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Launch of the new e-Vélo’v service in Greater Lyon: JCDecaux deploys 2,500 Vélo’v hybrid bikes


Lyon – WEBWIRE

JCDecaux has successfully deployed 2,500 new Vélo’v hybrid bikes across the Greater Lyon area. This overnight operation took just five hours.
The inhabitants of Greater Lyon can now choose freely between a manual and an electrically-assisted self-service bike, using a portable, personal battery.

2,500 Vélo’v hybrid bikes allow residents to switch freely between manual and electric

JCDecaux has replaced 2,500 Vélo’v bikes with Vélo’v hybrid bikes across the Greater Lyon area. This overnight operation which electrified 50% of the fleet fulfilled a provision of the Vélo’v operating contract. With their portable batteries, Vélo’v hybrid bikes expand the range of soft mobility options available to the city’s inhabitants, to make longer journeys easier. The e-Vélo’v service is part of an ambitious sustainable mobility policy accessible to all the inhabitants of Lyon, which is now the first city in the world to roll out a fleet of self-service hybrid bikes on this scale.

In close cooperation with Greater Lyon, JCDecaux’s teams successfully managed the smooth, efficient deployment of the new Vélo’v bikes as part of an overnight operation without any interruption to service. Between 19 and 20 February, 70 JCDecaux employees from all over France worked as a team to collect the “classic” Vélo’v bikes and replace them at the docking station with the new Vélo’v hybrid bikes. This operation takes the number of Vélo’v bikes to 5,000. Of this total, 50% are manual and 50% hybrid.
After deploying 4,000 new-generation Vélo’v bikes overnight in July 2018, JCDecaux has once again demonstrated its expertise in the management, maintenance and transformation of a self-service bike fleet.

Reflecting JCDecaux’s commitment to the circular economy, old Vélo’v bikes will be kept for purposes of fleet maintenance and to replace any damaged bikes in the coming years.

Lyon’s 68,000 Vélo’v subscribers can take advantage of the new e-Vélo’v service. Simple and functional, the hybrid Vélo’v can be used as a manual bike or turned into an electric bike by means of a portable, personal battery, available as part of a no-obligation subscription costing just €7 more per month*. Electric power makes light work of longer journeys and steep climbs, opening up city cycling to a whole new audience.

New Vélo’v hybrid bikes with an e-Vélo’v battery

To maintain visual harmony, the Vélo’v and new hybrid Vélo’v share the same iconic red branding and a similar design. An e-Vélo’v logo at the rear distinguishes the new hybrid Vélo’v from the classic manual Vélo’v. The main difference, however, concerns the basket, which includes a compartment for the e-Vélo’v battery on the hybrid Vélo’v. Users can locate Vélo’v hybrid bikes in a single click using the “Vélo’v officiel” app and the filter added to the station map.

Developed in France, the battery is compact and weighs just 530 g. It can be charged in two hours from a USB-C port and has a range of between 8 and 10 kilometres. An indicator on the handlebars displays the charge level of the battery when the bike is in use.

Since 22 January, many residents of Lyon have taken the opportunity to view and test out the hybrid Vélo’v during the presentations organised at docking stations across the area. To switch to electric power and receive their personal battery, users simply subscribe to the e-Vélo’v service through the “Vélo’v officiel” app or the Vélo’v website. Batteries are delivered free of charge to the user’s home or can be picked up from the Vélo’v Counter (ground floor of the LPA Cordeliers car park, 13 rue Antoine Salles, Lyon 2).

David Kimelfeld, President of Greater Lyon, said: “This roll-out of 2,500 Vélo’v hybrid bikes, which was fully financed by Greater Lyon, demonstrates our commitment to developing cycling and, more particularly, to making electric bikes more widely available. Once again, I would like to applaud the efforts of JCDecaux’s teams. Their innovation and ability to rapidly implement ideas have made Greater Lyon the world’s capital for self-service hybrid bikes.”

Pascal Chopin, Regional Director of JCDecaux Rhone-Alps, said: “I applaud the efforts of JCDecaux’s teams and their enthusiasm in taking on this challenge and turning half the Vélo’v fleet into Vélo’v hybrid bikes with no interruption in service. This morning, we are proud to be able to offer the city’s inhabitants an innovative two-in-one service, giving them a choice freely between a manual bike and an electric bike, thanks to the hybrid Vélo’v and its portable battery. Following the successful deployment of 4,000 new-generation Vélo’v bikes in summer 2018, JCDecaux and Greater Lyon are continuing to innovate in order to promote new forms of mobility and to sustainably improve the quality of city life”.

Key figures for Vélo’v

  • 68,000 subscribers
  • Almost 110 million rentals since the launch of the Vélo’v service in 2005
  • 7 rentals on average per day and per Vélo’v
  • 5,000 Vélo’v in Greater Lyon, France’s biggest fleet of self-service bikes after Paris
  • 2,500 Vélo’v hybrid bikes deployed on 20 February 2020
  • 414 stations in 20 municipalities. 14 new stations planned, for a total of 428 stations in 22 municipalities in the longer term
  • 2,500 additional docking stations - 2 docking stations per bike will be available in 2020, compared with1.8 previously


* In the same way as for the annual Vélo’v subscription, employers may pay half of the cost of the e-Vélo’v option.

About JCDecaux:
JCDecaux is present in over 150 towns and cities around France, in 26 airports and in the world of premium retail. As an urban medium, it is fully integrated in the daily lives of citizens and consumers.
As an increasingly mobile medium, JCDecaux offers brands visibility at the international, national, regional and hyper-local levels.
As digitalisation continues to develop, JCDecaux is expanding its solutions to deliver customised and contextualised campaigns.
As a reflection of its responsible approach, JCDecaux is the first outdoor advertising company to measure and publish its economic and social footprint in France (for 2018).

  • JCDecaux employs 3,693 FTE employees. It also allows for 17,958 jobs to be created or maintained in France: every JCDecaux employee in France supports another 3.9 jobs.
  • JCDecaux also contributes to the activity of 1,700 local suppliers: very small, small, medium and intermediate-sized companies, start-ups.
  • Its local network comprises 60 regional sites.
  • In 2018, the business of JCDecaux generated €1.1 bn in economic value in France: every €1 of direct added value from JCDecaux in France generated an additional €1.9 at national level.


Source: study by Utopies, France’s leading sustainable development consultancy.

JCDecaux activities in France also respect the environment:

  • 100% of furniture maintained using rainwater.
  • 100 % of electricity consumption met through renewable energy sources as of end-2019.
  • Through its high-tech innovations and the efforts of its engineers, JCDecaux has been able to cut the electricity consumed for furniture lighting by up to 70%.
  • JCDecaux is the first outdoor advertising agency to join RE100, a collaborative, global initiative of companies committed to 100% renewable electricity.
  • JCDecaux was recently placed on the CDP’s A List for its outstanding actions to address climate change, based on its climate reporting in 2018.



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