A forward-thinking technology designed for seamless e-bike charging is starting to make its mark in The Netherlands.
Cooked up by a pair of electrical engineers at the Delft University of Technology, the Tiler paving tiles can charge e-bikes parked on top – no cables or plugs required.
The tile can be installed as regular paving, and once connected to the grid, serve as an induction charging pad for e-bikes with depleted batteries. It does so via an embedded coil that responds to an antenna built into a purpose-made, two-legged kickstand.
This bespoke charging mechanism does limit how widely the Tiler technology can be rolled out, but the company is making inroads by targeting unsupervised shared e-bike schemes where charging and battery maintenance can be neglected.
It has conducted pilots with Dutch mobility hub operator Mobian, at a hotel in the town of Noordwijkerhout, the Rotterdam Ahoy convention centre, Delft University of Technology and at a bicycle sharing hub at Arnhem Central.
In late February, the company was announced as a winner of the Municipality of The Hague's startup programme.
It will now collaborate with the city over the coming six months to further test and develop the concept. The wireless charging tiles will be installed at "Park and Ride" locations around the city's Binckhorst district, where workers park their cars and pedal the last leg of their journey to the office.
