The electric bike takes its ease along the GT20
A solar charging station for electric bikes and an application that calculates battery life.
This is, in summary, the content of the Scala Sole prototype, presented this Monday afternoon in Montemaiò.
The designers, Stéphane Clemot and Christophe Bayard, convinced the municipality of Montegrossu to install the machine in the town.
“When they presented this prototype to us, the approval of the city council was unanimousassures Jean-Marc Borri, the mayor. It is obviously the innovative character, in terms of clean energy and respect for the environment, that seduced us, at the same time as the undeniable public utility since more and more people are using bicycles electric assistance. Many of our constituents, moreover, use these bikes. We can therefore only continue to promote this kind of structure, especially in one of the towns crossed by the GT20 route, which is to cycling what the GR20 is to hiking. This charging station can only be beneficial in terms of attractiveness and attendance. »
The municipality of Montegrossu is indeed on the fourth stage of the great crossing of Corsica by bike. Forty-three kilometers and 521 vertical meters separate Belgodère from Calenzana.
The Collectivity of Corsica financed, through the AUE, approximately 60% of the €15,000 necessary for the design of this prototype. » In 2019, we made the first crossing of Corsica by solar-charged electric bikerelates Stéphane Clemot. There are almost 11,000 meters of elevation gain, which puts the GT20 in second position among the most difficult courses in France. On certain passes, depending on energy consumption, there is a real risk of running out of battery. »
Recharge your batteries literally and figuratively
An electrical engineer, Christophe Bayard is also a precursor of the electrically assisted bicycle: « When there are big gradients, our benchmarks on the autonomy of the bike are distortedhe explains. Then comes this anxiety of the empty battery. We realized that charging points were essential on the course of the GT20. It would take about fifteen, throughout the course, to be able to be serene.
The Scala Sole prototype was entirely designed and manufactured in Balagne. It includes a picnic table, a powerful solar panel, and a battery to store energy and restore approximately 20 hours of charge. The idea is to take a break to recharge your physiological batteries and those of your electrically assisted mount. Two years of development were needed to create Scala Sole.
These charging tables are easily transportable and set up on any flat ground. On battery, they do not need any electrical connection. A Scala Sole application was developed in parallel. It serves as a GPS to locate the various charging points, including the Scala Sole terminals. It also makes it possible to calculate the autonomy of progression according to the mass of the bike and the rider, the relief, the distance from the point of arrival and the legs of the athlete. A very interesting tool for all those who wish to embark on long cycling trips. By economy of scale, the unit cost of these Scala Sole bollards should drop to around €10,000 to €12,000.
