[LUM#2] By Bicycle

[LUM Magazine] - Published on May 24, 2016 in Science and Society

With its built-in motor, the electric bike is attracting more and more users. And it’s also winning over local governments: in Montpellier, the e-bike is on the rise.

When he embarked on his electric bike adventure in 2009, those around him were frankly pessimistic. “It won’t work,” “It’s doomed to fail,” “No one’s going to give up their car for a bike…”—that’s what he heard people saying. Six years later, Jean Daunis has every reason to celebrate.“One out of every 10 bikes sold today is electric, compared to barely 2% back then,” explains the founder of Mobileco, a company specializing in electric vehicles. These trendy two-wheelers now represent a credible alternative to cars for urban travel. More eco-friendly, more economical… and faster.“No traffic jams, no more hassle finding parking: for a short trip in town, you get there much faster by bike,” confirms Jean Daunis.

Trendy

When he founded Mobileco, electric bikes were still a novelty in the Montpellier ecosystem.“There were a few specialty shops in Paris, but nothing here.” It was a gap that the former student of the Faculty of Economics was eager to fill. “I started the company while I was pursuing my second-year master’s degree in project and public policy engineering , ” explains Jean Daunis.

His plan? To offer local governments, public agencies, and businesses the opportunity to provide electric bikes to their employees. It’s been a success: today, Mobileco provides a fleet of electric bikes to the Hérault General Council, the Béziers Metropolitan Area, the Nîmes Local Mission, and the SNCF.“We offer them a turnkey solution that includes rental, maintenance, repairs, and battery replacement.”

Practical

Why did these local governments choose electric bikes?“Primarily to reduce the number of parking spaces needed, but also because it’s good for their image.” And because it’s really convenient.“For example, it takes 40 minutes by car to get from one General Council branch office to another, compared to 15 minutes by electric bike.” That’s a lot of work time saved…

Is the bicycle the new king of the urban jungle? It hasn’t yet dethroned the roaring representatives of the good old internal combustion engine. Even though things are moving in the right direction in Montpellier,“we still lack a genuine national public policy to promote bicycle use,” laments Jean Daunis.

Keywords: Ecology, LUM#2, LUM Magazine