Oostzaan, the Netherlands-based Mego Mobility, a multimodal B2B micro-mobility fleet operator, announced on Tuesday, October 4, that it has developed Swell Electric, a wireless and contactless charging system for light electric vehicles.
The Dutch company will showcase its charging system at the “World of eMobility” in the Expo Haarlemmermeer from October 27 to 29.
Swell Electric
Terence Carter, the founder of Mego Mobility, developed the Swell Electric charging solution during the 2021 Mobility Lab startup programme in collaboration with electrical engineers at T.U. Delft.
Mobility Lab is a startup programme that helps market and scale innovative prototypes in the field of mobility,
The charging system can charge vehicles wirelessly and contactless, up to over a distance of 10 cm, once the user parks the vehicle above the charger. The company claims the energy requirement is 1 Kilowatt.
Swell Electric solution can charge light electric vehicles (LEVs) with different power requirements, from cargo bikes to mopeds.
How does it work?
Once parked, the transmitter in the charger recognises the vehicle and adjusts the required power. The power generated by an electromagnetic field (induction) is transferred to a coil attached to the vehicle’s underside. The power is then converted into the appropriate form for the respective vehicle/battery.
The user can track charging progress through two LED strips on the front of the charger. The charging stops automatically when the battery is full or the vehicle moves.
In this first phase, Mego Mobility is working with the Chinese electric scooter company Niu.
Terence Carter says, “This scooter is widely used in sharing systems. Unfortunately, a wireless charging solution for this scooter does not yet exist, and currently, fleet operators have to change the batteries all the time. It is a costly part of operational costs. Swell Electric thus presents opportunities for part-mobility providers and package delivery services that are currently transitioning from vans to a combination of LEVs for inner-city delivery. That is why we are now looking for parties who want to test the charger as a pilot and thus contribute to the transition to light electric transport. We are also looking for investors who want to contribute to the financing of this transition.”
In the next phase, the company plans to test and optimise the charger step by step for other vehicles, starting with the Birò, a four-wheeled electric micro-car.
Mego Mobility: What you need to know
Mego Mobility operates the Klushub sharing concept – a sharing system consisting of transfer locations around the city called Klushubs.
Construction, maintenance, and installation professionals can safely park their vehicles in Klushubs and rent an electric scooter, cargo bike, or microcar per part of the day. This allows them to drive quickly into the city centre without traffic jams or parking problems.
Currently, Klushubs are operational in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
01
Empowering Ukrainian Startups: Highlights from the PowerUp Ukraine 2024 Conference