Ahoy has been organizing the most diverse events in Rotterdam for almost 50 years. Accessibility is therefore an important theme for receiving millions of visitors per year. It is therefore not surprising that Ahoy participated in Mobility Lab 2019 as a Launching Customer. Together with startup Tiler (formerly Fesla), she conducted a pilot in which they tested the charging tile for e-bikes. We asked Ellery Landheer – van der Schraaf from Ahoy to tell us more about this.
Ellery, why did you participate as Launching Customers of Mobility Lab?
“We did not have a mobility challenge for which we were looking for a solution. Nevertheless, Mobility Lab appealed to us. At Ahoy we stand for inspiration and creativity. Sustainability and thinking outside the box are also important to us. That is why we wanted to give a startup the opportunity to do a pilot with us. This is how you help each other! Then we came into contact with Tiler.”
What is it like to work with a startup?
“I think it was the first time that Ahoy did a pilot with a startup. It was fun and fascinating. You learn from each other. The process to arrive at the pilot took a while, but in the end we arrived at a great pilot.”
What exactly have you tested?
“Tiler was eager to test its innovative charging tile for e-bikes. This allows e-bikes to charge without the battery having to be plugged in somewhere. We tested the charging tile in our staff bicycle shed. We have an electric shared bicycle for our employees, so that they do not have to take the car when they have an appointment in the center of Rotterdam. This is more convenient, more sustainable and sometimes faster. Tiler’s charging tile was used to charge our shared bike. This way you never have to check in advance whether it is charged. I’ve tried it myself a few times.”
What have you learned from the pilot?
“Flexibility is extremely important to Ahoy. We completely convert our location for every event we organize. A fixed tile was therefore not convenient for us. That required some flexibility from Tiler. They then made the charging tile ‘mobile’. This way the tile could be moved. I definitely see potential in Tiler’s charging tile. Especially for providers of shared bicycles or shared scooters, for example.”
How do you look back on your participation in Mobility Lab
“We look back with satisfaction on the pilot with Tiler. Even though we weren’t necessarily looking for a solution to a problem. The pilot has given us new insights and questions have arisen. For example, should we install expensive new charging stations for electric cars at Ahoy in the future? Or could we also opt for a more innovative and flexible solution? In short: who knows, in the future we may collaborate again with a startup with an innovative solution.
Startup Wise offers an app with which the hybrid worker searches, finds and books a flexible and local workplace. This autumn they did a pilot at a municipality in South Holland.
A. Jansen B.V. and Smesh-E-Axle are entering into a pilot partnership to test the innovative drive shaft in practice.
