Pmore comfortable and more robust than a bicycle, lighter and more agile than an electric car, the so-called intermediate vehicle has a bright future. With its sometimes retro, sometimes futuristic design, this unidentified rolling object could satisfy 60% of everyday mobility needs, assures the Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe). There are all kinds, more or less fanciful, more or less…
Pmore comfortable and more robust than a bicycle, lighter and more agile than an electric car, the so-called intermediate vehicle has a bright future. With its sometimes retro, sometimes futuristic design, this unidentified rolling object could satisfy 60% of everyday mobility needs, assures the Ecological Transition Agency (Ademe). There are all kinds of them, more or less fanciful, more or less accomplished, but all energy efficient.
The prototype that interests us today was imagined by the start-up Midipile, once based in Gironde and now based in Charente. This model was assembled in the Lespinasse boilermaking workshops in Hiersac near Angoulême. It’s called 9:23, “in reference to my lucky number and the year of design”, explains Benoît Trouvé, the boss of the company, an engineer trained at the École nationale supérieure du petroleum et des engines, former employee of the giant Stellantis.
“Ideal delivery partner”
The 9:3 prototype measures 90 cm wide, 3 m long and 1.60 m high. Its assistance develops 6 kW of peak power (24 times more than an electric bike).
Anne Lacaud / so
A seat, a pedal board, a large trunk, two control levers and four wheels: 9:23 is a small utility vehicle capable of carrying 300 kg of payload. With its 90 centimeters wide, its 3 meters long, its 1.60 m high and its 6 kW of peak power (24 times more than an electric bike), it sneaks everywhere at a speed of 45 km/ h. It has a range of around a hundred kilometers, a little less when fully charged, enough in any case to ensure a delivery round.
Benoît Trouvé is convinced that 9:23 can help relieve congestion in city centers clogged with vans and pick-up trucks. “It is the ideal partner for the delivery person but also for the craftsman or the community whose employees must travel from one site to another with equipment. The vehicle adapts to all activities, with a “tray” version that can be customized, like a small food truck for example. »
Approval in sight
Anne Lacaud / so
Benoît Trouvé, founding president of Midipile: “Our electric-assisted intermediate vehicle consumes ten times less than a diesel. It is recyclable and repairable. We are part of a circular economy. »
Created in 2020, the young company now wishes to have its invention approved in 2025 and manufacture a “pre-series” of 60 models in 2026. It is also appropriate to imagine an innovative marketing method, “from sale to use with monthly rent , insurance and maintenance included,” insists the entrepreneur. This required some money.
Midipile (which has ten employees) has opened its capital and has just raised two million euros. The start-up now has the holding company Team for the Planet as its main partner. It is, says Benoît Trouvé, “the largest community of citizens committed to combating greenhouse gas emissions”.
Which investors?
The financial round table of the Midipile company brings together the holding company Team for the Planet, the boilermaker Lespinasse, the Club Midipile, the start-up WeLike and the Arts et Métiers Business Angels network (association of former students of the École nationale supérieure of Arts and Crafts). The start-up adds that it has found support from the Public Investment Bank (BPI France), Ademe, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and the Greater Angoulême Agglomeration.
