ELECTRIC WHEELS: Hiten Parmar, left, deputy director of the national uYilo eMobility Programme, based at NMMU, gives mechatronics student intern Unathi Mabi help with an e-bike
STUDENTS and staff at NMMU can cut out the long walk between the university’s north and south campuses by hopping on to a solar-charged e-bike.
A total of 10 e-bikes, all part of a shared fleet, were launched on Tuesday as part of a green transport pilot project.
“This project is a first for a South African university,” NMMU infrastructure projects director Greg Ducie said.
The shared e-bikes can be collected and dropped off at custom-designed docking stations on the two campuses.
The e-bike project has been jointly funded by NMMU, uYilo and the Advanced Mechatronics Technology Centre, which houses NMMU’s merSETA chair in engineering development.
“Each station has rooftop solar panels that provide the green energy needed to power this green transport solution,” uYilo deputy director Hiten Parmar said.
The swipe of a student or staff access card will be all that is required to check them out, although those wanting to use them will have to complete a once-off online registration, and collect keys and a helmet from nearby security points.
Each bike, which weighs about 35kg and can reach 25km/h, has an on-board tracking unit for data capturing.
“Society needs to embrace the concept of shared mobility as a service to get from point A to point B rather than the ‘ownership’ way of thinking. The e-bikes are a great way to showcase the fleet-sharing system,” Parmar said.
Parmar said the project also provided exciting opportunities for further research on a real-life application and working model.
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