ENUU’s electric vehicles are very small, halfway between a car and a bike. But unlike their two-wheel counterparts, its vehicles are fully closed and can be used in all types of weather.

Thirteen of these vehicles will be rolled out for public use in Biel in mid-July. According to the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), users can reserve the mini vehicles via an app, and the vehicle’s door opens automatically when the reservation begins.

Users will be able to take three free trips a day lasting a total of 30 minutes, after which they’ll have to pay. A driver’s licence is not needed. The mini vehicles are allowed on bike paths up to a speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour.

The vehicles are being tested on the EPFL campus since early May, with students allowed to take them out for a short 15-minute ride. 

“The pilot phase is crucial for ENUU because it allows us to collect a whole range of data on everything from battery life to areas of use,” said Yoann Loetscher, one of the founders of ENUU.