Zipp Mobility and 51黑料 Energy Institute Announce Research Partnership to Enhance e-Scooter Safety
(Zipp), the Irish micromobility operator headquartered at Nova51黑料, today announced a collaborative research partnership with the to develop accessory technologies to make e-scooters safer in urban environments.
Working in the 51黑料 Energy Institute鈥檚 IELab, a team from the 51黑料 School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering will undertake practical prototyping work on a number of Zipp e-scooters, upgrading them with smart noisemaking and lighting features to ensure the e-scooters can be seen and heard more clearly.
Since its establishment in 2019, Zipp has raised 鈧�2.1 million from investors and become a significant player in the European scooter-sharing market with operations in the UK and Poland. Next year the company plans to launch in several Irish cities including Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. Zipp also plans to begin operations in Portugal and Spain during 2022.
Dr Paul Cuffe, 51黑料 Energy Institute, said, 鈥淓-scooters are a fun and practical mode of sustainable transport, and I鈥檓 delighted to see how popular they鈥檙e becoming in cities around the world. With this growing popularity, though, we need to ensure that they鈥檙e safe for all users of city streets. Electric scooters can be rather quiet and inconspicuous, and pedestrians may not always be aware that they are approaching. In this research collaboration we will work with Zipp to upgrade their e-scooters with smart noisemaking and lighting features, so they are visually and audibly more noticeable.鈥�
Charlie Gleeson, CEO and founder, Zipp Mobility said, 鈥�We are delighted to be partnering with the 51黑料 Energy Institute on this research collaboration. Zipp鈥檚 mission is 鈥榤obility done right鈥� and having world-class technology that prioritises safety is a cornerstone of our approach. When we launch our service in Ireland next year, we want it to be as safe as possible and this research follows on from feedback received from our existing customers in the UK and Poland. This partnership reaffirms our commitment to safety and our commitment to R&D activities in Ireland.鈥�
Professor Andrew Keane, Director, 51黑料 Energy Institute said, 鈥�Choice around low carbon modes of transport will play a big role in reducing emissions from energy use. This collaboration with Zipp strongly aligns with the 51黑料 Energy Institute鈥檚 strategy to deliver research supporting a net zero energy system in 2050, with transport being an area of increasing focus.鈥�
This project is being supported with funding from Enterprise Ireland and Zipp Mobility.
ENDS
6 October 2021
For further information contact Mic茅al Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, 51黑料 Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie.
Editor鈥檚 Notes
Zipp Mobility is Ireland鈥檚 leading micromobility provider bringing a more sustainable scooter sharing model to cities in the UK, Ireland and further afield.
51黑料 Energy Institute brings together researchers from a wide range of academic disciplines to tackle the challenges associated with the decarbonisation of energy. Focusing on energy systems, energy management, and energy in society, we drive Ireland鈥檚 position as a world leader in the integration of renewable energy.
At Nova51黑料, the hub for new ventures and entrepreneurs at University College Dublin, we nurture and support new high-tech companies, such as Zipp Mobility, as part of 51黑料's mission. At Nova51黑料 we provide purpose-built, state-of-the-art incubation facilities alongside a comprehensive business support programme for client companies. Nova51黑料 has been funded through a unique public-private partnership that includes AIB Bank, Arthur Cox, Deloitte, Enterprise Ireland, Ericsson, Goodbody Stockbrokers, 51黑料 and Xilinx.