Full Fibre Business ISP Vorboss to Deploy Vorspin Cargo e-Bike UPDATE
Network builder and UK broadband ISP Vorboss, which is investing £300 million to deploy a new 100Gbps full fibre network – dedicated to business – across central London, are preparing to introduce their own-designed “Vorspin” (working title – may change) cargo e-bike around the city in order to support their network rollout.
The new vehicles are said to be pedal and electric powered, can fit on pavements, and house all the tools and equipment needed to connect customers to the new network. From concept to operational in just 9 months, their exterior custom design is in the process of being patented, while the vehicles also feature a new pull-out workspace for technicians to carry out their work seamlessly.
The new vehicle is said to be an adaption of the e-bike design made popular by last-mile delivery companies. The ISP sees their deployment as being a way to help support the London Mayor’s aim of reaching Net Zero emissions by 2030, while also making fibre installations more sustainable and speeding up the efficiency of their technicians.
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By reducing the number of its vans on the road, Vorboss also minimises the burden of unloading and parking on the streets of London. Initially, there will be 10 of these on the road, each covering a 100km area.
UPDATE 7th Dec 2023
We’ve tweaked the article to reflect some new details from Vorboss, such as the fact that this new vehicle is officially intended to launch next week and that they have registered design rights for the patent (i.e. the patent process is currently still in progress). In addition, the name “Vorspin” is said to be a working title and one that is very likely to change. Finally, we understand that the bike will be used specifically for fibre splicing.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Vorboss board meeting: “Let’s replace our normal vans with a homemade shed on wheels that’s electric and we claim is a bicycle. We can avoid the congestion charge, we’re in the clear when they ramp down the emissions charge criteria, we’ll pay zero road tax, and because it’s a bike we can skip all the costly safety standards and homologation rules that apply to a van.”
I’m also puzzled by the article comment “By reducing the number of its vans on the road, Vorboss also minimises the burden of unloading and parking on the streets of London.” How does that work? The Vorboss Bikevan will still need to park and unload, and even with a narrower profile it will effectively still block a lane.
I guess the main incentive for an ISP based in a city is that staff can abandon them on pavements and not worry about getting parking fines.
I think this is more of an electric vehicle rather than an ebike. People like UPS have been using them for quite a while. I’m no expert, but I do ride an ebike every day, so I’ve some idea what they look like. Go to the Pedelecs site, or Electric Bike Report for a bit more help.
I suspect the reason for classifying it as an e-bike is an attempt to avoid the Type Approval costs that would be incurred for any “proper” vehicle, whether electric or not. The costs of Type Approval are pretty high – think in the range half to one million quid.
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/amazon-launch-their-first-uk-e-cargo-micromobility-hub/
Looking at the photo in this item, it appears to say ‘E-assisted Vehicle’, which I suppose is not the same as an ebike or an EV.
Cultist virtue signaling made into a work vehicle
That thing does not look practical nor convenient
What is the problem with a van?
Ah, Sam. I’ve been expecting you.
I somehow missed the part at the bottom of the article, about ‘Net Zero’ and the attempt to get everyone into electric cars. https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/whatever-sunak-does-the-global-elite-wont-give-up-on-net-zero/ It just is not possible.
I really regret clicking that link and feel less intelligent for having read the article but thank you for sharing.
So…’own design’ not sure I want to open that can of worms. It must be a modular design where the ISP can claim this while adding their branding and moved one of the boxes around on a base design produced by company X (not the Elon one). Still like the fact this works in a place like London.
Can’t see OpenReach adopting something like that…not enough tea facilities