Author(s)

S. Hölzel, A. Bedrunka, O. Benner, S. F. Andres, L.-O. Gusig, H. Hepp

Abstract

The research project pedelecs for recreation and tourism, a project of the showcase e-mobility, deals with the implementation of a manual pedelec rental system (60 pedelecs and 3 stations) in the city of Hanover (Germany). In addition to the 60 pedelecs, the Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts has also acquired 10 pedelecs, which the members of the University can use for free. This project investigates the pedelec requirements that are necessary for rental use in urban areas. As a result, pedelec dimensioning can be improved regarding cost-efficiency and robustness. Besides determining the technical requirements, the interest for electromobility should increase. The strategy is to identify measures for a proper rental concept in order to increase the acceptance of the population and contribute to an active use of this system. All pedelecs are equipped with a data logger, which records technical and GPS data. The technical data is used to determine the mechanical stress of the pedelecs while the GPS data is analyzed to identify the most frequently used routes. As a result of the outcome the Hanover driving cycle has been derived. Therefore, future operators and municipalities are able to acquire pedelecs based on the demands in Hanover. User acceptance is determined with surveys. The evaluation shows that there is a good basis for pedelec rental systems in Hanover, since people have a huge interest in riding a pedelec. Moreover, the university demonstrates that pedelecs are used by people of all ages. The study also shows the great potential for pedelecs, both for rental systems and also for the retail market. With these vehicles it might be possible to achieve some of the desired CO₂ reduction in urban areas.

Keywords

driving cycles, pedelecs, rental systems, user acceptance