[LUM#2] On a bicycle
With its on-board motor, the electric bike is winning over more and more users. In Montpellier, the e-bike is on the right track.
When he embarked on his electric bike adventure in 2009, those around him were frankly pessimistic. It won't work, it's doomed to failure, no one's going to give up their car for a bike... he heard people around him say. Six years on, Jean Daunis can rejoice. " 1 in 10 bikes sold today are electrically assisted, compared with just 2% at the time ," explains the founder of electric vehicle specialist Mobileco. These trendy two-wheelers now represent a credible alternative to the car for urban travel. More ecological, more economical... and faster. " No traffic jams, no more parking problems: for a short trip around town, you can go much faster by bike," confirms Jean Daunis.
Connected
When he created Mobileco, electric bikes were still an unknown species in the Montpellier ecosystem. " There were a few specialized stores in Paris, but nothing here. A void that the former student from the Faculty of Economic Sciences was eager to fill. " I set up the company during my Masters 2 in project engineering and public policy ," explains Jean Daunis.
Its project? To provide local authorities, administrations and companies with electric bicycles for their employees. Today, Mobileco supplies a fleet of two-wheelers to the Conseil général de l'Hérault, the Agglomération de Béziers, the Mission locale de Nîmes and the SNCF. " We offer them a turnkey package that includes rental, maintenance, repairs and battery replacement.
Practice
Why have these local authorities opted for electric bikes? " Primarily to reduce the number of parking spaces required, but also because it's good for their image. And because it's practical. " To go from one General Council office to another, for example, takes 40 minutes by car, compared with 15 minutes by electric bike . So much working time saved...
Are two-wheelers the new king of the urban jungle? It hasn't yet dethroned the roaring representatives of the good old combustion engine. Even if the wind is blowing in the right direction in Montpellier, " we still lack a real national public policy to develop bicycle use ", laments Jean Daunis.
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