Micromobility company Beam has presented its latest e-scooter, the Saturn 5, the fifth-generation of this e-scooter, and its Apollo e-bike in Bisbane, Australia in advance of two new e-mobility trials.
In research conducted by Beam, 40 percent of Beam riders said they would be more likely to consider public transport for long journeys over other options such as private vehicles or ride-hailing if they could rely on the availability of an e-scooter or e-bike for first and last-mile transport.
48 percent said they already used e-scooters and e-bikes for their first and last-mile connections, with 22 percent saying they ‘always’ or ‘usually’ formed part of their trips in the city.
Tom Cooper, Beam's ANZ General Manager, said:Already, over 50% of shared e-scooter journeys in Brisbane are for commuting and essential travel, which makes this next expansion a great time to introduce an upgrade to the e-scooters Brisbane residents get to use as we kickstart two new trials.
The Saturn 5 e-scooter was developed particularly for mature e-scooter markets like Brisbane, catering for longer commuting journeys with features like wireless phone charging and auditory alerts, as well as improved geo-fencing capabilities to ensure safe operation of micromobility alongside other modes of transport.
According to the manufacturer, the Saturn 5 e-scooter doesn’t just get information from satellites, it also gathers data from the vehicle’s own systems, resulting in ‘centimetre-perfect position accuracy’. The purpose of this technology is to make sure riders stay inside areas approved for micromobility use by local councils and governments and that the vehicles can respond quickly when a rider moves between zones with different restrictions.
The vehicles can deliver visual and auditory notifications to riders about what they are allowed to do where. For example, they will receive information about no parking zones and when entering and leaving slow zones.
The Saturn 5 has been given a larger front wheel to its predecessor to provide riders with a more pleasant experience on uneven roads and pavements.
The handlebars have been reduced in size to give riders a better grip as well as better access to the brakes, indicators and bell.
Each Saturn 5 can travel around 120km on one battery charge, which Beam says is “the longest capacity of any vehicle in the shared micromobility space”.
Beam’s Apollo e-bike has been given an improved ergonomic design, making it more comfortable for longer trips, and increased capacity in the bike basket.
