VM-Check mocci Smart Pedal Vehicle: Cargo bike goes digital - Chain is a thing of the past
Sure, a bit of clattering is part of the craft: But you have to be a marketing person to come up with the term "Smart Pedal Vehicle." Combined with the company name Mocci, which is derived from Chinese and means something like "Magic Ride," it aptly sums up what the ambitious new brand, with financial backing from parent company CIP Group, a supply chain and procurement specialist, has set out to achieve. The big goal: To finally create a durable cargo bike that can withstand the tough logistics and delivery routine, while still being smart, i.e., connected, and keeping costs in check so that it is a viable option for fleet switchers or cargo bike beginners. Company founder Yao Wen has been developing the aforementioned electrically assisted "smart" bike since 2015 and was recently awarded the "LaMonachia 2021" women's business award from the city of Munich. Part of the large team behind Mocci is the experienced bike industry manager Philip Douglas. During our exclusive visit to the location in downtown Munich, he recounts in a casual Swiss-British accent what has been lacking in the industry so far and why even the supposedly battle-hardened automotive companies have not been able to really gain a foothold.
“The challenges in micromobility have been underestimated; the bike industry is different from the automotive industry. There is an urgent need for professionalization in the area of commercial cargo bikes,” says the product manager, who has worked for various suppliers and bike manufacturers and is now taking a completely new approach with his colleagues, aiming to create "the perfect match" and something akin to the "missing link."
The initial question for mocci founders Yao Wen and Dimitrios Bachadakis was “How do you optimally replace a delivery van?”. And to do so with something that still offers the advantages of a bicycle while providing the robustness of a utility vehicle. Much still needs to take shape, and there is not yet a dedicated supply industry with specialized commercial cargo bike components.
“It requires a B2B focus, and it is not enough to simply use B2C components for commercial cargo bikes,” Douglas knows from unfortunate experience.
Douglas believes that the "supply chain", which is again the core business of the financially strong parent company, must also be intact, and the service must function properly. The problem is somewhat like a "chicken and egg" situation: Investments are not worthwhile with low production volumes – and for large manufacturers, the market is initially too small, while for start-ups, the financial burden is too high. Many lack the stamina. "We can start with ten units – and stop at 100,000," Douglas outlines the principle of the concept.
Reduce costs: Standardization as a key factor
This concept relies on consistent standardization on the one hand and simplification on the other, or in technical terms, "low material mixture." However, "simple" can be quite challenging. For example, not only the frame but also the rims are made from a fully recyclable polyamide material, in line with the desired circular economy, which is extremely quick and relatively inexpensive to produce. One of the robust and yet very lightweight wheels, for instance, is molded in 90 seconds. The hub drive is inserted into the rear rim, not spoked in. This setup relies on proven technology from an established German e-motor manufacturer, saving a lot of maintenance time as a result. The primary components should be quickly and locally available, developed and produced in Germany. In total, there should be 30 percent fewer parts compared to a conventional cargo bike of this type.
Drive: A generator transmits the power instead of a chain
The principle of "maximum reduction" is especially important for the second, previously extremely critical point on cargo bikes due to high maintenance: the chain. The "magic Mocci" simply doesn't have a chain. The "digital drive" transmits the pedal impulses, which you want to get authentically via software, to the motor, which provides the appropriate pedal assistance for each situation. The rider's pedaling drives a generator that produces the energy for the electric motor in the rear wheel, a serial hybrid. There are virtually "digital gears" that keep the pedaling frequency always within a comfortable range depending on the topography. Additional support is provided by the 900 Wh lithium-ion battery, which is supposed to offer pedal assistance for 80 kilometers. If more energy is produced than the drive currently needs, it flows back into the batteries. The e-motor thus also operates with recuperation and as a braking generator.
"We don't want to disenfranchise the rider; they should still pedal," says Douglas.
Support can also be dosed in such a way that the rider completes their shift with the remaining battery capacity, Douglas promotes the concept. Additionally, the battery can be quickly swapped in the frame but can also be charged on the bike itself. As a seasoned biker, he refers with a certain admiration to the delicate and artful, sometimes meter-long chain guides on previous cargo bikes, which, as a workshop man, would cause him to break out in a sweat. Moreover, bicycle chains withstand the stresses of large-format cargo bikes only with great difficulty.
Quick-Release Goodbye: A Knurl Is Enough
Another example of "the discovery of simplicity": The seat post (made of polyamide) can be adjusted in height using a knurled knob, very far in fact. An initial seat trial also revealed a well-balanced position between "active" and "comfortable" on the pre-production model, which is still made of 3D-printed parts. Obviously, there's no need for a suspension fork either – preferring to rely on the damping force of the plastic and the Schwalbe balloon tires. And with all the connectivity, you don’t need a lock either: The plan is for a digitally controlled unlocking mechanism that activates when the rider approaches with the key. An "interface" in the form of a small display on the handlebars is also considered, providing the rider with the most important info, making the use of your own smartphone not necessarily required.
Weak Spot Maintenance and Service: Sensors to Help
Regarding the delicate issue of maintenance, Mocci also wants to set standards here: The bike will be equipped with sensors in the future to measure wear and usage intensity, enabling a sort of "predictive maintenance" that's becoming increasingly common in trucks.
"We want to feel the bike's pulse. More important than the pure kilometers are the 'performance kilometers,'" says Douglas.
This requires relatively inexpensive sensors, which are now built into every smartphone, such as a gyroscope sensor. This way, the fleet manager can, through the self-developed app and the API interface and GPS module, see where and how heavily a bike is being used, whether with or without a trailer. In box systems, the contents could be identified, and for food deliveries, the temperature could be monitored. And in public rental systems, which are also being considered, rentals could be automated or speed could be limited in pedestrian zones.
No Supercomputer, but Cloud Control
Even though the hardware on the bike is supposed to be upgradable, there is no need for excessive computing power on the bike itself. Instead, much of it should be solved “cloud-based,” as Douglas outlined. For Douglas, the possibilities of digitalization are not an end in themselves: The networking of the bikes first makes it possible to manage the fleet in such a targeted way that efficient use of the existing transport capacities is achieved, rather than having large diesel vehicles touring the cities. This ultimately opens up the chance for downsizing the fleet, which will become more intelligent, Douglas believes.
Two-lane Heavy-duty Solution Already in the Pipeline
Last but not least, the concept should be so modularly built that a two-lane solution and a Eurobox-compatible trailer, already executed as a vague prototype with solid and robust axles and a well-usable polyamide loading surface with securing eyes on the sides, which is supposed to offer over 60 kilos of payload, can be combined. In addition, the front and rear luggage racks, which can carry 20 and 40 kilos of cargo respectively, also use the Eurobox dimensions as standard and link the Racktime luggage carrier with a proven and flexible locking system suitable for all types of structures.
In the next steps, it is now a matter of creating “hero cases” for Mocci and CIP-Holding CEO Dimitrios Bachadakis. Conveniently, a Gorillas station of the speed online supermarket has recently moved in next door. In front of it, several e-cargo bikes from Pedal Power and a large, one-lane Urban Arrow with a thermal box are parked. They are in talks, and the interest is high, says Philip Douglas with a wink.
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