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Zipp Mobility and the UCD Energy Institute partner to improve e-scooter safety

Posted: 12 October 2021 | | No comments yet

A research partnership between Zipp Mobility and the UCD Energy Institute, which will work to develop additional technologies to enhance e-scooter safety for city users, has been announced.

Zipp Mobility and UCD Energy Institute partner to improve e-scooter safety

Credit: UCD Energy Institute

Zipp Mobility, the Irish micro-mobility operator, has announced a collaborative research partnership with the UCD Energy Institute to develop accessory technologies to make e-scooters safer in urban environments.

Working in the UCD Energy Institute’s IELab, a team from the UCD School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering will undertake practical prototyping work on a number of Zipp e-scooters, upgrading them with smart noisemaking and lighting features to ensure that the e-scooters can be seen and heard more clearly.

Since its establishment in 2019, Zipp has raised €2.1 million from investors and has become a significant player in the European scooter-sharing market, with operations in the UK and Poland. In 2022, the company plans to launch in several Irish cities, including: Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. Zipp also plans to begin operations in Portugal and Spain during 2022.

Charlie Gleeson, CEO and Founder of Zipp Mobility, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with the UCD Energy Institute on this research collaboration. Zipp’s mission is ‘mobility done right’, and having world-class technology that prioritises safety is a cornerstone of our approach. When we launch our service in Ireland [in 2022], we want it to be as safe as possible, and this research follows on from feedback received from our existing customers in the UK and Poland. This partnership reaffirms our commitment to safety and our commitment to R&D activities in Ireland.”

Dr Paul Cuffe from the UCD Energy Institute said: “E-scooters are a fun and practical mode of sustainable transport, and I’m delighted to see how popular they’re becoming in cities around the world. With this growing popularity, though, we need to ensure that they’re safe for all users of city streets. Electric scooters can be rather quiet and inconspicuous, and pedestrians may not always be aware that they are approaching. In this research collaboration, we will work with Zipp to upgrade their e-scooters with smart noisemaking and lighting features, so that they are visually and audibly more noticeable.”

“Choice around low carbon modes of transport will play a big role in reducing emissions from energy use,” added Professor Andrew Keane, Director of the UCD Energy Institute. “This collaboration with Zipp strongly aligns with the UCD Energy Institute’s strategy to deliver research supporting a net zero energy system in 2050, with transport being an area of increasing focus.”

This project is being supported with funding from Enterprise Ireland and Zipp Mobility.