Wind Mobility is a new e-scooter entrance to the Irish market and a welcome addition too and we tested out their #escooter The Wind 3.0 and met up with up Felix Eggert who told us about the plans and the e-scooter itself and one thing to note that stood out to me was it is made in house, down to the last bolt which means stealing one is pointless or stealing a part off one too.

At first this machine is heavier than most and bigger which does make it last and from testing it I like this approach however you are restricted to where you can bring it which again another point to note is that from testing in the UK Felix told me people have tried to bring them on public transport such as trains but this will in fact disable them. They have a very inclusive app and everything can be monitored and geo-fencing is an important feature and zones where they are not supposed to be used are also in place so overall a really good product here with great app features which we will see more in detail in the coming weeks and we get a full long term review of the e-scooter, as mentioned we spent a morning with the Wind 3.0 to check it out and I have made a quick assessment of my time with it..

Who is Wind

Wind Mobility, a micromobility sharing company, and we turn regular travel into safe moments that leave a lasting smile on your face.

They offer convenient, affordable, and easy-to-use access to short distance transportation in urban areas. With their eco-conscious and sustainable e-scooter, they aim to make cities more livable by reducing congestion, as well as noise and carbon emissions.

Born in Germany in 2017 as Byke Mobility GmbH offering bike rental services in European cities, in 2018 Wind launched an e-scooter sharing on a global scope.

 

 

The Wind 3.0

SPEED LIMIT: capped at 25km/h, possibility to automatically reduce speed in the busiest pedestrian areas

WEIGHT: 29.6 kg (higher weight makes for safer and more comfortable riding on bumpy roads)

RANGE: up to 80km range, fully GPS tracked, automatic updates for all major settings, IoT hardwired into mainboard

BRAKES: two independent physical & electric brakes. The braking distance is 3.5 meters in dry weather for a speed of 25km/h vs. 5-7 meters for other scooters on the market. The electronic brake force distribution system allows to automatically balance the load on two wheels in the event of sudden stops, thus limiting the risk of projection towards the front.

TYRES: Non-inflated double-layered foam-filled tyres (No risk of burst tyres; WIND 3.0 tyres are larger than comparable scooters in the industry, which increases comfort and safety)

BATTERY LIFE: 3+ days - fully swappable battery - serviced by electric cargo-bike. The Lithium-ion batteries are certified by the independent German technical inspection body TÜV SUD and comply with international standards

PREVENT CLUTTERED PAVEMENTS Wind scooters are the only shared electric scooters equipped with a robust double stand, which ensures the stability of parked vehicles and prevents them from falling easily and cluttering streets. Sensors in our scooter automatically notify our teams when the scooter has tipped over..

Safety Features

bright yellow colour for easy visibility
retro-reflective devices
bright front & rear lights (automatically
activated day & night)
horn with 110 decibel sound
wider non-slip platform
alarm & anti-theft features
built-in hand sanitiser
integrated helmet

 

 

Playing by the rules

Here is the problem which is still an ongoing issue with escooters in Ireland and they still continue to drag their heels on the laws, mostly the Gardai throw a blind eye which is obvious from the visible amount of these on the streets and as an escooter owner myself I have never been stopped or approached but still feel the threat anytime I do go out on mine. Wind have their own policy set out below but yet like us all still waiting for some kind of solid legislation from our government..

Our geolocation system allows the definition of our operating area and of no-riding zones such as parks or pedestrian areas. The GPS system indicates the position of our vehicles with a maximum margin of error of less than 5 meters. Our teams on the ground ensure that vehicles are not parked in scooter-free zones and will quickly remove scooters from those areas if parked incorrectly. Our app will prevent users from parking scooters and finishing their ride when outside the operating area. If scooters are removed, users will be subject to a fine and WIND reserves the right to suspend a user if scooters are mishandled or repeatedly parked in scooter-free zones. We can quickly adapt and configure our tools to comply with
regulatory demands and flexibly respond to any restrictions imposed by city authorities. Our geofencing technology allows the flexible modification of the area of operation. Within 30 minutes, our teams can integrate no-riding zones and reduced speed areas.

For more on the company see wind.co 

See the video below for a tour of the Wind 3.0