Danish Startup Builds Electric Car for On-demand Carpooling Services
For Danish startup Spiri, It’s self-drive carpooling service promised to get you where you need to be for free if you’re the driver, or at about the price of a bus ticket for passengers.
While other ride-sharing services are seeking to bring costs down in the long-term with the development of autonomous vehicles, Spiri wants to give everyone the convenience of an on-demand car service at a price that allows for everyday use, now. This is where carpooling comes in.
So that its users don’t have to actually own a car themselves, the company will provide low-cost fleets of electric vehicles that can be used by different people and that won’t be left parked up for most of the day.
The Spiri v0.1 has been designed specifically for the carpooling service, with a view to maximizing range, connectivity and passenger comfort, while minimizing cost.
Spiri says the prototype will do 320 km (199 mi) on a single full charge of its 36.5 kWh battery. It seats four people and has wide doors to allow occupants to get in and out easily.
The Spiri prototype was unveiled in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Tuesday. The service is expected to launch in the UK, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden next year.
The video below provides an introduction to Spiri.
