HubUR is preparing to launch its new eMobility hub in Madrid in early 2024.
Ezequiel Volpe, the company’s public relations representative, revealed the plans during the Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress 2023 (TMWC2023).
“HubUR is eco-mobility, remote work offices, blockchain, and social media. All those services that constitute the modern lifestyle, but placed in one location,” describes Volpe in a dialogue with Mobility Portal Europe.
“Currently, we are in discussions with local authorities to better understand the needs of the population,” he explains.
The Iberian company, founded in 2019, aims to create a network of telecommuting offices, offering the rental of ecological means of transportation of all types and sizes.
“The essential goal is to combat social exclusion through these workspaces because, after the pandemic, we experience work differently,” explains Volpe.
“Our idea is a parallel economic fabric that offers services that certain large cities lack and in that way manage to help those people with initiatives yet to be fulfilled,” he details.
For now, the company is awaiting approval of the business model and focuses on opening its first establishment in the capital of Spain.
However, the brand has already been registered in 53 countries. The company will have a franchise style, allowing individuals to own their personal business unit.
“Beyond respecting some aesthetic details, the franchisee will be able to run their space with complete freedom,” comments Ezequiel Volpe.
Regarding the operation of the vehicle rental system, the hub proposes two solutions.
Vehicles, whether cars, e-scooters or e-bikes, can be picked up at a physical location or reserved through the company’s free app.
“The user won’t have to make a payment or sign up. They can simply reserve whatever they need. That’s it.” explains the public relations representative about the application.
Why is HubUR interested in eMobility?
During the TMWC2023 event held from November 7 to 9, Ezequiel Volpe listed some of the reasons why the company focuses on sustainable mobility.
“Firstly, for legal reasons. New laws create areas where you cannot circulate without a zero or low-emission vehicle,” Volpe responds.
He also points out, “Regarding micromobility, it is necessary to free up space in large cities. Traffic is a complex subject, and these vehicles are a solution.”
A total of 20,206 traffic accidents were recorded in the city of Madrid in the course of 2022.
After the implementation of laws that encourage the use of smaller vehicles, the figure for 2023 has dropped to less than 17,000 accidents.
In the same vein, Volpe explains that the company opts for eco-responsible vehicles because they “help to keep air clean and contribute to the health of the population.”
On the other hand, the public relations representative of the firm expresses that he does not think that economic and legal incentive are needed for this sort of business to flourish.
New low-emission regulations in the Spanish capital
The General Directorate of Traffic announces new measures regarding zero and low-emission zones in Madrid, effective from January 1, 2024.
The legislation prohibits the circulation of vehicles “without labels” in the peripheral areas to the M-30.
Vehicles without labels include those running on gasoline made before 2001 or those that use diesel made before 2006, as they are considered polluting.
By paying a fee, it is still possible to circulate in these areas with those units, but this option will be removed starting in 2025.
Additionally, the Madrid City Council announces the installation of 260 control cameras to monitor the entire municipality.
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