JCDecaux launches self-service electric bikes

JCDecaux SA (Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide, and number one in self-service bikes, announces the launch of self-service electric bikes with a lightweight portable battery (where users will rent their own personal battery).

With its various self-service bike programmes around the world, JCDecaux will soon have reached 650,000 users, with the bikes combined travelling over one billion kilometres. In its twelve years of international experience, JCDecaux has installed 52,000 self-service bikes and 4,700 docking stations across 70 cities in 13 different countries around the world. JCDecaux pioneered this eco-friendly, individual but shared form of transport when it launched its first bikes in Vienna (Austria) in 2003. Since then, it has constantly updated its self-service bike rental schemes in order to meet users' expectations and it now boasts record numbers of users.

Building on this success, JCDecaux, which constantly anticipates the needs of authorities and citizens, is innovating once again by unveiling its self-service electric bikes with a lightweight portable battery, financed by the most virtuous economic model for the benefit of the cities and their inhabitants. More than simply providing an additional transport facility, these bikes represent a true revolution in local transportation. With these electric bikes, JCDecaux is redefining cycling in cities by providing users with additional power and comfort, as well as removing the main obstacles to the widespread development of battery-powered bicycles: purchase and maintenance costs, theft and the complexity of charging the batteries.

This new, enhanced, simple, flexible and connected urban mobility concept is compatible with existing self-service bike docking stations and can therefore be rolled out without interrupting current services or requiring engineering works.

The self-service electric bikes required three years of research and development to transform a complex system into a simple, high-performance solution incorporating a number of innovative features, which have been patented: a lightweight removable battery, an automatic warning system for if the user forgets to remove the battery, and smartphone connectivity via a dedicated app.

The battery developed by JCDecaux can cover 10 kilometres - four times the average distance travelled on self-service bikes. The battery can be charged by the user, and is easy to fit on the bike. The customer experience remains simple and quick, with an online subscription and a monthly charge, but the user experience will be enhanced with permanent smartphone connectivity, providing new functionalities that will be gradually revealed to the public.

As a real complement to public transport, self-service bike are now an integral part of urban landscapes, improving the quality of city life, while meeting growing environmental concerns. Since their launch, these self-service bike schemes have been true growth drivers, creating 450 jobs in France and 620 worldwide. They have changed habits in cities, as shown by the very strong success of JCDecaux's bikes. This success is underpinned by the quality of the services provided by the Group's teams, who provide top-level maintenance for all its systems, and ensure a quality relationship with users. The launch of electric bikes reflects the Group's commitment to facilitating access to this service and developing its use.

Jean-Charles Decaux, Chairman of the Executive Board and Co-CEO of JCDecaux, said: "We are very proud to be launching self-service electric bikes with a lightweight portable battery, which will accelerate shared urban mobility. As a natural extension of our self-service bikes, the electric bikes designed by JCDecaux draw on a range of technological solutions that mark the second revolution in urban mobility. The launch of this service proves that - more than 50 years after its creation - our Group is still able to deliver high-quality, innovative solutions, thanks to our research and development teams, whom I congratulate on their success. While self-service bike sharing schemes, which are easy to use and environmentally-friendly, are increasingly popular with users, JCDecaux's electric bikes provide an alternative solution, complementing other means of transport. As France hosts the UN climate change conference, COP 21, this year, JCDecaux's self-service electric bikes, which are already operational, provide a sustainable alternative for city authorities, as well as encouraging low-emission travel and bringing about a real change in habits in urban areas. Multimodal mobility is a challenge for all of city stakeholders, who must promote sustainable and responsible transport solutions. As a long-standing partner of city authorities, JCDecaux employs the expertise of its teams to work with them in order to build transport solutions that combine comfort, simplicity and design. This encourages new ways of sharing the public space where individuals can enjoy their independence even further, within a broader scheme of sharing means of transport.”

​(See the full sized infographic)