October 2022

"Trick or treat" has been the traditional saying for Halloween since time immemorial. Given the circumstances, where energy savings is the hottest topic, October is a crucial month for the sustainable transport community. Luckily, there is promising news.

German startup Sono Motors has unveiled several solar panel kits at the 2022 IAA Transportation Show in Hannover (Germany) to improve the efficiency of commercial vehicles such as buses and refrigerated trucks. One of them is designed to be implemented on the Mercedes-Benz Citaro and MAN Lion City public transit buses. While it can't substitute the propulsion – provided by the diesel engine – it is helpful for other systems, such as climate control. According to the company, the solar kit has 1,4 kW peak power, saving up to 1499 litres of diesel per bus per year and providing a return on investment in three or four years.

Reducing energy consumption and dependency on fossil fuels is also a relevant mission "on the water". The Monegasque startup Lanéva, renowned for its custom-built e-boats, has launched at the Monaco Yacht Show 2022 (MYS) a new division, labelled Lanéva Retrofit, offering industrialized retrofit kits for classic boats on the market. The first example with a brand-new electric motor, substituting a thermal power unit, is a Riva Ariston. The ship has a 150-kW engine and a Li-Ion battery, with a top speed of 30 knots and more than 2h30 autonomy at 15 knots. This project has received funds from the Mission for Energy Transition (MTE) of the Principality of Monaco, headed by Annabelle Jaeger-Seydoux. In the future, Lanéva plans to propose its retrofit kits on other classic boat brands like Boesch, Chris-Craft, and Hacker Craft.

Moreover, in the two-wheeler sector, Swedish e-bike manufacturer Cake and the energy colossus Vattenfall have created a partnership to build a "fossil-free" electric motorcycle, described by Stefan Ytterborn, Cake Founder & CEO, as a production process fully decarbonized. To achieve this result, the companies have analyzed the overall carbon emission emitted during the production chain of a Cake Kalk OR model, equal to 1,186 kilograms of carbon dioxide. They're working to implement alternative materials such as green aluminium, steel, plastic, and rubber and to reduce the emissions of existing components (i.e., the bike's motor, battery, brakes, suspensions, and electronics). The partners hope to give birth to the first "fossil-free" motorbike by 2025.