FOLDING ELECTRIC BIKES: A technological mapping

um mapeamento tecnológico

Abstract

The problem of lack of urban mobility has forced public managers to review their public policies related to planning the growth of cities, seeking sustainable and viable alternatives to minimize these problems. In this context, electric bicycles, especially folding ones, emerge as an alternative that can contribute to a reduction of environmental and socioeconomic problems faced by large urban centers, considering that they are less polluting, more economical, and easier to transport and store. Given this scenario, the objective of this research was to carry out a technological mapping of folding electric bicycles in the Espacenet and National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) patent databases. The methodology used had a quantitative and exploratory approach, initially with a bibliographic survey on the subject and then a search in the mentioned databases, to explore the patents associated with this technology. The searches took place between 2012 and 2021, using the insertion of keywords, in English and Portuguese, in the fields related to the title, abstract, and keywords. The results identified 89 patent applications relevant to the search. Of which 38 refer to utility models and 51 to invention patents. The years 2016 to 2018 were the ones with the highest number of deposits, with China being the country that stood out the most in this area, with 62 deposits. The CPC/IPC codes that most define the technology are: B62K 15/00, B62M 6/40 and B62M 6/90.