EVERCURB

Networked Power at the Edge of Sidewalks

 In cities everywhere, curbside competition is at a fever pitch. Ubiquitous nonstop delivery businesses clash daily. There are legions of gig economy laborers prepared to drop off parcels at split-second intervals. A chaotic array of Transportation Network Companies has deployed an onslaught of micro mobility choices to use with only the slightest consumer effort. Ridesharing behemoths Uber, Lyft, DiDi, utilize a swarm of cars, scooters, and e-bikes powered by dynamic algorithms to dominate commerce at the sidewalk edge. Shared mobility networks are significantly disrupting the multitrillion-dollar car manufacturing industry. Couple that problem with parking and charging the massive wave of electric cars coming on-line. But that’s not all. The curbside has continuously been an overcrowded area, and recently the race for limited access to it has culminated into new abundant areas of engagement. Restaurants, cafes, and bars now fight for space and access to energy alongside the curb. Unsurprisingly retail stores are now jockeying for relevance and advertising at the curb. Where will they get access to on-site power, lighting, and intelligent display systems to make this all work in unison? Now there’s a parade of mobility and ecommerce networks in fierce combat for a sliver of street turf. While urban management groups fight to cope with who gets an equal share, what essential new upgrades does the curb require? It needs the most basic of requirements and that’s power. Powering the curb catapults both sidewalks and streets into the contemporaneous era. Removing the old stone curb from city streets is a must. It will be easily replaced with a self-regulating electrified loop that provides access to energy and charges the next economy.