Blue-Mobility en Comate: Innovation in Sustainable Mobility for Leuven

Leuven is known as a pioneer in shared mobility, the circular economy, and innovation. It’s no surprise that Blue-Mobility chose this city to be the first to expand their fleet with circular e-bikes. Thanks to the new back-to-many system, you can easily combine your e-bike ride with public transport or carpooling, as you can drop off the e-bike at any Blue-bike location without additional costs. This makes it easier than ever to integrate cycling into your journey with public transport or carpooling. The electric Blue-bikes were developed in together with the Leuven-based engineering firm, Comate.

The well-known blue shared bikes, Blue-bike, which you can find at stations and throughout the city, were until recently only available as standard bikes. However, in December of last year, Blue-Mobility launched a pilot project with 15 circular electric bikes at Leuven station. This pilot was a resounding success. As a result, the fleet is now expanding to 56 e-bikes, which will be available at various locations, including the Haasrode UCLL bus stop, Hoppinpunt Vaartkom, and Heverlee Science Park. Thanks to these circular e-bikes, standard bikes converted to e-bikes by the local Belgian company MoCyclette, you get an extra (electric) push, allowing you to reach your destination faster and more comfortably.

Along with the expansion of the electric fleet, Blue-Mobility is also launching a back-to-many system. This system allows you to pick up an e-bike and drop it off at another e-bike location in Leuven without any extra costs. This gives users the freedom to combine their ride with other forms of transport, such as the bus or carpooling, contributing significantly to the modal shift towards more sustainable mobility.

Innovation in Leuven

The Leuven-based engineering firm Comate, specializing in hardware development, was involved in the electrification of the bikes. “Circularity, repairability, and compatibility with the existing fleet were key parameters for us in the development of the e-bikes,” says Jasper Strobbe of Blue-Mobility. “We wanted a partner who could integrate these aspects into a new design and deliver it on a tight deadline for the launch. With an eye on circularity, we wanted to maximize the use of our current fleet as a resource. The design had to be compatible with this, so that materials could be interchangeable for repairs or for the conversion and electrification of existing standard bikes. Additionally, it was crucial that all repairs or conversions could be carried out as efficiently and simply as possible by our other partners, such as VELO vzw.”

In addition to the collaboration with Comate, the project also contributes to the social economy in Leuven. VELO vzw, an organization that provides work experience and employment to various groups in society who have difficulty accessing the labor market, handles the maintenance and repairs. “Our employees have the opportunity to build unique expertise that will be highly valuable in the future,” says Dries Janssen, director of VELO vzw.

Launch of the E-bike System in Leuven on August 29

Leuven is the first city where Blue-Mobility is introducing the new e-bike system, with the official launch on August 29. This move once again positions the city as a leader in smart, environmentally friendly solutions and contributes to the ambition of promoting shared mobility and making Leuven even more bike-friendly.

“Thanks to the collaboration with the City of Leuven, Comate, and VELO vzw, we were able to quickly realize our e-bikes and the back-to-many system,” says Jasper Strobbe. “We’re proud of this milestone. Mission accomplished!”