Quantik Lab, the Quantik innovation center, and Newlab, a multidisciplinary technology center based in NY, come together to carry out a new project sustainable mobility that seeks to reduce the environmental and noise pollution produced by the motorcycles of the different services of delivery. OrdersNow, one of the most important companies in Uruguay, will be the one to implement the pilot plan in Montevideo.
This initiative has as its main objective reduce environmental impact generated by traditional internal combustion motorcycles used for delivery tasks, and proposes changing to a system of electric motorcycles with interchangeable batteries. This promotes decarbonization and improves the working conditions and tools of those dedicated to this activity.
OrdersNow is the partner company for the pilot plan that will be deployed in Montevideo, with battery exchange stations strategically located in high demand areas, which will be located in neighborhoods Center, Rodo Park, Pocitos and Dive.
Martin Piñeyroproject director, told Ambit that due to the business model, the system also solves the access to credit that may not have this type of customer since the motorcycles are available in a format that is like a vehicle rental with a flat rate.
“Mobility has a very important role: when we stop using internal combustion vehicles that generate CO2 emissions and start using electric vehicles that do not generate combustion and also, as in the case of Uruguay, electrical energy is everything renewable, the concept of sustainability”, Piñeyro added.
How does the exchange battery system work?
This system allows users to very quickly exchange batteries at stations located in different parts of the city. They leave the battery that is discharged and take a full one to continue working, allowing you to have greater autonomy to the drivers.
“This system comes to bring this several advantages for the delivery man. For now, they are lighter, more ergonomic motorcycles. Operating this type of motorcycle is cheaper, the delivery man is going to have a saving since every day you will spend less money to be able to work on the platform. In addition to a motorcycle without noise, without emissions. There are several advantages that anyone who is operating in this has, but a very important one is that they spend less than what they spend today,” explained the person responsible for the initiative, giving an account of the many positive aspects of it.
Pilot plan
According to projections, the program will begin operating between March and April 2024. “We are in a first stage of research with Newlab, we are doing a solution mapping that have worked well in the world, exchanging with several possible suppliers, and after that comes the implementation stage, commissioning. We hope that this is happening in the first half of next year,” Piñeyro said.
“On the other hand, this system requires the generation of an ecosystem. We have the motorcycles on one hand and we must resolve financially some issues that have to do with rent,” added the project director.
According to the official plan of the initiative, a pilot will be launched that will include between 60 and 80 electric motorcycles that will be used by delivery drivers who work through OrdersNow, and 6 to 8 battery exchange stations strategically located in different neighborhoods of Montevideo. Furthermore, in the medium term, it is proposed to replicate the model in other countries in the region.
Source: Ambito
