룩셈부르크 친환경 전기 스쿠터
올해 말부터 가정용 소켓에서 충전할 수 있는 접이식 전기 스쿠터가 룩셈부르크에서 생산될 예정이다. 약 9,000유로(1,167만원 상당) 상당의 전기 스쿠터는 무공해 대안 및 친환경적인 도시 운송 수단을 만들기 위해 룩셈부르크 스타트업 유젯(Ujet)에 의해 개발되었다.
포에츠 지역(Foetz)에 있는 2,000평방미터의 유젯(Ujet) 공장에서 생산 되는 전기 스쿠터는 연간 10,000대의 생산량을 목표로 두고 있다. 3년 전 설립 이후 이 개발은 주로 민간 기업들로부터 투자를 받았다. 국가 지원 기금은 기계 비용의 10%인 약 7만 유로에 해당한다.
유젯은 공장 개장 첫 날부터 350건의 사전 예약을 받았으며, 파리, 밀라노, 모나코, 바르셀로나에서도 전기 스쿠터를 런칭 할 계획이다.
유젯(Ujet) 홈페이지: https://www.ujet.com/
A foldable, lightweight electric scooter which can be charged from a household socket will be produced at a factory in Luxembourg from the end of this year.
The scooters, which cost from around €9,000, were invented to make sustainable transport in cities more environmentally friendly, providing a noiseless alternative with zero tail-pipe emissions.
The 2,000 square metres Ujet factory in Foetz will initially employ 37 people and has a production capacity of 10,000 units per year. Since the company was founded three years ago, the development has received a €40m investment, mainly from private companies. State funding amounts to around €70,000 – 10% of the cost of the machines.
And with 350 pre-bookings on the day of the factory’s official opening, the start-up is also launching its electric scooter in Paris, Milan, Monaco and Barcelona.
Weighing a maximum of 50kg, the structure can be folded to fit into the boot of a car the size of Volkswagen Golf and the saddle, which contains the battery, removed to charge from any standard indoor socket.
Ujet International CEO, Hugues Despres, described the innovation as fitting “anyone’s lifestyle” because users “don’t need to worry about finding a charging station or having enough space”.
One of the reasons for using a lightweight carbon fibre structure and making the saddle compartment portable on wheels was to also acommodate female customers, who, according to Ujet, are underserved within the market.
Despres explained that more than three quarters of scooter drivers are men and the light frame makes for easier manoeuvering for lighter drivers.
Another market the company is looking to target is Asia. Ujet Vice President CEO, Patrick David, insisted the reason why the factory was implemented in Luxembourg and not in Asia is because production is “more controlled” here, which appeals to the Asian market.
The scooter, which comes in a range of colours, starts with a smartphone contact or pincode, has no spokes in the wheels and has an integrated SatNav on the foldable touchscreen dashboard.
A dedicated app comes with a tracking feature and a warning sound when the vehicle moves without the owner’s command, allowing the scooter to be disabled remotely via the app.
A 4kw battery can be charged in two hours and can last between 70km and 150km, depending on whether the driver selects the eco, normal or sports mode. The scooters can be driven with a car driving licence or a 50cc licence.