The first Hopper electric bicycles have arrived in Gdansk. The vehicles will be used by employees of two companies that promote commuting by public transport and bicycles.The new vehicles are intended to encourage mobility and reduce the number of cars in the city
Poles have more and more cars and the street grid in cities, especially in the centres, has limited capacity. In order to move around the city efficiently, more emphasis should be placed on public transport or individual transport, but in smaller units than cars. Hopper electric bicycles, which can be used by two people at the same time, are intended to help with this
Gdansk has been developing sustainable mobility for many years and here we are active in many fields. At the last session the City Council adopted STER 2 0, a project to develop cycling routes in Gdańsk. We also have a lot of social campaigns promoting active mobility. We have completed the Cycling May and we are in the course of the next edition of the campaign Kręć Kilometry dla Gdańsku. All these activities have been appreciated abroad, thanks to which Gdańsk received the right to organise the largest cycling congress in the world – Velocity in 2025 – says Piotr Kryszewski, Deputy Mayor for Municipal Services
Gdansk is the only city in Poland that will test the new electric bicycles. A total of two models will be tested – a two-seater and a cargo bike. The first of the vehicles, will be used for the next few weeks by employees of Multiconsult, while the second will be tested on the premises of the Gdansk Shipyard Repair Yard
The Hopper electric bikes are more comfortable compared to traditional unicycles, have a canopy, an auxiliary electric drive and a GPS system that allows them to be located via an app. They have a seat for a second passenger at the back, plus they have a heated windscreen, indicators and lighting
UM Gdańsk points out that there is no cobalt in the batteries of these bikes, making them more environmentally friendly and able to be charged from a household electrical socket. Such vehicles can carry a weight of up to 120 kg and reach a speed of 25 km/h
Hopper electric bikes are no different in size to a classic cargo bike and are approved for cycle roads. With full suspension, users enjoy maximum comfort. Four Hopper electric bicycles fit into a single parking space for a car,” explains Anna Klinkosz, coordinator of the Gdansk branch of the project from the Active Mobility Department
The pilot project is part of the larger European project NEDAM (New E-Bikes Design for Employee’s Mobility). Its main aim is to provide employees with a convenient form of active mobility
The bike test programme will last for one year. The project involves: Eindhoven University of Technology, the City of Gdansk, the City of Augsburg, Hooper Mobility and the Carnet Barcelona research centre
photo: Dominik Paszlinski
source: UM Gdańsk(www.gdansk.pl)
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