This Is How The Future of Mobility Looks Like

In recent times, electric-powered vehicles have gained popularity as the go-to mode of transportation. More people are considering this environment-friendly mobility medium since it consumes fewer resources and delivers more. 

However, there is another type of vehicle that has gradually started to dominate the European market for more sustainable personal traveling in the future – velomobiles. 

What Is A Velomobile? 

In its simplest form a velomobile is a bike with a car-like body, often built for speed more than comfort. 

One popular example of velomobiles is Frikar. Introduced by a Norwegian micro-mobility start-up called Podbike as a conscious choice, Frikar® is a four-wheeled e-bike with a car-like body. It stands 236cm long and 84 cm wide making it narrower than a regular cargo bike. The goal behind its unique design is simple; to be a practical alternative to cars and offer the benefits of cycling in your daily life. You can use it for all the bike-friendly routes including the bike lanes, overcome steep hills and drive in strong winds. Moreover, with a roof on top, you remain protected in any kind of weather. 

As far as the functionality goes, these electrically assisted 4-wheeled e-bikes take inspiration from typical e-bikes. The vehicle requires peddling to start and then the electric assistance comes into play till the speed of 25 km/h. Frikar also allows users to choose between different levels of assistance as per their own requirements. 

While the electric power does offer users the much-needed boost in speed for longer routes, the automatic braking system kicks in as soon as the 4-wheeled e-bike reaches the speed of 50 km/h. It uses a 250W motor for the electrical assist and with removable and rechargeable batteries, this 4-wheeled e-bike can travel up to 50-80 km per charge

How Are Velomobiles Shaping The Future?

Buying a 4-wheeled e-bike today is a healthy option for a daily commute. It contributes towards the environment in the following ways

• It is Pedal-Powered

4-wheeled e-bikes are designed to encourage cycling as a way to travel places. The fossil-fueled transportation like cars are believed to be a major factor in climate change. The power of peddling can make our environment pollution free and offer improved cardiovascular and bone health. 

• Economically-Friendly

According to the World Health Organisation, around 30% of the car journeys in Europe cover a distance of less than 3 km and 50% of the journeys cover less than 5 km. This distance can be easily covered within 15-20 minutes through Frikar which means users can avoid paying hefty fuel costs and other expenses related to buying and maintaining personal cars. 

Podbike’s Frikar starts from just 6,249 Euros and using it for daily commute comparatively costs a lot less.

• Sustainability 

Climate change continues to be a threat to our well-being. Recent statistics shared by the United Nations show that the impact of natural disasters will become the reason behind more hunger and poverty in the next 18 years. Not opting for the paradigm shift in the current lifestyle can lead to unavoidable dangers.  

With transportation alternatives like 4-wheeled e-bikes making sustainable micro-mobility possible, there can be a drastic decrease in carbon dioxide emissions (nearly 11 percent) in 2050, as stated in the 2015 study from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. 

Furthermore, as the body and frame of Frikar are composed of recycled materials the production of such vehicles will also result in reduced carbon footprint. 

• No parking problems 

Velomobiles are compact. While they do take more space than a standard bicycle, one can still either park them in a queue of bicycles or in a regular car parking. 

The manufacturer of Frikar is aiming to sell more than 20,000 units a year in 5 years through B2C and B2B markets. There are expectations regarding the global market for small format electric vehicles to reach the $150 billion mark with a CAGR of greater than 14%. 

With Frikar being a light asset and possessing a scalable business model, mass manufacturing will also be an easy choice contributing towards green mobility.

It might be the best time to invest in Podbike and the future of mobility.