An incentive?

July to October are the most baby-booming months. According to this, many couples are considering to have a baby right now. One small decision-making aid will be provided by the Swedish pram manufacturer Emmaljunga. In cooperation with the German company Bosch, the Swedes are launching an electric stroller on the market. The NXT90e is due to go on sale at the beginning of 2020, exactly when the hot equipment phase for young summersters begins.

The e-Stroller

You may be wondering why Bosch is active in this field, which seems to be not really part of its original business. The management subsumes the pushing of baby carriages as micro-mobility, which is more or less a category of modes of transport that are provided by very light vehicles such as strollers. However, the automotive supplier has apparently discovered a need to bring its electrification and networking technology to potential buyers and has developed the eStroller system and believes this will open up a new market. The eStroller is designed to help mommy and daddy push uphill with an electric motor and also make it easier for them to go downhill with the pram by breaking the system automatically. In addition, eStroller includes an automatic engine- and parking brake so that the baby doesn’t roll off unintentionally.
The eStroller technology will then be used for the first time by the Swedish pram manufacturer Emmaljunga. Non-electrified NXT90 pushchairs that have already been purchased can be retrofitted. The NXT90e is intended for one to two children weighing up to 22 kg + 22 kg + loading.
The system’s driving unit consists of two electric motors on the rear axle, plus a Bluetooth module and a sensor system. The sensors measure the speed and acceleration of the stroller and register the surface. Algorithms ensure that the electric motors automatically help to push when going uphill, downhill they automatically brake as well. When the stroller is released, the motor brake prevents it from rolling away unbraked, and the electromechanical locking device closes the parking brake.

Operable via smartphone

The power is supplied by an 18-volt lithium-ion battery, which is plugged into a lockable compartment. It takes two and a half hours to be fully charged and lasts up to 15 kilometers. A smartphone can also be charged via the USB interface.
Only those who connect their smartphone to the system via a Bluetooth PIN can use all the functions of the eStroller, such as activating the uphill support. The app shows information about the battery status and the remaining range. Without the app, the eStroller only provides downhill brake assistance and the automatic engine and parking brakes.
The alarm function can also be activated via the app if, for example, parents leave the pram outside. If an unauthorized person tries to push it away, a warning message appears on the smartphone. In addition, an alarm tone sounds on the stroller via a loudspeaker and the parking brake automatically engages again. If the battery should break down on the way, the stroller can continue to be used as a normal pram.

The proud pram plus

And that’s exactly what the NXT90e still is in its essence: a normal pram. Of course, parents who are willing to pay a whopping 2,000 euros for the “Porsche among prams” (to stay in Stuttgart) will receive numerous extras. Whether this will make the proud daddy pay the proud price, however, can probably only be decided by the proud mommy to be.
I don’t know if this is the missing item that our society was waiting for, but in the phase of pride and happiness, the best is just good enough for our offspring.
Oh, to return to the beginning, the incentive is not enough for me yet. I still wait for a little longer …