GBike, which operates the shared mobility platform "GCOO," said on the 28th that the number of users of its battery subscription electric bicycle "Grind" in the first half of this year rose 391% from the second half of last year. Sales during the same period increased 407%.
Grind is a service that, instead of users charging batteries at home, lets them return depleted batteries and exchange them for charged ones at external battery exchange stations (BSS). GBike described it as Korea's first battery subscription electric bicycle service.
Users can access the service on a subscription basis without purchasing a separate battery. Through BSS units installed at 48 key hubs in Seoul, it provides integrated battery exchange and collection, charging, storage, and condition management. GBike said it operates batteries using Samsung SDI cells and a monitoring system, and that there have been no battery fire incidents to date since the service launched.
It also touted charging convenience as a strength. While it typically takes about five hours to fully charge a battery, at a BSS a charged battery can be exchanged in about 30 seconds, it said.
As usage increased, use of the battery exchange stations also expanded. In the first half of this year, the number of battery exchanges rose 211% from a year earlier, and the average number of exchanges per user increased about 4.1 times. The average daily exchanges per station also doubled. GBike said demand is growing among delivery riders who need to operate for long hours and users with high travel frequency.
Yoon Jong-su, CEO of GBike, said, "While technology and convenience matter for electric bicycles, user safety must come first above all," and added, "Having confirmed the high demand for battery subscription electric bicycles and the growth potential of the battery exchange infrastructure, we will continue expanding the BSS infrastructure to create an environment where anyone can use electric bicycles with peace of mind."