More durable batteries assembled in France

The new battery model for shared electric bikes designed by Fifteen and GCK Battery ensures a doubled lifespan through optimized design, increased repairability, and reduced standby power consumption. 

Specifically, these improvements translate into:

• A design allowing quick disassembly of the battery's main components,
• Elimination of harnesses to reduce the risk of failure,
• An optimized Battery Management System (BMS) for better reporting on the battery's health to enhance its lifespan,
• Optimized BMS consumption allowing the battery to be stored for more than 12 months without recharging.

A choice supporting jobs and decarbonization

To ensure the industrial production of this new battery, an automated assembly line will soon be installed in GCK Battery's factory France, with a production capacity increasing to 140,000 batteries per year.

GCK Battery plans to hire an additional 15 people by 2026 to support this new activity.

Relocating battery production will allow Fifteen to reduce its manufacturing impact through the use of less carbon-intensive energy, a reduction in transport distance, and better quality control of production. Integrating repairs directly at the manufacturer will also increase the repairability rate from 11% to 85%.

Overall, the company will avoid 86 tCO2e in the first year of battery production, thanks to their doubled lifespan and a better repair rate.

Two longstanding French stakeholders

As a French company leading active mobility and bike sharing for 15 years, Fifteen is fully committed to a "Made in Europe" approach. To date, over 90% of Fifteen's shared bike fleet is of European manufacture, and since the inauguration of its assembly line in France last May, all new Fifteen electric bikes are assembled in France.

By developing partnerships, expertise, and industrial tools in France, Fifteen is deploying its relocation strategy and contributing to the development of the bicycle economic sector across the entire territory. With bike and station assembly and component sourcing, Fifteen collaborates with around ten industrial actors in the Hauts de France, Pays de la Loire, Normandy, Bourgogne Franche Comté, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions.

GCK Battery, a subsidiary of the GCK Group, an expert in transport decarbonization, employs 45 people. The company designs, develops, and manufactures lithium-ion batteries for various transport sectors (light mobility, automotive, maritime, and rail).

Compatible with all Fifteen's latest generation electric bikes, this new battery allows cities of all sizes to offer an increasingly efficient service to decarbonize mobility.