Smart cycling in the networked city

Stuttgart/Reutlingen – The world is going digital. Whether smartphones, cars, houses, kitchen appliances, machines or bicycles: More and more devices are connected to the Internet or to each other. Digitisation is increasingly shaping our everyday lives and changing our habits. More than 90 percent of Germans surf the Internet regularly, and 77 percent are online every day. This influences the way people work, live, communicate, consume and move about. Bosch eBike Systems develops solutions for the mobility of tomorrow: Smart cycling becomes a reality with the networked pedelec.

Megatrend digitisation

According to the latest studies, there will be around 10 networked devices on average for each person in 2022 in Germany alone. More than 28 billion networked devices are said to exist worldwide. This creates new opportunities in various areas of work and life and a paradigm shift is emerging: Hardware alone is no longer the only decisive factor; software and digital services are becoming increasingly important in a networked world. Claus Fleischer, CEO of Bosch eBike Systems explains: "We are in the midst of a technological revolution that will change many things. Mobility, in particular, will benefit from networking. At Bosch eBike Systems, we are already setting the course for tomorrow's mobility."

Digitisation is picking up speed

Digitisation has also arrived in the bicycle industry. While only a few years ago the bicycle industry focused mainly on mechanical and analogue products, the products are now becoming increasingly electric and digital. Now gear shifts and suspension systems, for example, can also be controlled electronically on the bicycle. The development of the electric bike adds energy (rechargeable battery) and intelligence (sensors, control units, CAN bus) and opens up new technical possibilities. As a result, bike mobility is becoming electrified (drive system), automated (gear shifting system, chassis, ABS) and connected (navigation, smartphone apps, online portals).

The bike in a networked city

The Danish capital shows what networked bicycle mobility can look like. For many years, Copenhagen has been a figurehead for bicycle traffic – with digitisation the next step has been taken. Since 2006, there are green lights for cyclists who drive a constant speed of 20 km/h. LED lights on the cycle paths show when the next traffic light changes. In Germany, such concepts could not yet be established, but there are some good beginnings: In Duesseldorf, an app is now available that shows cyclists the speed they need to travel at in order to make it across to the next traffic light. After initial test routes have been completed, the service will gradually be extended to the entire urban area by the end of the year. The bicycle and the infrastructure communicate with each other, ensuring that bike traffic is flowing so that cyclists can ride in the city quickly and comfortably.

Connected biking solutions from Bosch

With pioneering products and solutions, Bosch eBike Systems is advancing networking on the bicycle itself. In conjunction with the online portal and the eBike Connect smartphone app, Bosch eBike Systems realized the first fully networked ecosystem of the bicycle industry in 2014 with the Nyon on-board computer. The Kiox on-board computer also connects eBikers with the digital world. The COBI.Bike and the new SmartphoneHub enable the rapidly growing digital target group to use smartphones as an alternative to on-board computers, thereby turning the smartphone into a central control, infotainment and display solution. Additional digital functions, which are constantly being advanced by Bosch provide an all-around smart riding experience: Navigation, fitness tracking, linking to third-party apps and services, or even security features such as the new premium Lock function, a digital protection option in addition to the mechanical lock. "The Bosch eBike Systems portfolio corresponds with the strategic principles of the Group: The future of mobility will be electrified, automated, and networked. The topic of connected biking will be followed by many more solutions that will combine the physical and digital cycling experience even more closely – for even more riding enjoyment, more comfort and more safety," explains Fleischer.

Networked, flexible and multimodal riding

Forecasts for digitisation in the mobility sector are promising: By 2025, more than 470 million networked vehicles will be on the road worldwide. Convenient linking of different modes of transport can create a completely new, publicly accessible traffic system: Private vehicles, local public transport and the entire urban infrastructure are growing together. Fleischer explains: "Networked mobility is flexible and multimodal. Various means of transport can be individually combined for different requirements and needs. The user decides when and how to move around. Daily routes can be planned with smartphone and mobility apps depending on the destination, weather, traffic conditions and availability of means of transport". Already today apps are supporting people while navigating the big city. Individual options are compared with each other and users are offered the most efficient combination of transport modes – a concept with a future. "We are convinced: Digital networking is redefining mobility, which not only gets people to their destination faster, but also in a more environmentally friendly, stress-free and safer manner. And the eBike will play a really important role", says Fleischer.

Sources:

• ARD/ZDF online study: http://www.ard-zdf-onlinestudie.de/files/2018/0918_Frees_Koch.pdf
• Networked devices 2022: https://gblogs.cisco.com/de/cisco-studie-deutschland-auf-gutem-weg-zur-industrienation-4-0-nur-der-speed-fehlt-noch/
• Duesseldorf – Traffic App: https://www.duesseldorf.de/verkehrsmanagement/aktuelles/news-detailseite/newsdetail/teststrecke-fuer-automatisierte-und-vernetzte-autos-in-duesseldorf-eroeffnet-2.html
• Networked mobility forecast 2025: https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/de/pressemitteilungen/digital-auto-report-de