Skip to main content

Italy gets micromobility boost from Enel X and Bird

Last-mile app-based solution links up EV charger and scooter firms
By Adam Hill July 1, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Bird: now available on JuicePass (© David Tonelson | Dreamstime.com)

Customers of electric vehicle (EV) charging specialist Enel X will also be able to rent Bird e-scooters in Italian cities as part of a last-mile initiative to take pressure off urban streets.

The idea is that EV drivers with the Enel X JuicePass app will be able to park and refuel at public charging points and continue their journeys on Bird scooters for "a fully integrated mobility experience".

The companies have been collaborating since last year, and have now added a section to JuicePass which gives access to more than 5,000 Bird scooters in places such as Turin, Rome, Milan, Verona, Rimini and Pesaro. 

"Our partnership with Bird allows us to offer JuicePass users a unique travel experience within cities and a valid alternative to traditional means of transport, thanks to which traffic flows in our cities can also be eased," said Alberto Piglia, head of e-mobility at Enel X. 

"Our goal is to provide a last-mile solution that, when combined with EVs and public transport, makes cities more livable and safer for everyone.” said Cristina Donofrio, general manager, Italy, at Bird.

JuicePass users will be redirected to the Bird app to book the nearest scooter identified on the map. 

The companies insist: "At the end of the journey, the scooter must be parked in a safe place that does not interfere with pedestrians and vehicles." 

There is a charge for unlocking the scooter and a per-minute fee. 
 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Spark demos 5G capability in Auckland 
    October 27, 2020
    5G and IoT will contribute to addressing urban and sustainability challenges, firm says
  • Debating contactless toll charging by smartphone
    April 25, 2012
    Developments in the mass transit sector could provide indicators of potential for greater use of mobile consumer electronic devices for charging and tolling, according to Consult Hyperion’s Mike Burden. However, opinion among toll system suppliers is divided. Jason Barnes reports The combination of mass-market devices and their protocols, typified by smartphones featuring near field communication (NFC), points to some exciting cross-fertilisation possibilities in the charging and tolling sector, says Consul
  • Cost benefit analysis ‘can’t be carried out with a cookbook’
    June 25, 2018
    There is far more to working out the worth of a project than simply filling in a few headings on a spreadsheet. David Crawford surveys some recent thinking from the US and Canada. Cost benefit analysis (CBA) “can’t be carried out with a cookbook”, warns US analyst Professor Robert J Brent. “ You can’t just get out a spreadsheet and fill in the data for all the headings. Each transport CBA should have something that is distinctive, in terms of location (for example, for a rural area), types of user
  • New system expedites border crossings
    October 28, 2016
    Enforcing border controls can create long queues for travellers, David Crawford looks at potential solutions. Long delays at border crossings in both North America and Europe have sparked the development of new queue visualisation and management technologies that are cutting hours, even days, off international passenger and freight journeys. At the westernmost end of the 2,019km (1,250 mile) Mexico–US frontier, two parallel crossings between Tijuana, in the former country, and the border city of San Diego,