Danish bike-sharing company Donkey Republic aims to make access to bikes more flexible and affordable. Founded in 2015 from a Copenhagen home basement, Donkey Republic has grown its bike fleet to an impressive 20,000 vehicles across 60 European cities. As part of a further expansion, they have rolled out the first batch of electric shared bicycles in Antwerp (Belgium), Kiel (Germany), and Geneva (Switzerland). In total, there have been 3,500 shared e-bikes hitting the streets in the last 6 months. To provide the best user experience, the new e-bike fleet is connected with Comodule’s IoT solution.

A connected fleet to run the business smoothly

To manage their new e-bike fleet smoothly, all Donkey e-bikes are connected with our Master V9 IoT solution. The module is connected to Donkey's proprietary controller which then manages a powerful Bafang mid-drive motor.

The new e-bikes are rentable via the Donkey App, which is connected to the IoT system. The app gives users full control over their e-bike, allowing bikes to be locked and unlocked with the phone as needed, making for a simple, flexible user experience.

“We're very proud to be partnering with Donkey Republic to help launch their e-bike fleet, which we believe will provide a convenient transport solution to people who are increasingly looking for more flexibility in their everyday lives, ” comments Teet Praks, Co-Founder and CEO of Comodule.

Connection to a cellular network enables both Donkey Republic and its customers to see the location of the e-bikes at all times, facilitating the process for them to find bikes that are close to their current locations and use the service. The IoT solution also makes it possible to control e-bikes remotely. For example, to change the assist level or other features.

Data-driven decisions 

Thanks to connectivity, Donkey Republic can collect continuous vehicle data, including speed, range, routes, pedal torque and power, battery health, battery temperature, motor and controller temperature, and more. Data analysis helps to improve their customer experience and service.

The data is visible through the Comodule Control Center which is plugged directly into Donkey Republic's state-of-the-art fleet management system.

“We pride ourselves on keeping things simple while using key data and investing in long-term partnerships to move the business forward. We have established a unique, sustainable, and scalable strategy to help us deliver our core mission statement - to provide an affordable, reliable, and eco-friendly transport service to users across the globe,” comments Mette Østrup Rasmussen, Head of hardware development.

Driving the change in urban transportation

The addition of e-bikes to Donkey Republic's fleet accelerates the transition to greener, more liveable, and less traffic-congested cities. The e-bikes cover longer distances and are more likely to replace car rides than traditional bikes, with the connectivity making them more efficient to operate, rent and maintain. Donkey Republic has a vision of making city life better for everyone, with bike-sharing and the use of Comodule’s IoT technology sitting at the heart of that goal.

If you want to learn more about connectivity solutions for service providers and fleets, feel free to reach out through the link below.