Lyon launches shared electric bicycles

Over half of the existing Vélo’v could become hybrids powered on external batteries

The network of shared bicycles in Lyon is about to get even more attractive: as of 2020 regular bikes could be transformed into e-bikes. The improvement of the service Vélo’v, provided by the Metropolis of Lyon and LCDecaux France was announced at a session of the city council that took place last week.

Changes to existing shared bikes service

As soon as February 2020 Vélo'v will get the major upgrade which will enable over half of its bikes to become hybrids and be ridden using batteries. In other words, some 2000 of the existing 4150 bikes of the Vélo’v network could be turned into electric bikes by adding a separate battery. According to met.grandlyon.fr, there will be 5000 batteries made available to the users, who by the end of 2019 were as many as 67 800 persons.

The external batteries will provide electric support to regular bikes © Jean-Yves Boeglin JCDecaux

The batteries work in a very simple way – they could be attached to the existing bike frame externally. Moreover, they can be used to charge smartphones. In order to benefit from the new offer, one must include the option e-Vélo’v to their Vélo’v subscription which will cost them an additional 7 euros per month. Upon adding the new service (using the website or the application of the provider), one could choose whether to pick up the battery from a Vélo’v counter (at Citiz/LPA, 13 Antoine Salles street, Lyon 2) or have it delivered to his or her home at the cost of 1 euro.

Why electric bicycles?

The electric bikes are particularly useful to those who need physical exercise or are looking for mobility alternatives but find regular bikes too challenging. The electric support gives a boost to our efforts while saving us energy and maintaining some of the benefits of traditional bikes. This soft mobility form has been chosen by more than one European city, including Rome, Leicester and Idrija in Slovenia, to name but a few.