无缝畅联的全球物联网通信推动创新型电动自行车销量上涨

Urban transport is going through a radical rethink

As consumers and governments look for more sustainable ways to get around and while there are a growing number of e-bikes on the market, none of them are as connected and efficient as the Saigon+ by Ireland headquartered Modmo.

The Saigon+ boasts a wealth of features including a modular design, up to 200 km range on a single charge, battery health check alerts, customisable light configuration controllable via an app (over 16 million hue variations), anti-theft alarms and alerts and remote bike lockdown, predictive maintenance insight, and gamification via the Modmo community.

The problem: Compact component space, reliable hardware, and global communication coverage 

While e-bikes offer a more environmentally friendly and healthier option to solve urban travel congestion and pollution issues, they have not evolved significantly from a performance and feature perspective. Looking to address this opportunity, Modmo set about rethinking from the wheels up what an e-bike of the near future should look like, how it could securely share data to improve operational efficiency, and how it could, through a modular design, morph to the rider’s requirements.

Clearly, to data-enable an e-bike through IoT would require a set of solutions, both hardware and software, that all worked together, were efficient and low powered, cost effective, and provided the data security required to be trusted - both internally and by the consumer. In addition, Modmo knew that it wanted to find an IoT partner that would enable it’s e-bike’s software to be updated over the air to roll out new features post sale. Critically for Modmo, any IoT connectivity would need to work globally.

The challenge: Finding a partner who could deliver robust and reliable communication modules for different flavors of connectivity, global IoT connectivity, secure and cost-effective two-way data transmission,  and precise positioning.  

Following the successful launch of the Saigon, Modmo launched it’s upgraded Saigon+ e-bike to the global market. To support this upgraded and fully IoT-enabled premium eBike, Modmo sought a technology partner that could not only deliver the hardware brains but also the software communications layer which turns the Saigon+ into the most connected and efficient e-bike on the international market.

To ensure that design values and styling were upheld there were considerable constraints on space for the inner workings of the e-bike: any technology solution would need to be compact. Modmo wanted The Saigon+ to mix both short range connectivity (Bluetooth) for activity data collection (average speed, calorie burn, co2 saved, and battery health) and cellular connectivity to the cloud for the security of the e-bike. If, for example, the e-bike is moved by anyone but its owner, its integrated lights would flash, an alarm would sound, and the brakes and electric motor would automatically lock.

Crucially, an alert and precise location tracking would be sent to the owner's app. Modmo also wanted to be able to send software updates to the Saigon+ over-the air to install new features and services as well as provide predictive maintenance alerts for the user. 

The solution: Modmo selected u-blox hardware and u-blox’s Thingstream for global IoT communications solution 

For Modmo, the connected Saigon+ is the perfect combination of efficiency, design, and value-added features. From its super-efficient interchangeable batteries and its location-aware, globally available best-in-class security features, to its two-way secure data communication. 

u-blox was able to provide Modmo with a complete hardware and connectivity software solution, delivering a reliable and cost effective solution. 

•  Reliable hardware, seamlessly integrated with software 
• Global communication coverage, IoT connectivity that works anywhere 
• Low and efficient power consumption  

Specifically Modmo sourced the following components and solutions from u-blox: 

• u-blox’s Thingstream MQTT Anywhere for data connectivity flow and management 
• The u-blox LARA-R211 single or multi-mode LTE Cat 1 module with positioning capability  (LTE Cat 1 modules for Europe with 2G fallback; LTE Bands 3, 7, 20) 
• The u-blox NINA-B112 stand-alone Bluetooth low energy modules with NFC   
• The u-blox EVA-M8M GNSS receiver:  a cost-efficient u-blox M8 GNSS SiPs (u-blox M8 concurrent GNSS LGA module featuring a crystal oscillator and, ROM. (Default setting: GPS + GLONASS)

Outcomes:

With u-blox as its technology partner, Modmo has been able to deliver the most advanced, efficient e-bike for urban commuters that works anywhere. 

• Customers gain insight not just into their own activity but also into the performance of their bike 
• Pinpoint accuracy and sophisticated security features ensures the Saigon+ is kept safe 
• Predictive maintenance extends the life of the Saigon+ 
• One technology partner for the hardware and connectivity software 

A comprehensive end-to-end solution based on the industry-standard MQTT   

Getting data from IoT devices anywhere in the world to the enterprise is simplified through MQTT Anywhere, the u-blox IoT communication service delivered via the Thingstream IoT cloud platform. 

MQTT Anywhere offers: 

• Access to 600+ cellular networks in 190 countries for global rollout of IoT devices 
• MQTT-SN gateway enabling efficient connectionless LPWA communication  
• Simple predictable pricing based on the number of MQTT messages 
• Enterprise-grade IoT cloud platform utilizing auto-scaling technology