Blue-bike is going electric

The time is here. From now on, you will find the first 15 electric Blue-bikes at Leuven station. The demand for an electric variant has been growing ever louder and now has a ready-made answer. In the spirit of circularity, we transformed our well-known Blue-bikes into an electric model. Existing Blue-bikes bikes are converted to the electric model. In this way, the Blue-bike retains its familiar design and functionalities. With this e-bike, you explore the city and its wide surroundings in a new and sustainable way. In case of a breakdown on the road, Ethias is also on standby for this e-bike.

Summary info sheet

• What? Blue-bike’s first 15 circular e-bikes
• When? From Wednesday 13 December
• Where? Station Leuven E-lock (Tiensevest)
• For whom? Anyone who is a member of Blue-bike. Not a member? Join here.
• How to rent? Via de Blue-bike app. Download for Android and iOS.
• What does it cost? €10 for the first 24h. Full rates can be seen here. Enjoy a temporary promo and pay just €7 for the first 24 hours.

Details E-bike 

• Range: 60 – 100 km (depending on weather and selected assistance level)
• Battery level: Battery level is indicated by the number of lights on the battery and on the controller on the handlebar. Each light is approximately equal to 15 km of range. It is your own responsibility to check whether there is enough range for the ride you have in mind.
• Support: There are 5 levels of support. These can be set by the user via the controller.
• How to use? In the app, we explain from A to Z how to get on the road smoothly with our e-bikes.

Give it a go

We will place the e-bikes at the new Blue-bike location “Station Leuven E-lock (Tiensevest)”. 40 Blue-bikes will be placed at this new location: 15 e-bikes and 25 classic ones. You can find the e-bikes by their pink plate and battery under the distinctive blue basket. You can easily find and borrow them via the Blue-bike app, where you can also check availability. Borrowing an e-bike is done in the same way as our other bikes with digital lock: open the Blue-bike app, click on the location and select an e-bike from the list of available bikes. Then make a Bluetooth connection to the bike and the lock will automatically pop open. The e-bikes are available to all Blue-bike members. In the start-up phase, it is not possible to borrow an e-bike with a voucher. Neither is it possible to rent an e-bike using a MaaS provider such as Olympus Mobility or KBC Mobile at the moment.

Circular e-bike 

The production of these e-bikes fits perfectly into Blue-bike’s zero-waste philosophy. We renamed our regular Blue-bikes into circular e-bikes with an eye for caring use of resources and materials. Moreover, we aim to repair and reuse them as much as possible. The battery can be easily repaired and replaced. Thus, we utilise precious raw materials such as lithium to the utmost.

The circular e-bike came about after of the “Electric Blue project” and came about after a successful collaboration between Blue-bike and MoCyclette. The project is part of the overall BBBC (Belgium Builds Back Circular) project. That call for projects with a grant from the Federal Government aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Belgium. The BBBC is itself funded by the European fund ‘Next Generation EU’. This electric circular share bike is a great addition to Blue-bike’s already existing offer of share bikes.

E-bikes transform mobility 

The introduction of electric share bikes is an important milestone in the transformation to more sustainable mobility. Indeed, they literally boost cycling comfort for longer and hilly distances.

We are convinced that in this way we can convince even more people to leave the car at home and choose a sustainable alternative for longer journeys too.

Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? You can contact us at info@blue-bike.be. We are always ready to listen to your feedback and we hope you enjoy the new e-bike!

Modal shift towards a more durable mobility

Blue-mobility saw the light of day in 2011 with the aim of encouraging greater use of public transport and cycling. Share bikes are the solution to close the last mile, literally and figuratively. The sustainable idea of keeping more cars off the road has proven successful over the past 12 years. Today, Blue-bikes, the reference in Belgium, can be found in 110 locations and no fewer than 2,383 bikes are in use. More than 300,000 rides were made in 2022.

“Today we are announcing a first. As the largest share bike network in Belgium, we will put electric, circularly designed and maintained bikes into circulation with the subsidies received. Thanks to the increased range of these electric ones, the combination of public transport and cycling to the final destination will become even more accessible for many commuters. With this, we want to make a fundamental contribution to increase the number of ecological trips and contribute to the modal shift towards sustainable mobility,” explains Bram Dousselaere of Blue-mobility.

“Shared mobility is on the rise. With Blue-bike, we have experienced exponential growth in customers and rides in recent years thanks to the strong expansion of our well-spread network. The introduction of the electric shared bike enables the further expansion of our network in hilly terrain in Wallonia. In Flanders, too, the introduction of basic accessibility is scaling up the Blue-bike shared bike. As a subsidiary of De Lijn, our ambition is to provide over 200 Hoppin points with (electric) shared bicycles,” Dousselaere continues.

“As De Lijn, we want to play a leading role in ensuring sustainable and attractive mobility for everyone. Together with the transport regions and local authorities, we are working on introducing basic accessibility. In this way, we want to maximise the modal shift to sustainable travel. Combined mobility is an essential part of this. As a shareholder of Blue-Bike, we are therefore delighted that these new circular electric bicycles in Blue-Bike’s range will be an important asset for all those who want to travel combi-mobile and more sustainably. This way we move towards less CO2 ” says Guy Weyns, Director Marketing & Mobility of De Lijn.

Unique expertise offers more opportunities in the regular labour market

“VELO asbl combines a focus on cycling mobility with social employment. This project is therefore fully in line with our DNA, of ecological, social and socially responsible operations. We are looking forward to getting started with these circular bikes. With this project, our employees, who find it difficult to access the labour market, will have the opportunity to build expertise that is unique and will be in even greater demand in the future. This work experience will positively stimulate them and give them the opportunity to move on to the regular labour market,” said Jos Vandikkelen, director VELO asbl.

Partner of the first hour of Blue-bike is Ethias, which endorses safety and sustainability as a vision throughout all its business units. For them, the roll-out of electric share bikes is therefore a logical next step.

“At Ethias, we want to encourage people to move and to get around in an ecological way. The bicycle is the tool of choice for this. That is also why we have been a partner of Blue-bike since the very beginning. And who is more cut out than our Belgian pride Wout van Aert to give people the desire to cycle more? We are proud of our ambassador. Humanity is embedded in the DNA of Ethias, but it is also what typifies Wout van Aert. That is why Wout – now for a year – is the perfect addition to the Ethias family,’ explained Philippe Lallemand, Ethias CEO.

From left to right: Minister Dermagne (PS), Minister Khattabi (Ecolo), Bram Dousselaere (Blue-bike), Stefaan Butaye (Blue-bike)