Swedish battery-powered ‘tuk-tuk’ to help beat traffic, pollution

A Swedish startup has hit upon an ideal mode of transport suitable for busy city centers in the form of a three-wheeled, bright yellow, tiny and battery-powered vehicle they have named podtaxi, which evoke the same feeling as riding a ‘tuk-tuk’ which plies in many Asian cities.

Designed in Sweden, the taxipod can run for around 45 miles before needing a charge.

Bzzt, the peer-to-peer Swedish transportation startup, first launched podtaxi service in Gothenburg during spring 2015 in collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology, has already launched the service in busy Gothenburg, the second biggest city in Sweden.

Bzzt has already notched up thousands of successful short trips by delighted customers ranging from students, tourists to professionals who needed take a short hop right to their destination.

“Faster than a bike, cheaper than a taxi - and completely emission free!”.. this is how the founders describe the service that their podtaxi provides.

Gothenburg (Shutterstock)

Customers looking for an easy transport within the city, can book through bzzt.se and pay by credit card. “Our goal is to reduce the number of kilometers by car and make life easier for individuals and companies,” says Sven Wolf, CEO of Bzzt.

Combating air pollution

One of main motivations behind the service is not just speed, but to improve the air quality in urban centers. A recent report says that nine out of 10 people across the world lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits.

Air pollution is also linked to cardiovascular diseases, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer, and also increases the risks for acute respiratory infections.

Bzzt, encouraged by the initial success, is raising money through an investment company to buy a fleet of 50 tuk tuks ready for rolling out more podtaxis into service for their planned launch in Stockholm in April 2017.