Type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Transportation |
Founded | 2014 |
Founders | Jonathan Faille John Stonier Sean Boyd Kody Baker |
Fate | Bankrupt |
Headquarters | 1885 Franklin St, , Canada |
Areas served | Canada |
Key people | CEO David Watson CTO Duane Nickull |
Products | Electric bicycle |
Brands | Veemo |
Website | veemo |
VeloMetro Mobility, Inc. (doing business under the tradename Veemo), is an electric velomobile manufacturer based out of Vancouver, Canada. The company has invested eight years of research and development to create a three-wheeled, semi-enclosed, electric-assisted velomobile, called a Veemo. The vehicles do not require a driver's licence to ride in most jurisdictions and can be operated on bicycle paths as well as standard roadways. [1]
VeloMetro was co-founded in 2014 by Kody Baker, Sean Boyd, and Jonathan Faille of Perkuna Engineering, along with entrepreneur John Stonier. [2] The first prototype vehicle was built in 2014 and they first unveiled their Veemo vehicle at the BC Tech Summit in 2016. [3] The first pilot fleet started at the University of British Columbia in late 2017. [4] The pilot program of 5 vehicles was made available to the public in February 2018. [5] [6] The pilot concluded in April 2018. [7]
The company pivoted in late 2019 and decided to pursue a manufacturing and distribution of a new generation of Veemo products aimed at those who care about climate change. A new generation of lightweight, stable and efficient Veemo [8] vehicles use a semi-enclosed design as opposed to the earlier fully enclosed design and have a much stiffer monocoque chassis. The new Veemo weighs in at less than 62 kg dry weight and uses a revolutionary belt drive system coupled to a continuously variable transmission rear hub. The new vehicle qualifies for many standards such as EN 15194 (European Union) and eBike regulations in Canada, the UK and United States and various other countries, making it bike lane eligible and legal without insurance or a driver's license. The business shift focuses on direct to consumer (DTC) sales models as well as a variation of the model aimed at the shared vehicle operator market.
VeloMetro announced bankruptcy, effective January 23, 2023. [9]
As of July 2023, the assets of Veemo have been acquired by Envo Drive Systems, which hopes to put the Veemo into production by summer 2024.
The Veemo is a single person, pedal-electric (Pedelec) hybrid vehicle which is regulated as an electric bicycle to a top speed of 32 km/h (20 mph) and power limit of 500 watts in Canada. [10] The second generation vehicle weighs 62 kg and is capable of climbing hills of up to a 20% grade. [11] It is semi-enclosed and has sufficient storage space to hold a full-sized overhead baggage suitcase. The internal battery is replenished through battery swapping. [12]
Veemo is similar to car2go, providing a one way fleet sharing service accessible through a website or a smartphone app. Members do not need a driver's license and can register and start using the vehicles immediately. Riders pay by-the-minute rates and can park the vehicles in any valid parking spot within the designated home zone, which are indicated in an in-dash display. [13]
A velomobile ; velomobiel, velo, or bicycle car is a human-powered vehicle (HPV) enclosed for aerodynamic advantage and/or protection from weather and collisions. Velomobiles are similar to recumbent bicycles, pedal go-karts and tricycles, but with a full fairing and are not to be confused with purpose-built mobiles for racing or speed records fully faired vehicles with two wheels, generally called streamliners. Streamliners have set many speed and distance records.
TransLink, formally the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority and previously the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority, is the statutory authority responsible for the regional transportation network of Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, including public transport, major roads and bridges. Its main operating facilities are located in the city of New Westminster.
Quadricycle refers to vehicles with four wheels.
The Twike is a human-electric hybrid vehicle (HEHV) designed to carry two passengers and cargo. Essentially a velomobile with an electrical hybrid engine, it can be driven in electric-only mode or electric + pedal power mode. Pedaling warms the user, making electric heating in winter unnecessary, extends the range of the vehicle but does not substantially add to the vehicle's top speed.
A motorized bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor or engine and transmission used either to power the vehicle unassisted, or to assist with pedalling. Since it sometimes retains both pedals and a discrete connected drive for rider-powered propulsion, the motorized bicycle is in technical terms a true bicycle, albeit a power-assisted one. Typically they are incapable of speeds above 52 km/h (32 mph), however in recent years larger motors have been built, allowing bikes to reach speeds of upwards of 72 km/h.
An electric bicycle is a motorized bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fall into two broad categories: bikes that assist the rider's pedal-power and bikes that add a throttle, integrating moped-style functionality. Both retain the ability to be pedaled by the rider and are therefore not electric motorcycles. E-bikes use rechargeable batteries and typically are motor-powered up to 25 to 32 km/h. High-powered varieties can often travel more than 45 km/h (28 mph).
Many countries have enacted electric vehicle laws to regulate the use of electric bicycles, also termed e-bikes. Some jurisdictions have regulations governing safety requirements and standards of manufacture. The members of the European Union and other regions have wider-ranging legislation covering use and safety.
Transportation in Vancouver, British Columbia, has many of the features of modern cities worldwide. Unlike many large metropolises, Vancouver has no freeways into or through the downtown area. A proposed freeway through the downtown was rejected in the 1960s by a coalition of citizens, community leaders and planners. This event "signalled the emergence of a new concept of the urban landscape" and has been a consistent element of the city's planning ever since.
Established alternatives to car use include cycling, walking, kick scooters, rollerblading, skateboarding, twikes and motorcycles. Other alternatives are public transport vehicles.
A human–electric hybrid vehicle is a hybrid vehicle, or more specifically a hybrid human-powered vehicle, whose drivetrain consists of a human being and an electric motor/generator. Some vehicles are able to operate off both human power and be plugged in to operate on battery power.
A quadracycle is a four-wheeled human-powered land vehicle. It is also referred to as a quadricycle, quadcycle, pedal car or four-wheeled bicycle amongst other terms.
Smoove is a French company that designs, manufactures and markets products related to bike-sharing. The company produces lightweight bike stands that require virtually no civil engineering and no electricity.
Cycling in Canada is experienced in various ways across a geographically huge, economically and socially diverse country. Among the reasons for cycling in Canada are for practical reasons such as commuting to work or school, for sports such as road racing, BMX, mountain bike racing, freestyle BMX, as well as for pure recreation. The amount and quality of bicycle infrastructure varies widely across the country as do the laws pertaining to cyclists such as bicycle helmet laws which can differ by province.
Modo is a member-owned carshare operator in British Columbia. It was incorporated in 1997, making it the oldest car-sharing organization in the area, the first carshare co-op in North America and the first carshare in the English-speaking world. Modo amalgamated with the Victoria Carshare Co-op in 2015 and now serves 25 municipalities in the Lower Mainland and Greater Victoria.
PBSC Urban Solutions, formerly the Public Bike System Company, is an international bicycle-sharing system equipment vendor with their headquarters based in Longueuil, Quebec. The company develops bicycle-sharing systems, equipment, parts, and software, and sells its products to cities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil and more. The company has sold about 100,000 bikes and 9,000 stations to 45 cities.
Jump is a dockless scooter and electric bicycle sharing system operating in the United States, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Australia. The bikes are a bright red orange and weigh 70 pounds (32 kg). Riders unlock bikes using the Uber app and are charged to their Uber account.
CycleHop LLC is a bicycle sharing platform and mobility company that operates bike share systems in fifteen cities in North America, including Vancouver Bike Share in British Columbia.
Micromobility refers to a range of small, lightweight vehicles operating at speeds typically below 25 km/h (15 mph) and driven by users personally. Micromobility devices include bicycles, e-bikes, electric scooters, electric skateboards, shared bicycle fleets, and electric pedal assisted (pedelec) bicycles.