HOW COULD A MORE RENEWABLE CULTURE BE EMBEDDED INTO THE DUTCH PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM...

This solution was to introduce an energy system into the Dutch national bicycle rental service. The idea being that as users cycled around the city they could capture energy from regenerative braking. When the user returned their bicycles to a storage point, the energy captured in the on-board battery could be fed into the grid to power the local area.

Because of the high number of bicycles used in Amsterdam, this concept provided a feasible way to create renewable energy.

UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENT

Amsterdam is making a commitment to become more energy efficient, finding more sources of renewable energy - to do this they are looking for both big and small ideas that will help them achieve their goal.

This is where OV Fiets comes in, this national bicycle rental scheme aims to make the bicycle a part of the public transport system. Currently there are 180 rail stations and 50 other public transport locations where OV Fiets rental facilities have been set up to provide fast and easy access to rental bikes.

Utilising this already common use of bicycles to help in this effort means that nothing needs to be changed to the current environment that could affect users’, residents’ and tourists’ lives. Enter this concept, the ‘OVe’ bicycle, capturing energy from braking and storing it in an on-board battery that will be unloaded into the power grid and used to help power local street furniture when it is docked.

FAMILIAR DESIGN

To create a product that would seamlessly fit into the landscape, without immediately making the original bicycles look redundant, only minor details were changed to the overall style. Any new features, such as the battery pack, were added with a minimalist view - including new functionality only if necessary.

COST OFFSET THROUGH SPONSORSHIP

With the larger side profile of the ‘OVe’, there is an opportunity for companies
to pay for adverts or to be branded to celebrate specific events. In such a tourist packed city such as Amsterdam, many sightseeing companies would support this.

DOCKING

When docked, the stand unloads its stored energy. When the next customer wants to use the bicycle, they scan their transport ‘OV card’ on the reader. The screen on the stand will show how much energy the bicycle has and also show the user how much credit they have left on their card.