On Monday, Palma's mayor, José Hila, and the councillor for sustainable mobility, Francesc Dalmau, presented the new electric bicycle model for the Bicipalma network. Hila said that "we are building a new, sustainable and healthy Palma" and highlighted a commitment to Bicipalma going beyond the Vía Cintura.
Dalmau explained that the first of the electric bicycles will be arriving over the coming weeks, these new ones having a range of between 60 and 80 kilometres. They have an intelligent battery system to optimise use and which offers support at the time of starting.
Registration for the new Bicipalma can be via an app, which will be available on various systems in different languages. The app will provide users with real-time information on bikes and nearby stations.
The new service will have 800 bicycles, of which 240 will be electric. The number of anchor points will increase from 660 to 1,440; anchoring systems are anti-theft. Bikes will also have a geolocation system, and there will be solar panels for recharging batteries.
The contract for the new Bicipalma system is worth 2.6 million euros, for which there is financing from EU Next Generation funds. This will enable the addition of 35 new stations, with the network due to reach parts of the city for the first time, such as Portopí and El Terreno.