Today we’re pleased to lift the curtain on Oonee Power, a thoughtful charging platform that is designed to make using e-micromobility super easy, convenient and safe. Key features include a modular battery charging kiosk and a complimentary software system that will make it easier for e-bike & e-scooter owners to purchase or replace high quality batteries.
Oonee Power is a comprehensive battery management & charging platform that includes a number of innovative features:
- Customizable and modular charging kiosks that are built with an emphasis on safety, versatility and placemaking
- Charging technology that optimizes battery longevity and performance
- An app based management system that allows users to monitor the health of their batteries over time, including built in alerts for when it’s time to replace
- A game changing marketplace that makes it easy for riders to find high performance secondary and replacement batteries
- Developed and tested in partnership with Los Deliveristas Unidos, New York’s largest delivery workers union, representing over 65k workers that mainly rely on e-bikes & e-scooters
- Turnkey Support System: Hardware, installation, management software and operations all bundled together
- Easy Financing: Simple & Straightforward Hardware-as-a-Service financing for property owners and municipalities
But before we delve further into the features and benefits of this comprehensive platform, we’d like to provide a quick primer on why this technology is so critical to the future of the urban landscape
Policy Background: E-bikes & Charging Headaches
Before we delve further into the features, it’s important that we first understand the policy and market contexts that necessitated its development.
Reliance on e-bikes & e-micromobility has steadily grown over the past decade in our home market of New York City, a trend that has only accelerated in recent years as e-bike technology has become increasingly more affordable and prevalent. Last year, in fact, e-bike sales outpaced EV and hybrid sales in the United States and the industry is expected to grow to $80 billion by 2027.
While Silicon Valley venture capitalists and some policymakers viewed the rise of e-bikes & e-scooters primarily through the context of shared mobility services (i.e. scootershare) in the mid-late 2010s, its the personally owned market that’s stealing the show in the 2020s. The reasons for this are straightforward; e-micromobility is a transformative tool in the hands of residents, commuters and workers. E-bikes require little physical exertion from users in order to reach top speeds thus allowing commuters to go longer distances with greater speed.
In New York, e-bikes have been especially important in BIPOC and working class communities that make up a disproportionate share of the City’s essential workforce. The region’s 65,000+ delivery workers largely rely on e-bikes & e-scooters to navigate Gotham’s streets.
Points of Friction
Unfortunately, the transition to this new transportation technology has not been completely smooth. Nowhere has this been more pronounced than fire safety; the Lithium-ion batteries that power the e-bike and e-micro mobility revolution have been responsible for an alarming number of deadly fires in cities across the country.
In 2022, New York City saw 216 such fires, which resulted in 147 injuries and six deaths. As of February this year, there were 30 fires and 40 injuries and two deaths. There are many reasons for these fires; for one there is very little regulation from the fledgling industry or government.
The resulting pressure from insurance companies and fire marshals has led to a wave of e-micromobility bans on public and private property across the city. While many advocates initially hoped that such limits would be limited to a handful of smaller properties, Fordham University’s campus-wide ban on e-bikes and scooters in early 2023 all but assured the permanence of this challenge.
The Canary in the Coal Mine
For many reasons, New York’s current predicament foreshadows the key challenges that will likely confront other North American cities as the e-micromobility adoption continues to surge. Conversely, the best practices developed here will be replicated by insurance companies, property owners and fire departments nationwide.
- One User, Many Batteries: Working cyclists and power users often rely on multiple batteries at any given time due to the length of time required for a recharge. Also, because most batteries only last for a thousand recharge cycles (about 1.5 years) frequent riders may find themselves purchasing several replacement and backup batteries for their bike or scooter.
- Market Fragmentation & Replacement Batteries: Many riders report difficulty in finding quality secondary and replacement batteries. The market is notoriously fragmented and finding a battery that is fully optimized for the specific device can be challenging. The black market becomes an option for many, but these batteries are often of poor quality and unsafe to use. Many of the fires in New York are thought to have been started by “black market” batteries.
- Limited Standardization & Certification: There is no standardized certification system in the industry for batteries that are safe and of a certain quality. UL certification has been used as a substitute, but isn’t terribly useful. Riders purchasing batteries are often on their own. Even OEM’s suffer from this problem, as battery quality varies widely within the industry.
- Fragmentation: Adding to the confusion is the fact that there is no standard battery design for e-bikes in the USA. This makes it harder for users to buy replacement batteries and for a streamlined charging system.
Community Developed
As with all of our solutions, we started with the policy & impact equation first. Any comprehensive solution would have to address most or all of the pain points experienced by riders and property owners. We then built the business model to support the policy.
We are also honored to share that we formed a partnership with Los Deliveristas Unidos, New York’s primary delivery workers union. (“LDU”) The LDU represents more than 65,000 delivery workers across Greater New York and is recognized as a leading advocacy voice for working cyclists
In addition to providing critical feedback and advice during the product development process thus far, the LDU will serve an iterative partner for the Oonee Power, with two early prototypes being housed at their new HQ in Brooklyn. We will also work with the LDU on a number of other projects, including the creation of an Oonee Hub for delivery workers at one of their facilities.
The cornerstone of our development process is community iteration and feedback– in working with the city’s leading voice for e-bike riders, we’ll ultimately get to a better, more thoughtful experience for all.
Development and R&D was also augmented by a generous grant from NYSERDA
Power Elements
We design our hardware to be customizable, versatile and deeply practical; the Oonee Power is no exception. Designed in partnership with leading manufacturers and engineers, the Charging Cabinet is designed to add panache to virtually any indoor or outdoor environment.
The external skin is completely customizable, with more than a dozen options for different colors and textures that can compliment any architectural or interior design scheme. Placemaking features include an optional bench, a screen for sponsored content and media as well as options for illuminated greenery on the roof.
How it Works
The charging kiosk is subdivided into ten several smaller compartments, each of which can accommodate a single battery. Kiosks can be placed next to each other for greater capacity (i.e. two kiosks equal 20 charging compartments).
Each of these compartments is equipped with an access control system that ensures that the battery won’t get stolen or accidentally tampered with by another user. Due to market fragmentation, the Charging Kiosk will operate on a bring your own charger basis. Users will be able to bring their own chargers on a per session basis or will be able to reserve a specific compartment for an extended period of time with their own charger residing permanently in the compartment.
There simply is not one standard battery type or charger that we can plan around, although in the future we will look to phase in a standard charger in some of the compartments as the e-micro mobility market develops
Safety First
Each Charging Kiosk comes with an array of safety features designed to greatly reduce the risk of fire.
Specifically, the charging compartments will include a heat sensor, smoke sensor and timer. Battery overcharging is one of the leading contributors to e-micromility fires; batteries that are left charging for hours or even days on end. A smart timer will help prevent this by ensuring that each battery only receives its optimal power draw.
Each charging compartment will also come with its own fire suppression system that will respond in the event of excess heat and/or smoke detection.
Although there will be a blanket time limit, users will have the option of registering their batteries for more individualized time allotments (some batteries hold greater capacity, some hold less). Typically overheating is the first sign of trouble; a heat sensor will disconnect power from the compartment at the first sign of excessive heat.
Finally, the charging kiosk is built within a sturdy, fire-protected enclosure. Future generation charging kiosks will come with additional sensors that will further increase safety.
We estimate that, collectively, these steps will reduce the risk of fire by up to 99%.
Software & Mobile App Integration
The mobile app will drive the Oonee Power user experience, with a number of features designed to increase convenience and efficiency for users.
Oonee Power’s individual matrix will lay at the cornerstone of the experience. During sign-up, users will be asked to document and register their batteries, on the backend the app will match capacity and lifecycle data with common battery models.
For users, this means that the Oonee Power system will recognize each users individual battery type and will adjust charging behavior to match. With individualized data, the system will be able to generate customized data, recommendations and alerts for users.
The Mobile app will also connect users to a number of regional options for secure bike parking as well as other services.
Maximizing Performance
Users will have the option to maximize the long term performance and lifespan of their battery within the mobile app. The ideal charge range of most batteries is between 30% and 80%, charging from empty-to-full may shorten the lifespan and performance of the battery.
Oonee Power will eventually employ other algorithmic tools, sensors and possibly artificial intelligence to benchmark the charging performance of the user’s battery against a healthy model. The system will use this battery to project accurate projections on lifespan and performance.
In practice, this will allow users to extend the life-cycle of their batteries and to save money on replacements.
Spares & Replacements…made super easy
Oonee Power will eventually include a service designed to make purchasing high quality, high performance spares & replacement batteries affordable and simple. We will work with manufacturers and OEMs to source certified batteries & chargers and make them available for users at competitive prices.
Users will be able to have batteries shipped to their homes, a nearby Oonee Power Kiosk or to a community partner. Ultimately, this will make it easy for riders to get the most out of their e-bikes and scooters.
Designed to be Everywhere
For maximum impact and scale, Oonee Power must be made available to a wide variety of stakeholders, with specific products and services designed to appeal to these groups. Backed by a thorough stakeholder analysis, the Power is designed to surpass the needs of a wide variety of stakeholder groups:
- State, Local & Municipal Governments: We’ll work with government agencies to place the Charging Kiosks on public right-of-way and public property throughout jurisdictions. This can be done as a complement to our existing secure bike parking offerings or as a standalone program.
- Private Properties: Oonee Power is the perfect solution for developers and property owners that want to mitigate the risk of lithium-ion fires while also providing tenants with a service that substantially improves the performance and convenience of their micromobility devices.
- Campus Environments: We designed Oonee Power to be an ideal solution for campuses that want to make it easier for commuters, visitors and residents to charge up conveniently and safely. The malleable nature of the design also makes it a good compliment to the wide range of architectural and design styles that are found within campuses across the world.
- Transportation Facilities: For major transportation hubs, the Oonee Power can be a natural complement to existing or planned secure bike parking facilities. Commuters can park-n-charge their e-bikes and e-scooters at the transit facility or ride-n-swap their batteries when switching from transit to 1st/last mile modes.
- Gas Stations & EV Charging Facilities: Gas Stations and EV charging facilities could use Oonee Power as an option for micromobility. For these operators, Oonee Power could be operated as a vending machine, effectively adding another source of revenue to the business.
Simple & Flexible Pricing Options
We’ve designed a range of flexible options for public and private properties that want to get Oonee Power. These include the direct purchase, simple subscription and advertising. Organizations can choose what arrangement works best for them or even combine options for maximum cost effectiveness. Oonee Power will also allow property owners to pay off the balance via an option to collect payments from users.
What’s Next?
We will begin accepting pre-order reservations for Oonee Power next week, with the first prototypes landing in New York by the end of June for beta testing. We expect production units to begin shipping shortly after.
Stay tuned for updates!
Sidebar: We’re in the process of conducting a round of investment. If you love this work and are interested in investing in a growth orientated startup then please drop us a note at info@ooneepod.com
