Overview of the first six months

Repower electrifies cycle tourism

June

The fifth edition of Repower’s White Paper on sustainable mobility shows that the Italian electric bike market grew by 20 percent year-on-year in 2020, with over two million bikes sold. In view of this boom, Repower has developed DINA, a new charging station for electric bikes designed by Makio Hasuike, winner of the Compasso d’Oro alla carriera. The elegant charging station is suitable for outdoor and indoor use. Up to seven electric bikes can be parked at it, and four can be charged at the same time. It’s a smart solution for the growing number of regions and players that rely on electric bike tourism and related services.

Web portal for sustainable mobility

Alongside the DINA charging station, the new network for cycle tourists features a web portal within Homo Mobilis, the conceptual framework for sustainable mobility in the broadest sense. The web portal offers a wide variety of content and functionality for users to choose content on the basis of their interests. It gives visibility to the structures involved in the network by providing them with a platform to present themselves as hosts. At the same time it’s a treasure trove of routes, ideas and news on developments around biking and cycle tourism, with or without a motor. The content is kept constantly up to date and can be tailored to the experience and interest of individual users.

A communications and event plan for the DINAclub charging network brings to life the idea of sustainable mobility that Repower has developed and implemented over more than ten years. A big name in cycling is also on board: Paolo Bettini, Olympic champion in Athens 2004 and two-time cycling world champion, is the face of DINAclub.

Cooperation with route planner komoot

DINAclub has also entered into an innovative partnership with the route planner komoot, a platform with 20 million users in Europe alone and a reference for bikers from all over the world. Under the agreement, all structures participating in DINAclub will be listed on komoot’s maps as points of interest and charging stations. This way users can plan their whole bike trip conveniently according to their own needs before setting off. Charging stations are also organised into their own Collections in Repower’s official profile on komoot. New routes are added regularly and provide plenty of inspiration for bikers.

Another important point is that DINAclub uses gamification, a method that rewards people for being part of the bike network as well as motivating them to go exploring by bike. Each host structure of a DINAclub route is assigned a QR code; by scanning these codes, users can collect points and thus access regional maps from komoot for free: a double incentive to tackle the next stage. Using the route does not mean you have to use the charging stations, so it’s open to all bikers, regardless of whether they’re on the road with or without a motor.