Is this suitcase-come-scooter the future of airport mobility?
The suitcase-come-scooter GeeRideCase from Japan allows you to combine electric mobility with luggage capacity in one simple product.
THE new GeeRideCase, launched on 31 March 2022, is a new mobility option out of Japan, aimed at air travel passengers.
The GeeRideCase, made by Gloture, looks visually like an ordinary suitcase. However, it has internally an electric motor, that can allow the user to use the suitcase for personal mobility.
When in ‘riding mode’ it acts similarly to a scooter, and could potentially be a decent option for efficient travel when you are going away for a small trip.
Bike News reports that the GeeRideCase can achieve a top speed of up to 10kph, although presumably this is dependent on what the rider had for breakfast.
Bike News also says about the GeeRideCase, “Because of the use of a constant speed low energy consumption motor, the frictional force during operation is smaller, higher performance and lasts longer than ordinary motors.”
The GeeRideCase’s motor will have a 250W power output, and weighs in at 7.5kg, with dimensions of 535mm x 287mm x 605mm, the extra weight being down to the motor. It is not lightweight for a suitcase, for sure, and that means it could be problematic at the check-in desk.
After that, you have to give the GeeRideCase up so it can be taken to the plane while you go and wait to be called to the gate. So, in reality, it does not make much sense in the airport.
On the other hand, there is no weight penalty for luggage on rail transport. With a train, you can take your baggage on with little problem, and the larger train stations out there are not missing the crowding problems of the airport. Perhaps rail travel is the ideal scenario for the GeeRideCase, then.
Overall, the GeeRideCase seems like a good idea. Personal transport that does not require a licence to operate and which also doubles as luggage space is appealing, but its weight means that as a suitcase, it is not especially efficient; and its function as a suitcase, combined with airport procedures, means that as a mode of personal transport, it is not especially efficient.
However, there could be potential with the idea. As electric technology evolves, batteries and motors will become lighter, and as that happens it can eventually be possible for the GeeRideCase to make more sense for air travel.
Lead image courtesy of Bike News.
