Protection
Exposure to weather and surroundings
OpenFaired
KARBIKEProtective cabin
Äerdschëff asblMOBILAB Greater Region · territorial action researchPartner workspaceVLI // light intermediate vehicles
Between bicycle and car, an area for experimentation.
Light intermediate vehicles aim to carry people or loads with far less mass than a car. Their value depends not only on the vehicle but on the system of use that makes it practical.
PRINCIPLE OF EXAMINATIONNeed before objectEvidence before scaling up · maintenance before widespread deployment
01 · UNDERSTAND
A family of vehicles, not a single model.
Working definition
A light intermediate vehicle is a vehicle significantly lighter than a car, designed to meet specific travel or transport needs with lower material and energy consumption. It may fall into several regulatory categories.
Bicyclelight · active · compact
VLImultiple forms and uses
Carheavier · general-purpose
INTERPRETATION MATRIX
Describe a configuration rather than putting a vehicle in a box.
Forms of light intermediate vehicles overlap. Fairing, number of wheels and carrying capacity are characteristics that can be combined. The Karbike's position is shown here as an example of how to read the matrix.
Stability
Number of wheels and behaviour at a standstill
2 wheels3 to 4 wheels
KARBIKEFour wheels
Capacity
People, luggage or work-related loads
IndividualHigh load capacity
KARBIKEAdaptable transport
SOUTHERN LUXEMBOURG · POTENTIAL TO EXAMINE
Short journeys are common, but each journey involves a chain of constraints.
Home→School→Station→Work→Shopping→Return
time · safety · weather · load · parking · habits
These national data indicate potential for investigation. They demonstrate neither a vehicle's suitability nor its ability to replace a car in a given case. The full public source is provided below.
02 · CHARACTERISE
A light intermediate vehicle becomes relevant when it addresses a real situation.
The right question is not “Do we need a light intermediate vehicle?” but “Which journey, constraint and service are we trying to make possible?”
Municipal services
Repeated tasks, short rounds and carrying light loads.
Work-related travel
Journeys of 2 to 12 km where parking or access is constrained.
Station or P+R
First and last kilometre in a multimodal travel chain.
Families
A possible alternative to a second car for some accompanied journeys.
Social mobility services
Access to services, activities or local support.
03 · THINK IN SYSTEMS
A vehicle may work technically without becoming practical to use.
Use
A recurring need and a plausible substitution.
Route
A safe or realistically securable continuous route.
Service
Explicit availability and responsibilities.
Maintenance
Parts, skills, lead times and a withdrawal procedure.
Governance
Criteria, budgets and review clauses.
CREDIBILITY THRESHOLD
Use + route + service + maintenance + governance
If one building block is missing, the system remains incomplete.
KARBIKE // MODULAR PLATFORM04 · RESEARCH OBJECT
The Karbike combines cargo-bike uses with some of the protection offered by a car.
Designed and assembled in Strasbourg, the Karbike is an electrically assisted cargo bike with bodywork and four wheels. Its platform can accommodate family, professional or logistics configurations.
80 cmwide
250 Wrated power
25 km/hassistance limit
4 wheelsstability and braking
30–80 kmdepending on battery and configuration
500–1 000 Lon utility models
Manufacturer-stated specifications, to be checked for each vehicle and configuration. The 25 km/h limit concerns assistance, not a category common to all light intermediate vehicles. A 45 km/h option requires a separate assessment before any cross-border trial. Read the Karbikes FAQ.
THREE CURRENT CONFIGURATIONS
One platform, several functions.
Specifications vary by model. In MOBILAB Greater Region, each configuration is considered a hypothesis to test, not a predetermined solution.
KOZI
An adjustable bench seat for one adult or two children, and a boot designed for family use.
KUBI
A closed 500-litre box for rounds, equipment and work in urban areas.
KOLI
A 1,000-litre box and a customisable platform for varied loads and trades.
05 · WATCH AND COMPARE
The Karbike in pictures.
A chronological selection follows the journey from prototype to pre-production, then to configurations for everyday and professional use.
Äerdschëff · Teaser
S’engager contre l’Extrême Watt
The Karbike becomes the starting point for an inquiry into uses, territories and sufficiency.
Karbikes · 2025
Karbikes presents the Koli
Presentation of the professional model and its configurations for urban services.
Karbikes · 2024
Karbikes shifts up a gear
A stage of development between pre-production, production and bringing partners on board.
Karbikes · 2023
Karbike prototype no. 3
An overview of the prototype's evolution and the gradual development of the concept into a physical vehicle.
Karbikes · 2023
Concept presentation in Mulhouse
A short presentation of the vehicle at the Mulhouse fair.
Karbikes · 2022
Bicycles with bodywork
The first public presentation of the project as part of ADEME's eXtrême Défi.
SOURCES AND FURTHER READING