The global micro-mobility charging infrastructure market size was estimated $US6.23 billion ($A9.45b) in 2021 and is expected to hit around $US45 billion ($A68b) by 2030, rising at a CAGR of 24.57 per cent during the forecast period 2022 to 2030, according to research from Canadian strategic insight group Precedence Research.

MicroFleet says it could capture 2 per cent of that infrastructure size, meaning a market for its products valued at $A1.36b.

It is the catalyst for MicroFleet to target the installation of 100,000 smart docking points in Australia and one-million globally by 2030. 

MicroFleet is part of the 20-year-old Electric Vehicles Pty Ltd based in Melbourne that manufactures and maintains light-electric vehicles, including Australia Post’s 2000-plus electric mail bike fleet.

The ‘OneDock’ docking device with patent pending was developed over the past few years by MicroFleet. Key to the global interest is its universal charging and parking station design that suits all electric bikes, scooters and other light-electric vehicles (LEVs).

It allows universal micro-mobility tracking, docking, charging and sharing; whether privately-owned or part of a public or corporate fleet.

Importantly, its design and application will substantially reduce battery fires and provide a safe and secure location for LEVs, ideal in locations including apartment blocks, resorts, city buildings and in transport hubs operated by governments.

Funding was provided by iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre that believes the dock and associated hardware and software could make Australia the centre of the booming e-micro mobility market that is estimated to be worth $300 billion by 2030.iMOVE CRC is part of the Australian government’s Cooperative Research Centres network that funds and assists Australian companies to accelerate the development of ground-breaking technology, products and services in the transport sector.

MicroFleet COO Al Reid told GoAutoNews Premium that this initial funding was vital to get the dock to launch status, expected to be in early 2024.“We are now talking to investors because we are planning to take this global and will need significant funding to do that,” he said.

Mr Reid said LEVs were the future of urban transport because e-bikes, e-scooters and similar vehicles were efficient, environmentally sound and user-friendly.

“OneDock is a great export opportunity for Australia because it can help create cities where transportation is seamless, eco-friendly, and efficient,” he said.

“It is transport’s third tier – first is public transport, then you’ve got cars. We’re creating a third tier of smart transport around micro-mobility vehicles. 

“This is what we think is the missing piece of infrastructure for city mobility.”

Mr Reid said that MicroFleet was the first company to create “a truly universal micro-mobility charging dock.”

“There are a huge range and shapes of sizes, sizes of scooters, bikes, trikes, and quadricycles and because of their huge variations, it’s very difficult to create a docking solution that works for any vehicle,” he said.

“On top of that is a range of battery voltages and chemistries to account for. So there are quite a few technical challenges to coming up with a truly universal system, which is why it’s taken us many years to develop.

“What also makes it different is its very simple adapter that can be retrofitted to any of these micro-mobility vehicles to allow it to connect to a universal dock. 

“The universal adapter is what we are planning to mass produce and make as cheap as possible which means that the barrier to entry to be able to come into the system and charge a vehicle – whether it’s your private e-bike or e-scooter or a part of a shared fleet – will be very low.

“We are hoping, if this really gets traction, is having bike hoops installed around the city that become smart digital docks. They would have the same or even a smaller footprint than the current bike hoops.

“For users, they will be able to automatically lock and safely charge and enable sharing of any vehicle that goes into it.

“All of this is operated via a smartphone app. You just have to have the app on your phone, then you’ll be part of a smart transport network.”

Mr Reid said he was in talks with representatives of New York City with the potential that these could lead to it using the OneDock system in the future.

However, he said talks were in early stages and that New York was only one of many cities that have expressed interest in the system.

As an example of the potential of the unique dock system developed by MicroFleet, New York alone could support 70,000 OneDocks to cater for growing LEV use.

Its ability to reduce the incidence of battery fires could interest New York users. In 2022, ad hoc lithium battery charging resulted in 216 fires, 147 injuries, and six fatalities.

OneDock will have its international launch in Europe in 2024 at a series of leading trade fairs for the cycling and micro-mobility industries.

By Neil Dowling