Their two names were undoubtedly predestined.
Smoove, a company that designs self-service bicycle solutions, has just invested in Zoov, a start-up based in Vanves (Hauts-de-Seine).
Zoov is established in particular in the area of Paris-Saclay (Essonne) where it offers 500 electric bicycles accessible on “compact stations”, requiring less work than a Vélib 'station.
Zoov also supplies the Pony bikes, which came into service in February in Paris.
This union in the world of "French Tech" has a potential interest for the inhabitants of Greater Paris, since Smoove, belonging to the Mobivia Via ID (Norauto) group, is also a member of the Smovengo consortium, the Vélib'd operator since 2018 .
A possible solution to complete Vélib '
In the coming years, it is therefore conceivable that Zoov's electric bicycle solutions will complement the Vélib 'network.
“Smovengo still has a 12-year contract with the Autolib 'Vélib' Metropolitan Syndicate, so this opens up possibilities for the provision of new technologies to improve the existing one,” confirms Benoit Yameundjeu, CEO of Smoove.
“Zoov's technologies are revolutionary in that they significantly reduce investment and operating costs,” he adds.
Combined with our expertise with local authorities, they will allow us to make self-service more profitable, easier to set up and open up the field to additional uses.
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As for Zoov, founded in 2017 by Eric Carreel, integration into the Mobivia group opens up international perspectives, in a context where the demand for self-service electric bicycles is exploding.
"This merger will allow Zoov to be in an excellent position, thanks to our technical competence and the experience of Smoove", rejoices Amira Haberah, co-founder of Zoov.
The industrial stakes are high for Smovengo, the operator of Vélib '.
The consortium, born in 2017 from the alliance between Smoove, Indigo, Mobivia and Moventia, operates only one market to date: that of 20,000 Vélib ', in Greater Paris, where it accumulates financial losses, after three years marked by major reliability problems.
With Zoov in its midst, Smoove, already present in 22 cities around the world, can hope to take a technological leap forward, and - who knows - to land other major contracts.
