An Alternative Autonomous Revolution 

System design for emerging urban contexts and societal aspirations

The Persuasive Electric Vehicle (PEV) aims to solve urban mobility challenges with a healthy, convenient, sustainable alternative to cars. The PEV is a low-cost, agile, shared-use autonomous bike that can be either an electrically assisted tricycle for passenger commuting or an autonomous carrier for package delivery.

The PEV uses standard bicycle components and is lightweight (<50kg) yet robust. Its sensors are easy to reconfigure and it has a 250W mid-drive electric motor and 10Ah battery pack that provides 25 miles of travel per charge and a top speed of 20 miles per hour.

Our vision for the PEV: a rider summons the PEV through a phone app, and the nearest available PEV arrives autonomously to meet the rider. Upon completing the trip, the PEV simply moves on to its next passenger or package pickup.  The PEV can be autonomous, operated by the rider, or provide the rider with an electric assist. PEV's operate in bike lanes, avoiding the congestion and adding incentives to make more bikeable cities.