electric car sharing startup, emobi, to reach medellín
Contxto – People interested in using more eco-friendly means of transportation are familiar with common options like walking, biking, and using public transit. Even e-scooters are an innovative alternative.
However, even these scrappy means hit their limits—or are you really gonna hitch the new TV you bought on the back of your Grin scooter? I think not (if you do though, let us know!).
Eventually a car is necessary, and if you’re environmentally-conscious, an electric one is even better. And in Colombia, mobility startup Emobi wants to ease access to electric vehicles. For now, the startup’s fleet is only available for car sharing in Bogotá.
But the startup hopes to make ]vehicles available in other parts of Colombia soon.
Electric car sharing startup
If you live in Europe, the United States or Canada, car sharing is pretty commonplace.
Although not so much in Latin America. Much less sharing an electric car. So, this is it the challenge that has been taken up by Colombian Emobi.
By using its app, a person in Bogotá can access any of the cars that make up its fleet. They just need to find the nearest one at a charging station, and they can get behind the wheel with no intermediary third party.
For this service, users are charged around US$4 for a 40 minute rental period.
Meanwhile, car owners take a cut of the vehicle’s rent for around US$176 a month.
By the second half of 2020, the startup hopes to be in Medellín, and eventually, reach Cali and Bucaramanga.
Challenges ahead
I’m all for alternative transportation, even if it does mean the use of those pesky polluting lithium-ion batteries. But there are other environmental challenges related to businesses that work electric vehicles.
One is developing the proper infrastructure for these specialized cars. Particularly setting up stations where their battery system can be charged.
Moreover, a lot of the electricity that powers the cars comes from burning coal. Not so eco-friendly when you think about it. And as the demand for these cars rises, so will there be mounting pressure to generate more electricity.
Related articles: Tech and startups from Colombia!
-ML
