Superpedestrian

Superpedestrian Inc., is a transportation robotics company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that develops micromobility technologies for small-scale electric vehicles. The company works with vehicle for hire companies, scooter sharing, and bicycle-sharing systems to improve the safety and reliability of their vehicle fleets. Superpedestrian is also the manufacturer of a consumer-facing product known as the Copenhagen Wheel, an electric bicycle wheel that transforms a traditional bicycle into a hybrid e-bike.

Superpedestrian
TypePrivate
IndustryElectric bicycles, Robotics, Transportation, Vehicle for hire
Founded2012
Headquarters
Cambridge, Massachusetts
,
United States
Area served
Global
Key people
Assaf Biderman, founder and CEO
Gil Arbel, COO
Carlo Ratti, Strategic Advisor
Websitesuperpedestrian.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2]

History

Superpedestrian's first product, The Copenhagen Wheel, was developed at MIT’s Senseable City Lab in 2009 in partnership with the city of Copenhagen, and unveiled at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference. In December 2012, Assaf Biderman, a co-inventor of the Wheel and Associate Director of the MIT Senseable City Lab, founded Superpedestrian to commercialize the Wheel. After several years of engineering, testing, and validation, the Copenhagen Wheel officially launched in April 2017.

In December 2018, the Boston Business Journal reported the company will be shifting their focus and start building electric scooters and supplying the scooter sharing fleet operators such as Bird and Lime.[3]

Products

Fleet Vehicles

Superpedestrian works with vehicle for hire companies, scooter-sharing, and bicycle-sharing systems worldwide to provide fleets of small electric vehicles optimized for safety, reliability, and seamless riding experiences. Fleet operators contend with the challenges of managing and maintaining large numbers of motorized vehicles including electric bicycles, motorized scooters, and mopeds. Building on sensing, monitoring, and control systems developed for the Copenhagen Wheel, Superpedestrian's fleet vehicles and Vehicle Intelligence platform offer solutions to common fleet operation problems. Their platform allows operators to remotely monitor fleet health, boost maintenance efficiency, manage user accounts, and improve customer experiences, leading to lower operating costs and increased revenue.

Copenhagen Wheel

The Copenhagen Wheel is a rear wheel electric bicycle system that fits most existing bicycle frames - requiring a metal frame and V-brakes. It replaces an existing rear wheel, transforming the bicycle into a smart electric hybrid/pedelec. The Copenhagen Wheel contains a custom brushless motor, advanced sensors, control systems, and a lithium-ion battery, all contained within the hub of a single rear bicycle wheel. Combining actual torque, power, cadence, pedal position, and acceleration sensing with high-speed controllers and actuators, the Wheel generates power that is seamlessly synchronized with a rider's pedaling.

Bluetooth connectivity enables riders to personalize their cycling experience from their smartphone with ride modes such as Turbo, Eco, and Exercise. A smartphone also acts as a digital key, activating the Wheel automatically when ready to ride, and communicating with the cloud in real time. A self-diagnostic safety system monitors components within the Wheel and proactively responds to events within milliseconds, protecting both rider and Wheel. Electronic Braking Assistance allows riders to brake and recharge the battery simultaneously, simply by backpedaling. Finally, with over-the-air updates, the Wheel improves with new features over time.

The Copenhagen Wheel is currently available in the continental U.S.. Superpedestrian works with over 260 independent bicycle retailers across the United States to provide demos, maintenance, and installation services.

Link is a shared electric scooter-sharing service made by Superpedestrian Inc. The trial period started in early 2020 in a small town in Florida. It will launch in four cities in the US and in Europe. [4]

Funding

Superpedestrian has raised more than $63 million[5] in venture capital investment from firms including Cambridge-based General Catalyst and Spark Capital. Additional investors include Tony Fadell, Charles Kim, Jared Leto, Xavier Niel, Paul Sagan, and Christian Klingler.[6]

Awards
  • European Product Design Awards – Platinum – Urban Sustainable Design 2017[7]
  • European Product Design Awards – Gold – Bicycling and Bicycle Accessories 2017[8]
  • European Product Design Awards – Gold – Design for Sustainability 2017[9]
  • European Product Design Awards – Silver – Robotics 2017[7]
  • CNBC – Top 25 Startup 2017[10]
  • TIME Magazine - Best Tech of 2017[11]
  • Red Dot: Design Concept Awards – Luminary 2014[12]
  • Red Dot: Design Concept Awards – “Best of the Best” 2014[12]
  • TIME Magazine – The 25 Best Inventions of 2014[13]
  • Deutscher Werkbund Label – Werkbund Label for design 2014[14]
  • Green Dot Awards – Winner 2011[15]
  • Living Labs Global Awards – Shortlisted 2011[16]
  • Index Award – Finalist 2011[17]
  • Edison Awards – Silver in Personal Transportation – 2011[18]
  • U.S. James Dyson Award – Winner – 2010[19]
  • World Technology Summit and Awards – Winner – 2011
  • The Grand Challenge Stories Award of the US National Academy of Engineers – Winner – 2010

See also

References
  1. "CNBC: Upstart 25: Superpedestrian". CNBC. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  2. "Bloomberg: Company Overview of Superpedestrian Inc". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  3. O'Brien, Kelly J. (2018-12-04). "MIT-born Superpedestrian to sell electric scooters". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 2018-12-05.
  4. O'Kane, Sean (2020-06-04). "Superpedestrian is launching a shared e-scooter service called Link". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  5. "Superpedestrian Crunchbase". Crunchbase. 2020-01-24.
  6. "Superpedestrian | Crunchbase". Crunchbase. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  7. "The Copenhagen Wheel". www.productdesignaward.eu. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  8. "The Copenhagen Wheel". www.productdesignaward.eu. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  9. "The Copenhagen Wheel". www.productdesignaward.eu. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  10. staff, CNBC.com (2017-02-28). "7. Superpedestrian: High-efficiency bicycle wheels for urban commuters". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  11. "These Are the Best New Gadgets of 2017 So Far". Time. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  12. "Red Dot Design Award for Design Concepts". Red Dot Design Award. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  13. "These Are the 25 Best Inventions of 2014". Time. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  14. "The Copenhagen Wheel". The Copenhagen Wheel. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  15. Awards, Green Dot. "Green Dot Awards | Environment Awards". greendotawards.com. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  16. "Farglory Nominates Five Technologies for its new Smart Communities in Taipei". PRWeb. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  17. "The Copenhagen Wheel - INDEX: Design to Improve Life®". INDEX: Design to Improve Life®. 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  18. "Edison Awards™ - Honoring the Best in Innovation and Innovators". Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  19. "2010 James Dyson Award Competition US Winner - Design Milk". Design Milk. 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
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