Built by the company Azimut360 SCCL, the new prototype will undergo a six-month testing period to study its performance and efficiency. The idea is to assess the feasibility of the whole fleet of redistribution vehicles adopting this technology.

The Bicing service currently has 30 bike-redistribution vehicles with trailers. These electric vehicles have an average autonomy of between 70 and 90 kilometres, depending on the routes they follow. Installing solar panels on these auxiliary vehicles would make the service even more sustainable, reducing its power consumption and giving the vehicles greater autonomy.

The improvement comes in addition to the benefits already offered by the new management programme used by Bicing, a type of artificial intelligence software that enables Bicing staff to know the best moment to shift bikes from one station to another, avoiding unnecessary journeys.