, secure charging, operations performed by experienced professionals, systematic repairs and recycling.
“We want to provide a great e-bike service that is reliable for the city, comfortable for the rider and sustainable for the planet. We are super excited to launch it soon in London.”
