Introduction

Today the world is running by electricity. Not everywhere and everything but almost. Even cars, buses and bicycles. At the end of the 19th century the first electric locomotive (electric passenger train) invented by Werner von Siemens appeared. Even electric cars were very popular in the late 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century. But when the gasoline vehicles entered the market they out-competed the e-cars. [1] Since then e-mobility has increased and will be increasing in the future.

As we got frequently confronted with this topic – at our workplace, in school and even at home – we wanted to know more about it. And by the time we started the ZurIzmir project we thought this would be a good opportunity to do some research. It is our aim to make more people aware of the advantages of electric vehicles. So here we go. Have a look at what Izmir (Turkey) and Zurich (Switzerland) has to offer and get to know e-bikes, e-buses and e-cars (BMW i.3) better.

E-Bikes

Since 2012 the e-bikes have increased significantly in Europe. They can reach a speed of 45 km/h but most just reach 25 km/h. [2]

E-Bikes are easy to use and easy to handle. But not even that. They are fun to use and fun to handle. This is one of the main points we found out on our excursion to Zurich.

We tried out an e-bike renting service called smide. Just download the app, search for an e-bike near to you and off you go! If you want to reach your destination this is probably the fastest and most convenient option.

Have a little look at the excursion video:

Unfortunately Izmir does not offer an e-bike renting service but you can rent normal bicycles to ride around Izmir. What brings us to the e-buses in Izmir and the SmartShuttle in Sion:

E-Buses Izmir/ SmartShuttle Sion

Turkey:
There are e-buses in Izmir which can get 250 miles (ca. 400 km) per day. The electricity of the buses is provided by solar energy. As usual at electric vehicles the buses doesn’t make any noise while running. The passangers can charge their mobile phone while driving.

 

Switzerland:
In Sitten/Sion, a city in the canton of Wallis, are two little yellow shuttles driving around. Of course those Shuttels are running with 100% electricity but what’s even more interesting, those shuttles are driving around on their own. Completely autonomous shuttels which is a premiere in Switzerland. For safety-reasons there is a panic button to stop the vehicle.
They drive at a speed of 20 km/h and can carry 11 passengers with them. Sitten/Sion is kind of a beta test phase. [3]

E-Cars

There are not many electric cars in Switzerland. In fact in 2016 fewer people decided to buy an e-car than in 2015. But the number of hybrid vehicles increased. [4]

Here are some interesting facts about electric vehicles from our e-mobility team in Izmir:

• electric cars can cost less than gas vehicles
• they are better for the air we breathe
• skip the gas station, you can “fill up” at home and work
• electric cars are the future of transportation
• they are quiet inside and outside

But let’s focus on one specific e-car; The BMW i.3: (because why always focusing on Tesla?)

• up to 200 km (with fully charged battery)
• it accelerates very fast (0-100 km/h in 8.1 s)
• it has small turning circle
• the built-in eco-materials are 95% recyclable
• the car is produced for the most part from renewable energy [5]

In comparison to other electric vehicles the BMW i.3 is not the cheapest one but there are others which are more expensive.

The battery issues

Of course, electric vehicles like e-cars and e-bikes do have many environmental benefits, but what about the battery?
The battery includes raw materials like lithium and cobalt. These materials are limited worldwide. And the mining of lithium requires a lot of water and is associated with high environmental impact. In addition, only about five percent of the batteries are recycled. [6]

E-Mobility hasn’t reached its potential yet

E-mobility has come far. And e-mobility will go further because it hasn’t reached its full potential yet. Norway leads the way by setting a decent example on electric vehicles.

If the government of the counties would make it more attractive to own an e-car (like Norway does) probably more people would tend to buy one.

Personal experience and conclusion

The project was very educational and extremely exciting. We got to know the different sides of e-mobility. Furthermore, it was great to see how it works in Izmir and compare the difference between Switzerland and Izmir. We will keep the motto “get further with e-mobility” for our future!

Hopefully we aroused your interest in e-mobility!

Your E-Mobility-Team
Laila, Viviane, Ayşegül and Ilayda

Sources:

[1] Electric Locomotive (wikipedia.org)
[2] Pedelec (e-bike) (wikipedia.org)
[3] SmartShuttle Project Sion (postauto.ch)
[4] Bundesamt für Statistik (Fahrzeugstatistik Schweiz) (bfs.admin.ch)
[5] Article about BMW i.3 (blick.ch)
[6] Battery issues (utopia.de)

Alternative Sources:

E-Bike renting Zurich (smide.ch)
All about the BMW i.3 (wikipedia.org)
Brochure e-mobility (Canton of Zurich) (awel.zh.ch)
Izmir e-bus website (eshot.gov.tr)
Bisim bikes website (bisim.com.tr)

Relations on dontwastemy.energy:

Q50 -Driving an Electric Car
Q70 – Electric Car’s Power

☷ See the project teams here »
☵ Some words about the contributions »