Secure, automated parking for e-bikes: Is this revolving storage loft the key to unlocking urban mobility?

E-bikes could play a really important role in the cities of the future. The problem is that they are so expensive that it’s hard to relax after locking one up at a train station or in a city centre.

With that in mind, this new vertical bike storage system from Switzerland is of real interest. The V-Locker system provides secure bike boxes that are stored up and out of the way in a smart-looking tower.

It’s a futuristic solution that could make expensive e-bikes a more viable option for lots of people. But how does it work, how reliable is it, and how much does it cost? We spoke to Commercial Director Elisabeth Brand to find out.

Read more: How to lock your bike securely

What is the V-Locker

The V-Locker is a tower that contains a set of individual secure bike boxes that are sent down to the door below upon the owner’s request. The system is intended for use outside train stations or in town centres so commuters can combine an e-bike with public transport, using the V-Locker to safety stow their e-bike as they go. For example, someone might get a train into the city, then grab their e-bike from a V-Locker to ride the last bit from the station to their office.

Each box is big enough for a bike, a helmet and a backpack. The boxes are connected to a revolving system, almost like a ski lift. When you want your bike, you request it via an app. It’s brought to the bottom of the system, then lowered down to the door.

© V-Locker

A cyclist stores his bike in a V-Locker

“We made this tower for the e-bikers, because they have very expensive bikes and they cannot leave them alone at the stations because they get stolen or vandalised," Brand said.

Read more: Complete guide to e-bikes. What are they and should you buy one?

The V-Locker is designed to sit alongside traditional bike parking racks rather than replace them. It’s a service for people who are willing to spend a few euros a month — and spend a couple of extra minutes — in exchange for the peace of mind that comes from theft-proof, weather-proof storage.

Inside, there is a chain joined by two wheels, one above the other. The system is always slowly turning, just like an old Paternoster elevator, an old-fashioned elevator designed in the 1800s and common in 20th-century Europe.

“It’s a very old system, but it’s an easy technical system, so you don’t have a lot of problems.”

The V-Locker design leaves the 20th century behind with the digital system that sorts through the bikes and lowers the right one down to the door. Users access the system via an app, through which they can make bookings, pay, and access their bike. The app comes with some handy features: you can share your locker (or your bike) with friends, remotely, and if you head towards the tower containing your bike, it sees you are approaching, selects your bike and delivers it to the door below.

The whole thing is pre-fabricated in Switzerland. It arrives as a set of blocks that are laid on modest foundations and assembled in a matter of days:

“In one day you have this whole installation finished, and then the next day they just make everything for the electricity and put the boxes inside,” Brand explained.

The system is modular: the height of each tower can be configured to accommodate between 6–20 bike boxes. For cities that want even more storage, towers can be neatly combined and covered with a facade to create a large, modern-looking block of bike storage.

“We can build at least 20 metres, but then you have to put several towers together to make it stable.”

Since the building is pre-fabricated and relatively simple to build, it’s possible to move each block if necessary.

“Perhaps after two, three years you can say, ‘Oh, it’s in the wrong place. I have to put it in another place.’ Because it’s not a fixed building," Brand told us.

© V-Locker

Building the V-Lockers is relatively simple and takes just a few days

Is it secure?

Putting your expensive e-bike in this box for the first time would take some bravery. As you might expect, V-Locker are very confident about the safety of their towers.

“The boxes are safe because they are closed on the sides, so nobody can enter into the box,” Brand explained.

Physically, the boxes would be tricky to break into. They are enclosed within a box, which is safely contained within a pre-fabricated metal structure. Even if someone were to force the door below open, the bikes are suspended high enough that a thief wouldn’t be able to get a bike out.

Read more: Number of e-bike thefts double in a year but decreases for bikes overall

It is difficult to say how secure the digital system is, though. Brand said that the fact that everyone who can access the system is registered offers some security:

“It is safe because you have to register yourself, you also have to pay, so it’s not a system for everybody, and if you don’t register, you can’t use it.”

As for cyber security, V-Locker say they have done everything in their power to make sure the system is safe.

“We have been operating for four years and we have never had a problem,” reasoned Brand.

© V-Locker

A small locker in a German train station for residents

Is it reliable?

Imagine the frustration of trying to get home, or trying to park your bike so you can catch a train, and finding that the system is not working. With an app, a digital door, and an analogue carousel for the boxes, it feels like there’s a lot that can go wrong here.

Thankfully, Brand said that issues are few and far between.

“97 per cent is all good, and the rest, we have a camera and we can see what has happened.”

Since the system is usually deployed next to train stations, Brand said that if something does go wrong, the same technicians who would fix the station’s elevators or escalators would be able to help.

“If something breaks, we have support which has to be there within an hour.

“We had a problem in Germany, somebody put a stick in the door — it was not good. But we have a contract with the people from the station. They have people like this because they also have elevators and such things.”

It’s clever that the system has been designed so an elevator technician can fix it, but it’s disconcerting that the locker can be brought to its knees by a stick.

Consider also that the system relies on the speedy arrival of a technician. In a well-oiled country like Switzerland, that’s probably not too much to ask. Elsewhere, it might be more difficult.

If this system goes wrong, it could be a real pain. Thankfully, mechanical issues so far have been rare. The only issue that the V-Locker team are yet to account for, is a flat phone battery.

“That is a small problem,” Brand said carefully, “but we have never had it.”

How much does it cost?

How much it costs to park in a V-Locker depends on where it is, and the arrangement that V-Locker has with the city. Across the board, though, the pricing seems really reasonable.

“In Switzerland, you pay 50 cents for one hour, and 14 Swiss francs for one month, so it’s not expensive.”

“In Germany, it’s cheaper because the cities fund it a bit, so people pay about five dollars, five Swiss or five Euros for one month.”

In terms of cost to the city, V-Locker says that once everything besides the foundations has been priced in, each box costs about €10,000, so the cost of the tower depends on what size the city has opted for. In some cases, V-Locker simply sells their towers to a city. In others, they set up something like a leasing arrangement.

© V-Locker

A V-Locker alongside a large covered bike parking area

A vision for the future

This clever way of storing bikes sounds like a great option for people who want to use expensive e-bikes as part of their daily commute. It’s interesting to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the current system, but what’s more interesting is the potential that it has for the future.

Brand has a clear vision of how the V-Locker will slot into a sustainable future. She talks of e-bike charging points in every locker, partnerships with local bike shops, and grand infrastructure projects. The V-Locker will be at its best when it sits alongside changing facilities, mechanics, bike rental facilities and more.

“This is the way we have to go if you would like to change something in the next few years,” she told us.

“We have to have this for climate change, and we need to get people on the bike.”

For more of the latest tech updates and features, visit our tech section.