Imatge
Imatge
The testing stage for the first prototype of this vehicle will begin over the next few days and its performance and efficiency will be studied over a period of six months
The 30 vehicles that the Bicing service has for transporting bicycles between the various Bicing stations are electric and providing them with solar panels would reduce their demand for electricity, while increasing their autonomy
Bicing has presented its first solar-powered bicycle-redistribution vehicle. This is a prototype that will come into operation, at the testing stage, over the next few days, so its performance and efficiency can be assessed.
These vehicles, which look just like the current electric models tasked with transporting bicycles between the various Bicing stations, have solar panels incorporated into their tow cover which charge up whenever the vehicle is outside, whether or not it is in motion. It features five photovoltaic modules of 365W each, which are connected to the vehicle battery.
During the testing period, Bicing and Azimut360 SCCL, the company that developed the project for incorporating solar panels into this vehicle, will be assessing the performance of the panels and the vehicle's autonomy. The first feasibility results are expected to be ready halfway through the coming year.
A commitment to sustainability and better autonomy
The Bicing service has 30 bicycle-redistribution vehicles in all, with their corresponding tows. They are electric vehicles, with an average autonomy ranging from 70 km to 90 km, depending on the route they take. Their purpose is to ensure bicycles are distributed as evenly as possible, in every station, throughout the day. To make that possible, each of these vehicles covers an average of between 12 and 14 stations during each of the morning, afternoon and night-time shifts.
Incorporating solar panels into these auxiliary vehicles would help to make the Bicing service more sustainable, reducing its electricity consumption. An improvement that would come in addition to the benefits provided by the new management programme Bicing works with, a piece of AI software that enables Bicing staff to know the best times for moving bicycles form one station to another, thereby avoiding unnecessary journeys. This new programme works on the basis of variables such as each the availability history of each of the stations, the weather conditions and the routes that these vehicles normally take.