The city of Regensburg in Germany is currently hosting a solar-powered shared mobility charging pilot project. The Litree project aims to demonstrate the potential for the use of solar energy in the micro mobility industry, along with accelerating the adoption of sustainable transportation options.
The project is being launched by the Irish e-scooter manufacturer, Zeus Scooters – who has provided micro mobility services in Regensburg for the past three years – in partnership with Zolar – a solar energy equipment supplier. They will strategically install three Zolar wireless solar charging stations at three multimodal transfer points around the city, where users can dock e-scooter vehicles to charge between rides. The new Zolar Stations are being used as docking stations for this shared mobility project, but have also been designed to be built with publicly accessible e-bike charging facilities and racks for locking bikes in future.
According to Zeus, scooters will take approximately 6 hours to recharge from 0-100%, but they have found that scooters are usually parked in the 40-60% range and can charge to 80% in about 1 hour. The scooters are locked into place at the recharging stations, with the user having the option of either ending their ride there, or pausing their ride if they want to return to the same scooter later. The stations have a 2.5kWh storage battery to allow 24h charging and charging during low energy generation. The company points out that the use of solar energy works well with the use of e-scooters and e-bikes, as they are seasonally very well aligned.
“The Zolar stations are a game-changer for the way e-scooters are charged. At Zeus, we are committed to revolutionizing urban transportation. This project not only showcases the potential of clean energy but also demonstrates our dedication to providing innovative, eco-friendly options for urban commuters. We are paving the way towards a greener and more sustainable future,” said Damian Young, CEO of Zeus.