3 ms·
Does anyone know how these work technically? Does the bike have a mobile data connection, or does the app give you a code to unlock the bike? How does the econ
by TorKlingberg 10y ago
Does anyone know how these work technically? Does the bike have a mobile data connection, or does the app give you a code to unlock the bike?
How does the economics of it work? What does it cost to manufacture a dockless bike, and can they reasonably make it back in fees. Or is this all fueled by VC money?
- contingencies 10y agoI'm pretty sure they're all embedded low-power processors with GSM + SMS unlocking and small simple batteries which recharge when cycled. (There is a visible delay between people scanning the codes and the locks releasing.) GPS is usually not included, instead it uses the GPS location of the phone of the last person who hired it and reported locking it when done. ("Sometimes users search for a bike and it is not where their smartphone says it is") For a redesign, it would be theoretically possible to do the unlock from the consumer app via wifi, bluetooth or NFC and eliminate the mobile connection entirely, using an embedded cryptographic approach similar to banking devices. Yes, it's all VC money.