PARIS, March 22 ― A French startup is developing a surprisingly compact, lightweight and modular pedal-powered vehicle made exclusively of biobased materials. Launched by former automotive engineers, this vehicle offers more comfort and safety than a cargo bike for transporting a person or goods, and can be used in all conditions any time of the year.
What's unique about this solution from Midipile is that it is completely modular. Starting with a single chassis, various types of equipment can be added, according to customers' needs. It can take the form of a two-seater version, with a module capable of accommodating a passenger at the rear, or it could include a specially designed unit that can be installed behind the driver for transporting large items. Of course, the set-up can be modified several times within a single day, depending on the activity to be undertaken, and quite quickly.
The startup uses biobased materials rather than composites, mainly from the flax and hemp sector, as well as resins that are all agro-based, in order to enable maximum recycling and thereby achieve as low a carbon footprint as possible.
Midipile does not intend to sell these vehicles, but rather to rent them out to professionals and local communities, and then to collect them once their mission is over. The goal is to ensure regular maintenance of each vehicle and facilitate a long lifespan. Therefore anyone who wants to use Midipile's unique cars will likely have to sign up and pay a monthly fee.
Another key advantage of this project is that it combines different sources of energy: force generated by pedalling, batteries and solar panels. In total, this guarantees a daily range of up to 250 km. In terms of performance, the vehicle can reach 45 km/h and carry up to 300 kg.
In technical terms, Midipile is a lightweight, energy-efficient quadricycle. Its batteries, fixed and removable, are charged with energy produced by pedalling, electricity generated by photovoltaic panels as well as by regenerative braking. In fact, the vehicle's range fluctuates from 170 to 250km according to how much effort is made in pedalling.
Midipile recently presented a 3D-printed prototype at the Autonomy show in Paris. A first series of 10 vehicles will be produced later this year for the first full-scale tests, with official production set to start in 2023. ― ETX Studio
