We had a chat with Magdalena Krenek, General Manager of Voi Technology Italy, the company that is revolutionizing the smart mobility in big Italian cities thanks to Voiager scooters. With her we tried to understand the true ecological impact of electric micro-mobility. But also like the use of electric scooters is changing the way we move around the city. And maybe not only there.
Voi Technology revolutionizes mobility in the city thanks to the Voiager 4 scooters (and more)
An app on the smartphone to find the scooter closest to you. Drive without emissions, arrive at your destination and then unlock the scooter for the next ride from the app. Nothing simpler, nothing more. Services like that of Voi Technology (which after only a year is already the most used in Milan) are revolutionizing the way we move around the city. There is no longer a need to decide between moving through traffic by car or walking miles after exiting the subway.
A constantly evolving reality, which has now found a market made up of commuters, tourists, students and managers: anyone who needs to move in the famous “last mile” from the public service stop.
Interview with Magdalena Krenek
We asked Magdalena Krenek, General Manager of Voi Technology, to tell us about this world, which he knows closely. Starting precisely from the results obtained by you, who saved in one year 50 tons of CO2.
Magdalena Krenek, General Manager Voi Technology Italia
How can we save 50 tons of CO2 and serve four Italian cities? What is Voi’s winning recipe?
“We are actually celebrating the start of the second year in Italy with the launch of our fifth city: Modena, so we are continuing to expand. I believe that our greatest added value is flexibility: we base our business on the specific needs of each city. This is why we are the ideal partner for local administrations. The practical example is that, one year after its launch in Milan, according to data from Fluctuo, the independent intelligence platform for mobility, we are the first operators for races in the city of Milan. We owe it to our operational excellence, always undergoing improvement, which ensure that our fleet is more on the move than that of other operators. This means that, with the Voi method, a city could have fewer scooters, because the ones it makes available to citizens are able to meet the demand.
“Then there is a vehicle theme, yes. Our Voiager 4, present to Rome, Milan and Reggio Emilia, is equipped with arrows both front and rear, an element that guarantees better communication between our users and all other traffic players – an absolute novelty in Italy ”.
The Voiager 4 is the “most sustainable scooter in the world”: how does it achieve this?
“We are very proud that the ITF, the OECD’s International Forum for Transportation, cited only our model as an example of how much continuous technological innovation on scooters, is making them increasingly sustainable. this flatters us a lot, because all our vehicles are studied, designed and engineered in the R&D department of Voi Technology in Stockholm on the basis of continuous satisfaction research carried out on our customers and on the basis of European regulations. Our stress tests for the Voiager 4 show that it has a durability average operating life of 60 months.
“I Voi vehicles are modular: this increases the opportunities for reuse of components replacement. Plastic and rubbers are used, for example, for the tactile strips of parking lots and fences. Voi has renewed the first generations of scooters by giving them a second life through B2B and B2C sales platforms and when internal reuse in the Voi supply chain is not possible, the materials are recycled with the best external recycling partners. There is no defined roadmap for the design study of new vehicles. I can only say that we are finishing the Voiager 5 which should come out next year and we are already planning the Voiager 6 ″.
How does the IoT mechanism for self-diagnosis work?
“The self-diagnosis mechanism of the IoT uses the system of sensors and control units present in all the main components of the vehicle to test the functionality of the vehicle in real time. For example, if the lighting control unit recognizes a problem, then warns the IOT of the malfunctiono ed automatically, through our management system, the medium is reported in WH. Once the vehicle has been received, during the initial diagnosis the mechanic will be notified via “alert” of the presence of a malfunction in the lighting system (in practice, a bit like the warning lights in the dashboard of a car that warn the driver in the event of a lack of oil, high temperature or imminent need for maintenance service) “.
I know you are thinking about the world of e-bikes: are you aiming for the “most sustainable e-bike in the world” here too?
“At the moment our electric bikes are only available in the UK but there he would like to introduce them soon also in Italy. More than integration, it is a additional service: Voi is not just a sharing scooter company, it is a micro electric mobility company and our Mission is to create City with people in the center, city in 15 minutes. To do this, we must ensure that the proposal for efficient, sustainable and safe micro-mobility meets the needs of as many people as possible. E-bikes are the first extension of our service. We are currently testing several models, increasing its lifespan will be the next step. So who knows, in this case too we would like to be the player who offers one of the most durable and sustainable vehicles “.
Five Italian cities in one year are many: are you planning to continue the expansion?
“Modena it joins the neighbor Reggio Emilia, hoping to help create a regional model, as well as a citizen.
“In addition to the two Emilian cities we are active in Milano, our first city in Italy, Roma, with the largest fleet e Torino, starting in July. We will come to soon Palermo.
“Of course we would also like to offer our service in other cities: in Voi Technology what moves the whole team is not just the business but a clear vision: to create cities with people at the center. We want to give people back the spaces that, from the Second World War to today, have been dedicated to private cars instead of people. Micro electric mobility is certainly a protagonist in being able to achieve More efficient, sustainable and safer “cities in 15 minutes”“.
Almost all sharing services for scooters and bikes only work in the city: is there the possibility of expanding also in the province?
“There are actually a lot of countries that are converting to one totally electric mobility, especially abroad. I would say it depends on the business model of each individual company. For the moment, we believe in you that in order to carry out a true ecological “revolution”, we must start from the capital cities, capable of influencing even what happens in the smaller centers that surround them “.
As you have read, your ultimate goal seems to be “humanistic”. Putting people at the center, who can return to live the spaces we have left to cars to create greener, less noisy and chaotic cities. More liveable, across the board. You can learn more about this green revolution starting from the official website. And if you live in one of the five cities currently managed by you, you can get started by downloading the app.