Infrastructure Briefs – December 2024
Benzina Zero Partners with Global Company’s Disaster Relief Stations
In October Benzina Zero announced a partnership with Beam Global (a USA based company that has no connection with the shared mobility operator Beam Mobility).
Benzina will supply their Duo light electric vehicles for Beam Global’s new BeamWell stations.
The BeamWell product is a self-sufficient, self-contained operational system for use in war zones and remote or disaster areas where only salt, brackish or dirty water is available because a reliable clean water supply is not available or has been interrupted.
The BeamWell system provides three essential services to regions in crisis: it turns seawater into fresh water, which is then stored in an integrated 3000-litre tank that is replenished daily; it provides a source of electricity which can be used for medical or communications devices as well as cooking and lighting; and it charges four integrated and bundled Benzina Zero electric mopeds for the rapid distribution of food, water, medications or other vital resources, to those in need. Each BeamWell includes four integrated and bundled Benzina Zero electric mopeds for the rapid distribution of food, water, medications or other vital supplies to those in need.
“Benzina Zero Duo is the perfect solution for urban mobility applications. Not only is the Duo highly versatile and configurable but is incredibly robust, extremely energy efficient and perfect for the most challenging delivery environments. We are humbled to be able to assist Beam Global to support the regions that are suffering through natural disasters and conflicts. Being able to leverage our European headquarters in Italy and our global distributor network allows us to deploy Benzina Zero Duo units rapidly” said Benzina Zero’s Chief Battery Charger, Joe D’Ercole.
Benzina Zero’s Ben Silver says that this product has potential applications for disaster relief in Australia such as during major bush fires.
One of the first things that happens in major disasters is that the electricity supply is disrupted. Amongst other consequences it means that all regular service station petrol pumps don’t work, so conventional ICE vehicles (internal combustion engine) can’t refuel and become useless as soon as they run out of fuel.
This article was previously published in The Latz Report.
Lime Expands into Sydney’s Northern Suburbs
On 3rd December 2024 Lime announced the expansion of their dockless e-bike service, to commence almost immediately.
The new areas covered will include North Sydney, Artarmon, St Leonards, Willoughby and Chatswood.
“It is so exciting to see the fruits of our labour blossoming as Lime expands to our friends on the other side of the bridge and we are looking forward to working with our local partners to build a successful program that benefits all Sydneysiders,” Senior Director of Government Relations at Lime Will Peters said in the release.
The release also said that Lime ridership in the City of Sydney ie on the south side of harbour, had increased by 72% in average monthly rides. We assume this is year on year, but the release did not specify as start and finish date for this comparison.
Lime operates in 280 cities across five continents and has had more than 700 million rides to date.
Neuron Mobility’s E-Scooters Return to Brisbane.
Neuron recently announced that from 3rd December 2024, the first of 2,500 e-scooters have been rolled out in time for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Neuron has been awarded a contract after the Brisbane City Council cancelled Beam’s contract earlier this year. Neuron joins Lime in servicing the Brisbane market. Lime has been operating in Brisbane since 2018 apart from a break during this period when Beam and Neuron won the two contracts on offer from the city.
Neuron operated in Brisbane from mid 2019 until late July 2024, when Beam briefly took over before losing their contract a few months later. During their first five years of operations in Brisbane Neuron says their riders covered almost 13 million kilometres with 43% of all trips replacing a car journey.
To kickstart their relaunch in Brisbane, Neuron is waiving their usual $1 unlock fee and giving a 20% discount on all trips a rider takes in their first 30 days. They’re calling this promotion a “Trust Pass”.
NSW Takes Tentative Steps Towards Legalising Private E-Scooters
In what seems to be a “testing the waters” process, in early November 2024 the New South Wales Government announced a series of regulations aimed at legalising e-scooters.
Despite currently being “illegal”, the government said the latest data shows that 459,000 e-scooters are owned in homes across NSW along with 570,000 e-bikes. It also revealed that 34% of e-micromobility trips are replacing car trips in greater Sydney and 45% in regional NSW.
One action, introducing new safety standards regarding the sale of lithium-ion batteries and e-micromobility devices, has already been implemented by NSW Fair Trading. Sellers of devices like e-scooters and e-bikes will soon face penalties of up to $825,000 if they do not meet strict new device standards.
Another action, a pilot for marked, dedicated parking bays for shared e-bikes, is underway at nine train stations around Sydney: Central, Circular Quay, Wynyard, Barangaroo Metro, Newtown, Sydenham, Marrickville and Bondi Junction. The aim of this new parking trial is to make it easier for riders to know where to safely park their e-bike without creating clutter.
The draft e-scooter rules include the need for riders to always wear an approved bicycle helmet and be at least 16 years old.
An E-micromobility Interagency Group, set up in May 2024 and made up of 15 NSW Government agencies, is coordinating delivery of actions across NSW.
In announcing the proposed legalisation, NSW Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said, “There are already 1.35 million e-micromobility devices in homes across NSW. Almost 460,0000 of these are e-scooters. But only 22% of people across the state know it’s illegal to ride e-scooters on our roads and streets.
“It’s a strange regulatory blind spot, and it has to change.
“E-bikes and e-scooters aren’t without controversy, which is exactly why we’re taking action. It’s clear we need a regulatory framework that will allow people to make the most of this transport option, without compromising on community safety.
“Allowing people to ride an e-scooter to the shops or nearby train stations will take pressure off our roads and lessen competition for parking. It’s a big win for everyone, we just have a bit more work to do to get the balance right.”
For more information on the potential changes to e-scooter use, see: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/e-scooter-changes.
For more information on the E-micromobility Action Plan, visit: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/e-micromobility.