The current Coronavirus pandemic has taught us a lot about ourselves and our society. In particular, we have all become much more aware of personal and public hygiene and, of course, “social distance”. We have also largely been spending more time outdoors. Intelligent mobility, such as electric scooters, was admittedly well established long before the pandemic. The topic has, however, become increasingly relevant in the current environment and continues to be hotly debated.
Although e-mobility has already become established, especially in larger cities, optimization and improvements are still needed in terms of technology. As is often the case with innovative topics in the field of digitization, one of the most significant factors is reliable connectivity. Read on to learn why cellular connectivity is the best and only reliable option for successful e-mobility fleets.
Cellular Connectivity – The basic building block for successful e-mobility
There is little doubt that the connectivity factor is the essential building block for successful e-mobility and represents the foundation for the successful integration of e-scooters into society. From today's perspective, the most efficient and most beneficial connectivity method for e-mobility is the provision of connectivity via mobile phone technology – in other words, cellular connectivity. The reasons for this are different and are discussed below.
Consistent network coverage
It is one thing to provide basic network availability. It is another thing to operate it in such a granular way that the network is available everywhere. After all, every used and unused scooter must be able to maintain a constant data connection over a distance of several kilometers. In addition to the actual coverage, it is already common practice in 2020 to have LTE/4G reception in practically all urban areas, with network coverage in rural areas also advancing. And things will only continue to develop: with 5G gradually becoming a more tangible reality and big players like Apple promoting widespread use of this standard in the near future. It is easy to see that network mobility is developing steadily and with enormous growth. The potential is huge for the e-mobility sector. Without reliable cellular connectivity, the entire e-mobility industry would disappear as quickly as it appeared.
Tracking
Tracking is of utmost importance for both the e-scooter operator and customer. With a functioning, optimally connected tracking system, an operator can control and keep track of its fleet at all times; precisely locating each device – scooter – and identifying which are in use, which are available, which have been parked for a long time etc. Empowered with insights like these, an operator can optimize its device positioning, for example, by deciding to move a scooter to a more central location, so that it can be used more frequently and generate more revenue. This type of thorough, widespread tracking is made possible through cellular connectivity.
Tracking also greatly benefits the customer. Today, e-scooters are generally used in larger cities, where a delayed subway or a missed bus can quickly disrupt a commuter’s day. Thanks to cellular connectivity, e-scooters offer the necessary flexibility to make up for lost time. This works not only through the actual use of the e-scooters, but also through the tracking. A commuter can locate the nearest free e-scooter via appropriate apps and cut out any searching time. Thanks to possible built-in navigation aids in the scooter, the fastest route is also recommended to maximize journey efficiency. Another advantage of e-scooters is that they can easily be parked and paid for, giving valuable time back to the busy commuter. Thanks to the cellular connectivity, the booking is transmitted in the background via the smartphone and the scooter sends the driven service to the service provider's servers. This means that from the customer's point of view no invoices remain outstanding and from the service provider's point of view all due dates are paid immediately and reliably.
Reliability
The urban areas where e-mobility is most used are teeming with concrete, metal objects, crowds of people and much more. Cellular connectivity that remains reliable when faced with multiple obstacles is crucial. Even the most powerful Wi-Fi networks have a range of only a few hundred meters and are easily interrupted by physical obstacles or, at times, even human bodies.
Well-developed mobile networks can provide a solid network even in highly frequented areas. Furthermore, a public mobile network is more fail-safe than a WLAN network. Since WLAN networks are often operated by companies or private individuals and they therefore have the responsibility for availability, errors with availability occur much more often. As a rule, the operators are not network experts and thus cannot guarantee a permanently stable network. In contrast, mobile networks are operated by connectivity experts whose core business includes the availability of such networks.
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E-scooters and cellular IoT – This is what the future looks like
Cellular connectivity and IoT technology play a crucial role in supporting e-scooters, both for suppliers and for customers. This applies not only to individual regions, but to the whole world. Especially in terms of tracking, availability, and network coverage. Cellular connectivity is the tool of choice. For e-mobility technology, it is essential to ensure granular network coverage and high availability. As mobile operators place the highest priority on their networks, mobile networks are therefore ideally suited for this. Of course, it is also a fact that the networks are already functioning today and that they are being expanded to ever more powerful technologies (e.g., 5G). This is necessary to adequately serve a growing market such as that of e-scooters.
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