The Car Free Day is a good opportunity to leave your car and use alternative, green solutions. To make it easier, a charger for electric scooters, Si, has been launched in Gdańsk at the Wave office building developed by Skanska. This is the first model of this type on the market. The device can power three vehicles at once. It also allows to plan and book a charging spot and some anti-theft functions. It is a solution that increases the safety of electric scooter users.
City Hub is the first shared mobility hub in the Tri-City, where in the summer season you can rent electric scooters with Hop.City, scooters with Bolt app or Traficar cars. Now, these solutions are joined by the Si charging station for electric scooters. Their users can book the device for a specific date and time to make sure it will be available for them. The charger was created by the company JedenŚlad (owner of the Hop.City brand). One of its functions is an anti-theft protection. This is the first model of its kind – not only in Poland, but in the world.
How does it work?
The Si application, which enables using the charging stations, is extremely intuitive and easy to use. To start, just scan the QR code on the charger. The generated link will redirect you to the mobile page of the Si app., where you will be guided through the entire process step by step. In the first period, a full charge is totally free, and its average duration is approx. 3 hours. Ultimately, payments for charging can be made in two ways – via the PayU system or using BLIK.
"We have created the Si ecosystem for all users of electric scooters who want to charge their vehicles easily, safely and trouble-free. At Hop.City, we have been working on the charging infrastructure for years and we are a modern energy bank. We create both battery terminals and charging stations for scooters or electric bikes, including the one next to Wave building in Gdańsk. We are currently working on an analytical system and a solution using renewable energy sources for package lockers. In our opinion, in order for a device to be scaled and adapted to the needs of tenants or property managers, it must have various forms and be made available both solo and with the devices that are already available on the market," says Patrycja Ogrodnik, Brand Manager at JedenŚlad, the owner of the Si and Hop.City brands. "The application does not need to be downloaded. The whole process is as short and intuitive as possible. It is based on QR codes and a mobile website. We are already working on expanding Si with additional functionalities and new types of vehicles," adds Patrycja Ogrodnik.
For safety reasons, scooters should not be charged at home, and definitely not in the office. The Si station is therefore a perfect solution for fans of these electric vehicles.
Poles are becoming more and more (micro)mobile
According to the Mobility as a Service 2020 report, rental of city bikes, scooters, as well as car sharing are the most popular MaaS services among Poles[1]. The Car Free Day is a great opportunity to continue this positive trend and switch to more ecological means of transport.
"City Hub with its features was created to make travel – to and from work – easier and faster. The latest device, the Si charger, is a convenient solution and simplification for people using electric scooters, which have become very popular in recent years," says Konrad Ziejewski, Project Manager at Skanska’s commercial development business unit in Poland, responsible for the Wave project. "We created City Hub to support sustainable transport and we focused on implementing solutions in the Wave project that are in line with this goal: 230 bicycle parking spots, changing rooms, showers and a public repair station. All this to make two-wheeler enthusiasts feel more comfortable when choosing, for example, a bicycle or an electric scooter as a way to commute," adds Konrad Ziejewski.
Sustainable transport
Issues related to supporting alternative transport and, more broadly, sustainable development are taken into account in Skanska's business strategy and at every level of the company’s operations. For years, the Swedish developer has been offering numerous amenities for cyclists in its office buildings to encourage employees to choose this form of transport. Parking spaces for bicycles, repair stations, changing rooms, showers or separate lifts are a tribute not only to two-wheeler fans, but also to the environment. In the Skanska investment in Cracow, High5ive, a bicycle center was created referring to the name of the Bike5ive complex, which was made available to both tenants of the building as well as residents of Cracow.
[1] [1] Raport „PANDEMIA A WSPÓŁDZIELONA MOBILNOŚĆ Stan i perspektywy polskiego rynku Mobility-as-a-Service w obliczu epidemii COVID-19”