Bristol Students' Electric Trailers Reduce Car Trips
A team of students at the University of Bristol is working on an electric trailer that can be attached to a bike or an e-scooter.
The goal is to reduce the number of car trips made to grocery stores. The trailer can be unlocked using a debit or credit card and used to transport shopping home in an eco-friendly way.
"Our aim is to provide a sustainable solution that benefits the environment and consumers," said one of the students.
The group has received a £10,000 grant to develop their invention. Once the shopper returns home, a company employee can collect the trailer and return it to the supermarket.
A team of Masters students has developed lightweight e-trailers powered by electric motors.
They hope their innovative design can help reduce the estimated 4.5 billion car journeys made annually to supermarkets in England.
According to Artemis Fragkopoulos, one of the team members, the number of car trips is "mind-boggling," with 73% of shoppers relying on cars for grocery shopping.
At an average cost of £4, using the e-trailer for grocery shopping is cheaper than the current taxi rates. The trailer is also designed to be pushed on foot.
Sam Bell, Louis Cocking, Nigel Deshpande, and Tarun George Maddila started the business venture Slant to address real-world issues.
The team successfully pitched their idea at the University of Bristol's Runway competition, where they were one of six winners. In the coming months, Slant plans to collaborate with a supermarket to test the trailer. The team also aims to secure seed funding later in the year and pursue a patent for their invention.
Source: BBC
