Eco Tech MeetUp #4: Serbia has ecomobility solutions

Eco Tech Serbia organized Eco Tech MeetUp #4 Mix and Move on September 24 to mark Climate Diplomacy Week and European Mobility Week and present local ecomobility solutions, as well as raise the awareness of the diversity and availability of environmentally friendly means of transport.

Eco Tech MeetUp focused on electric scooters and electric bicycles, the CAR:GO ride sharing app, the Pedaliranje cycling app, and the Obilićev Venac garage, the first garage in Europe to have received the Parksmart certificate recognizing high-performing, sustainable garages.

Serbian Uber and electric scooters

CAR:GO is the Serbian answer to Uber. The app enables users to share a ride from point A to point B, in Belgrade, Zagreb, and Podgorica. Using the app requires installing it, registering, and opting for a payment method, which can involve a credit card, a Telenor Banka account, mts credit, or PayPal. Once the user reaches the destination, the system automatically charges the ride and emails the receipt.

Aleksandar Vučić, executive director at CAR:GO, says the idea is for the app to expand to other means of transport as well, including bicycles or scooters, as is the global trend.

“The idea is to offer multiple options to clients to transfer from point A to point B,” he said.

Sveta Simić, managing partner at Motogrini, presented the first Serbia-made electric scooter, comes with a price range of EUR 1,700 to EUR 2,900, a seven-year warranty, and the option to charge it using a simple electric outlet. A single charge makes for a 60-kilometer to 100-kilometer ride.

The electric scooters are economical compared to regular scooters – Motogrini’s electric scooter consumes only EUR 6.4 worth of electricity in the April-November period, compared to the regular 50cc scooter’s consumption of fuel worth more than EUR 400.

“State subsidies would help develop this means of transport, and we hope this will happen soon,” says Simić.

Simić notes that each Motogrini scooter is unique, with a different body pattern.

A bicycle with a GPS system and a cycling app

E-Prime manufactures electric bicycles which can be used as standard bikes, relying on pedals alone, as standard bikes, relying on pedals and the electric drive, and as electric bikes, with no use of pedals.

Milan Manojlović, E-Prime co-founder, says the electric bike is ideal for major cities and traffic jams, with long distances not being an issue thanks to the electric drive.

He says that E-Prime continues to perfect its models and is preparing to launch exports to the region, as well as the EU. These bikes are priced from EUR 1,000 to EUR 2,000 and come with features such as fingerprint activation, GPS tracking, and an alarm.

The Pedaliranje app helps cyclists in Belgrade move around more easily, but also strengthen their community and campaign for a better position. The app comes with a map of bike lanes and locations important to cyclists, such as filling stations with compressors, formal and informal services, water fountains, and stores. It also enables app users to connect.

Dina Čubrić, one of the app’s co-founders, says that cyclists encounter many problems, such as those concerning parking and bike lanes.

“The idea is to change this, including by calling public attention to the presence of cyclists and the need for co-habitation with them rather than ignoring them,” Čubrić said.

Garage with solar panels

Belgrade’s public parking management company Parking Servis presented the Obilićev Venac garage in downtown Belgrade, the first garage in Europe to have received the Parksmart certificate recognizing high-performing, sustainable garages. The garage, whose reconstruction was completed last year, now has solar panels powering LED lighting, electric vehicle chargers, 40 bicycle parking spots, and bikes for rent.

Thanks to the investment, the garage has cut its costs by a third, while increasing the number of parking spaces by 30%. Biljana Vlajić, head of investment and construction at Parking Servis, said that the reconstruction of the garage shows that the public company follows urban mobility trends and seeks to make the city more livable.

“The idea was for the project to also help raise environmental awareness,” she said.