SEAT creates a business unit to promote urban mobility

In the framework of the 9th edition of the Smart City Expo World Congress, SEAT presented a major breakthrough in its urban mobility strategy with a triple announcement – the creation of a new strategic business unit, SEAT Urban Mobility, the presentation of its new e-Kickscooter concept and the first electric e-Scooter concept ever in the close to 70-year history of the company.

This new business unit will integrate all the product, service and platform-based mobility solutions and is set to market launch the e-Scooter in 2020. Moreover, the new e-Kickscooter concept will also be included in this unit and complement the portfolio that began with the SEAT EXS in 2018. The range of products is designed for final customers (ownership) as well as fleets and sharing services (per use basis).

In this regard, SEAT Urban Mobility will continue to collaborate with city and public administration representatives to analyse the suitability of a vehicle that has been engineered for urban mobility such as the SEAT Minimó concept, which was unveiled at the last edition of the Mobile World Congress.

SEAT Urban Mobility will also integrate Respiro, the carsharing platform that currently operates in Madrid and since recently in the city of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. Respiro has a fleet of sustainable vehicles that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) and will soon be joined by the new Mii electric. The new business unit is also going to manage the kicksharing service offered by SEAT in partnership with the start-up UFO and will be enabled by SEAT:CODE, the company's new software development centre.

SEAT President Luca de Meo said, “This strategic business unit will enable us to focus our efforts on the user's new mobility needs. SEAT is the micromobility centre of competence for the Volkswagen Group, and that means developing purpose designed products for all the Group's brands, not only for SEAT. In addition, we will also deliver services and solutions for private customers and for fleets.”

SEAT exhibited its fully electric e-Scooter concept with a compact design based on stylised geometric shapes. The final version of the motorcycle will ultimately be commercialised in 2020, and it will be available to both private users and shared services fleets. SEAT has a collaboration agreement with the Barcelona-based scooter maker Silence, which would be build them in its facilities in Molins de Rei, located halfway between Barcelona and Martorell.

The new Head of Urban Mobility at SEAT, Lucas Casasnovas, stated, “We aim to become an ally for cities and the SEAT e-Scooter concept is the answer to public demand for a more agile mobility. Our collaboration with Silence is an example of how cooperation between partners enables us to be more efficient.”

The e-Scooter concept is equipped with a 7 kW motor with a peak rate of 11 kW (14.8 hp), equivalent to 125cc, which delivers instant engine torque of 240 Nm. The scooter reaches a top speed of 100 km/h, enough to accelerate to 50 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Furthermore, its driving range on a single charge amounts to 115 kilometres, according to WMTC test results.

The battery can be removed and easily charged at home or public charging stations at an estimated cost to all customers of only €0.70 ($0.77) for every 100 kilometres. In addition, the e-Scooter concept has enough storage space for two helmets beneath the seat, it is connected, and users can track its battery charge level or location via a mobile app.

The company also presented a concept of its new generation e-Kickscooter at the Smart City Expo World Congress. This new version features a range of up to 65 km, two independent brake systems and a much higher capacity battery that reaches 551 Wh. Sales of the current version, the SEAT EXS presented in 2018, totalled over 10,000 units.

SEAT also presented the DGT 3.0 initiative at its exhibition stand at the Congress, a pilot project in collaboration with the Spanish Traffic Authority that enables cars to communicate with traffic lights and motorway message panels in real time with the main goal of improving traffic flows and road safety, as well as the user experience while driving.

SEAT has steadily intensified its commitment to urban mobility in recent years and now it is a key business unit for the company, beginning with the purchase with the purchase of Respiro, the launch of the e-Kickscooter, the SEAT Minimó concept and now the presentation of the first e-Scooter concept in the history of the brandtory of the brand.