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DREEM - Designing useR centric E-kickscooters & business models for Enhancing interModality

Research project
Inactive research
Project size
€ 2 617 468,75
Project period
2021 - 2023
Project owner
The Department of Psychology

Short description

Intermodal passenger transport is a highly efficient mobility solution for greater sustainability in contemporary urban environments. Light, low-occupancy vehicles with smart features seem to be the key element in inter-modality in the city. The EU-funded DREEM project aims at finalising and testing a safer and modular electric kick scooter for personal urban and suburban mobility. The project will focus on the enhancement of the vehicle’s innovative profile in terms of modularity, foldability and improved safety and on the development of new business models and circular economy applications.

Background

The use of different and optimally combined transport modes in a seamless way is one of the key challenges to achieving greater sustainability in smart cities transport systems. Each mode of transport has its own advantages and satisfies different mobility purposes and needs.

In the last two years, micro-mobility has disrupted urban mobility at a fast pace. Its potential lies in new mobility patterns, increased demand for short trips to city centers, the need to connect people to the existing transportation network, solving the first and last-mile conundrum, with a cheap, light, and comfortable service.

However, e-scooter sharing also raises a lot of criticism, including regulatory and operational challenges, traffic safety, and the high daily cost per personal use.

The core of the new electrified micro-vehicle concept is to address such challenges by combining design and user needs for easier usage within traditional transportation modes such as public transportation.

Purpose and methodology

The project aims at finalizing and testing a safer and modular electric kick scooter (e-kickscooter)  for personal urban and suburban mobility. Once users’ needs have been identified and analyzed, DREEM aims to test a 3-wheel electric kick scooter in three different pilot cases: City of Turin (Italy), Tractabel (Belgium), and the University of Gothenburg (Sweden).

Dissemination of key mobility patterns and best practices will be part of the project. While starting with vehicle design and vehicle architecture, the proposal will also explore the feasibility of innovative business models and circular economy

Members

Project partners