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MIT’s SENSEable City Laboratory has announced that they will initiate a new biking project in Copenhagen to reduce carbon emissions and increase fitness. The Danish city will be the urban laboratory for MIT’s SmartBiking project starting in November 2009. This start date dovetails with Copenhagen’s duties as host of the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
MIT has developed smart bike technology that will allow easy mobilization, energy conservation and citywide mileage tracking. The SENSEable City Laboratory has created a rear wheel compartment that contains a lithium ion battery, smart tag and other electronic components. This compartment will be tested for durability and efficiency during the Copenhagen project. The goal of the SmartBike’s rear wheel compartment is to add these elements to traditional bicycles throughout the world. MIT wants to make the SmartBike component compatible with mountain and racing bicycles worldwide for easy conversion.
The SmartBike will also feature regenerative braking similar to brakes in hybrid cars. Copenhagen commuters will be able to generate energy for the lithium-ion battery with each use of regenerative brakes. This energy is stored in the rear wheel unit until the rider begins to pedal again, easing the strain necessary to get up to speed.
The SmartBike tag will be used to test out ridership in Copenhagen and determine if the project should be expanded to other cities. MIT will study total mileage for SmartBike participants to determine the emissions savings from keeping cars in their garages. While MIT has a larger goal of encouraging emissions trading and clean transportation outside of Copenhagen, the publication of test results from the SmartBike project may encourage similar projects with public health aims.
If the SmartBike project does not catch fire outside of Copenhagen, government leaders and experts will be to blame. Every city using electronic and traditional bikes with rear wheel compartments could ease vehicle congestion, reduce emissions and get commuters out of their cars. The long-term consequence of the SmartBike project could be a healthier public that needs less fuel, asks for additional public transit and uses cars for out-of-town trips. If city councils, state legislatures and Congress don’t invest in infrastructure appropriate for SmartBike offshoots, they will show their ignorance of America’s need for sustainable transportation in the 21st century.
