- On February 20, 2,500 Vélo'V out of the current 5,000 will be replaced by hybrid models.
- They will allow you to choose: either pedal with the force of your calves, or switch to electric mode.
- The system will be activated by an individual battery to be placed in the basket of the bicycle.
A new step in the practice of cycling in the city. As of February 20, 2,500 classic self-service red bicycles will be replaced by new types of models, deployed in Lyon and the surrounding municipalities. This represents half of the current fleet. Their particularity? These are hybrid bikes. Either we pedal with the force of the calves, as it was the case before. Either clip a battery into the basket so that the machine goes into electric assistance mode. Small debriefing after a few pedal strokes.
Very easy to use
To tell the truth, nothing very complicated for those who regularly use self-service bikes. The only novelty is to push the battery into the space dedicated to it, included in the basket. Nothing else to do. If not press the pedals. As before, you will still have three speeds available. On the flat, the difference really feels at level 3. If you have fun disconnecting the battery afterwards, to compare, you will easily realize the ease of pedaling in electric assistance mode. And the speed at which you can also move by forcing a little more. "The system makes it possible to cross the city from one end to the other without sweating too much or to climb the hills without superhuman effort", notes Reynald Bodin, director of operations. Attention however, it is necessary on this point, to use the first speed.
On the handlebars, four illuminated buttons indicate the level of the battery, which is designed for "journeys of 8 to 10 kilometers" and which "recharges in two hours". Finally, the E-Vélo'V are recognizable thanks to a logo inscribed on their casing. They will also be identifiable on the dedicated application.
How to get a battery?
The batteries, which weigh 530 grams, are individual and portable. They fit easily in a handbag. From now on, users can subscribe to the E-Vélo'v option for an additional 7 euros per month from the “Vélo'v Officiel” application. There are two ways to collect them: receive them free of charge at home or collect them at the Vélo'v counter located on the ground floor of the Cordeliers car park.
The price (84 euros per year to which must be added the price of a conventional subscription) remains attractive to encourage those who reside far or high to turn to electric assistance and thus abandon their cars. As a reminder, a commercial electric bike costs, for an entry-level, between 700 and 1,000 euros.
What should you do if your battery is stolen or forgotten?
JC Decaux has imagined a system if you are a little head-in-the-air and you leave the battery in the basket. Users will then receive a notification on their phone warning them of this oversight. In the event of theft or loss, they must notify the services, which will then block the battery and make it in fact "unusable", specifies Pascal Chopin, regional director of JC Decaux in Rhône-Alpes.
Where to try them?
Before you decide, you will have the opportunity to test the models. Every day and until February 20, Decaux will set up in different stations. Thursday, for example, tests will be offered from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at stations on Place Antonin Poncet and the town hall of Villeurbanne, then from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at town hall stations in the 4th arrondissement and Jean-Jaures. The list of places to go is available on the Vélo'v Facebook page.
Lyon
Lyon: Electric Vélo'Vs land in February
Lyon
Lyon: Vélo'V arrives in the cities of the first ring
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