The XenoBike – a customised four-wheel electric bike made by XenomatiX in partnership with LEVA-EU member CityQ – is using its on-board road lidar technology to create a 3D model of 50km of the Belgian city of Mechelen’s bike paths.
XenoBike is specifically engineered to assess the condition of cycle lanes, identifying potential hazards such as cracks, potholes and bumps. The resulting digital model provides a quality rating along with practical recommendations for improvement. It has been developed on the foundations of a CityQ four-wheel e-bike, and being lightweight and compact is ideally suited to navigating narrow spaces such as cycle lanes.
The Mechelen inspections will be used to deliver added value in the management, safety and comfort of the city’s cycling infrastrucutre. The pilot project is part of the European project CitCom.ai, of which the City of Mechelen is a partner. XenomatiX secured the contract in 2023 for assessing bike lanes with AWV (Agentschap voor Wegen en Verkeer), the agency responsible for roads and traffic in Flanders.
LEVA-EU member and automotive innovator CityQ becomes one of the latest eSync Alliance members, allowing it to provide OTA updates and diagnostics for the first time
On May 10, 2023, the eSync Alliance, a global automotive initiative for the standardization of over-the-air (OTA) updates and diagnostics, welcomed LEVA-EU member CityQ and Luxoft as new association members. The pair join a rapidly growing network of automakers, Tier-1 suppliers and digital software companies already enjoying the benefit of the eSync bi-directional data pipeline.
CityQ’s range of four-wheeled e-bikes aim to maximize comfort, capacity, efficiency, and safety by providing users with an attractive alternative to a car for urban personal transport. Manufactured in Germany, the bikes can travel at speeds of up to 25km/h and can be fitted with a modular storage compartment for last-mile logistics and deliveries.
An example of CityQ’s four-wheeled electric bike
Mike Gardner, Executive Director of the eSync Alliance, said: “The eSync Alliance is growing rapidly and the addition of CityQ and Luxoft – two companies working in diverse and important areas of the automotive sector – demonstrate how important a standardized OTA specification is to the industry’s future. We’re confident that both businesses will prove to be valuable partners and we look forward to their unique perspectives contributing to a stronger standard in the months to come.”
Morten Rynning, CEO at CityQ, said, “Working with the eSync Alliance will enable CityQ to add connectivity for OTA, and to remotely diagnose and upgrade the vehicles. As well as improving the service we can offer to CityQ owners, this will be particularly useful for fleet management, one of our major markets.”
Proven in millions of vehicles globally, eSync is a robust, repeatable solution for OTA deployment. The only universal bi-directional pipeline, eSync is currently used by more than 30 OEMs and Tier-1s, helping to simplify the development process and speed up the transition to SDVs.
About CityQ
CityQ is the first vehicle platform for city pods and 4-wheel e-bikes, with doors and full weather protection, as well as a cargo bed for luggage and rear seats for 2 children. The e-bikes feature connectivity and pedal by wire instead of mechanical chain or gears. CityQ is the new e-bike with car capabilities, making the shift from car to bicycling easier. See CityQ
About the eSync™ Alliance The eSync™ Alliance is a non-profit trade association driving a multi-company solution for Over-the-Air (OTA) updates and diagnostics data in the automotive electronics space, potentially saving billions of dollars per year for automakers. By working together in the Alliance, companies benefit from a simplified development environment made possible by a standardized yet customizable platform. The Alliance is based around the eSync platform of cloud and embedded components, providing a secure data pipeline to devices within a vehicle. Further information is at https://www.esyncalliance.org/
The company CityQ has joined LEVA-EU as first Norwegian member, bringing the total number of members to 24 in 8 member states, next to China, Russia, Switzerland and now also Norway.
CityQ offers a 4-wheeled vehicle that functions as an electric bicycle but which has 4 wheels and is covered. It can lodge 3 people plus luggage. The weather proof vehicle additionnally offers a solar pannel, app for booking, track and charging, as well as connectivity.
CityQ enables high end, corporate e-biking services for businesses located in cities or maybe an alternative to cargo ebikes for families and urban lifestyle.
CityQ is offered as a mobility service with partners within car-sharing, rental, leasing and property services. Limited edition and demos are available in 2018. Commercial delivery will start from 2019.
CityQ is one of the 21 winners of IDTechEx Launchpad, an initiative that provides early stage companies with the opportunity to showcase prototypes and demonstrations of their new products at IDTechEx in Berlin on 11 and 12 April. This is the first time, the CityQ will be shown outside Norway. At this event, CityQ Morten Rynning will also speak about “Opportunities of Autonomous E-biking”, see https://www.idtechex.com/electric-vehicles-europe/show/en/speakers/12058/opportunities-of-autonomous-e-biking
