Comodule: Powering up a new era of connected, zero-emission transport
About Comodule
Comodule provides Internet of Things (IoT) devices and connectivity services to the operators and manufacturers of light electric vehicles (LEVs), enabling zero-emission micromobility and exceptional rider experiences.
Tell us your challenge. We're here to help.
Contact usComodule uses Google Cloud as the backbone of its connectivity services for e-bikes and e-scooters, creating exceptional rider experiences and boosting zero-emission transport options around the world.
Google Cloud results
- Enables rapid growth while staying lean and agile with autoscaling and managed services
- Democratizes data for non-technical users with Looker's simple to use, powerful reporting
- Drives sustainability by deploying carbon neutral data centers with Google Cloud
Provides connectivity for 600K light electric vehicles
Light electric vehicles (LEVs)—a category which includes e-scooters and e-bikes, as well as light three-or four-wheeled vehicles—are the latest weapon in the battle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to a study from Germany's Aerospace Center, switching from gasoline-powered cars to e-scooters could save up to 44% of greenhouse gases.
Comodule is at the forefront of what it calls "the new vehicle movement," in which people, especially in urban environments, are looking for alternatives to cars. Founded in 2014, Comodule provides LEV manufacturers and operators with the means to connect their vehicles to the internet, enabling features such as GPS tracking, smartphone unlocking, and real-time monitoring. Connected LEVs are easier for people to use, easier for fleet operators to manage, and have a much better chance of replacing cars as a mode of transport.
"Sustainability is in our blood, so the first thing we look for in a technology partner is that they think along the same lines. As a fast-growing company, we also want that technology to be easy to understand and easy to use. Since we began, Google Cloud has fulfilled all those criteria."
—Heigo Varik, Co-founder and Software and Data Lead, Comodule"Our mission is to empower zero emission light transport by making LEVs more desirable," says Heigo Varik, Co-founder and Software and Data Lead, Comodule. The company has grown into a thriving multinational business, underpinned by the infrastructure it built with Google Cloud.
"Sustainability is in our blood, so the first thing we look for in a technology partner is that they think along the same lines," says Varik. "As a fast-growing company, we also want that technology to be easy to understand and use. Since we began, Google Cloud has fulfilled all those criteria."
Making connectivity count
The concept of Connectivity-as-a-Service is at the core of Comodule's offering. "It's where we differ from other IoT providers," explains Varik. "We provide the hardware and the software, but also ongoing services to maintain and improve the connectivity after the initial installation. For example, if there are any connectivity issues in a certain part of the city, then we can take care of that too."
Here's how Comodule works: once their fleets are connected, clients can access a constant stream of up to 20 data points about each individual LEV, either via a JSON API or through Comodule's own app. This allows manufacturers and operators to easily keep track of information like location, speed, and battery life, and deliver much smoother experiences for their end users.
An evolving infrastructure
When Comodule first launched, the platform leant heavily on Google App Engine. However, as the company expanded its customer base and spread across the world, it needed a more efficient way of managing its infrastructure. While App Engine remains the center of the platform, Varik and his colleagues have incorporated other Google Cloud products to support the core.
Comodule uses Pub/Sub as its messaging service, as well as a number of Google Compute Engine virtual machines, and Cloud Functions for quick, easy-to-implement orchestration of its services.
"I've fallen in love with Dataflow, because that's exactly what we do with it. We let data flow from the LEVs and their devices to the customer. We use it extensively for data transformation tasks and various business logic processes."
—Heigo Varik, Co-founder and Software and Data Lead, ComoduleAs workloads increased in size, handling data became increasingly expensive, so Varik switched to Dataflow for data processing. "I've fallen in love with Dataflow, because that's exactly what we do with it. We let data flow from the LEVs and their devices to the customer," he says. "We use it extensively for data transformation tasks and various business logic processes."
BigQuery is the company's new data warehouse, providing a scalable environment capable of powerful analytics, especially when combined with Looker, which Comodule's employees use to run their own reports and visualize their findings. “What's great about Looker is that people can use it to gain really powerful insights without a lot of technical expertise," says Varik.
A platform built around sustainability
With Google Cloud, Comodule has gone from strength to strength since its launch in 2014. Today, the company has helped some of the biggest LEV manufacturers and operators connect more than 600,000 LEVs with real-time monitoring in more than 60 cities around the world.
Thanks to the ease of use of Google Cloud and its managed services, the company has been able to scale its technology infrastructure to meet its considerable demands and still stay agile and lean. "Autoscaling and managed services with Google Cloud have been absolutely crucial for our growth," says Varik. "I don't need to be woken up in the middle of the night to add more servers. I need to be concentrating on the business logic and building new features."
"When choosing what to deploy and where, Google Cloud makes it very clear which regions have carbon neutral data centers with a green leaf symbol. That means we can stay true to our ideals without compromising on the quality of our service."
—Heigo Varik, Co-founder and Software and Data Lead, ComoduleSustainability is more than just a buzzword for Comodule, it impacts every decision the company makes, including its choice of infrastructure. In addition to Google's commitment to being carbon-free by 2030, Comodule is able to make practical decisions on what it uses and how to minimize its impact on the environment. "When choosing what to deploy and where, Google Cloud makes it very clear which regions have carbon neutral data centers with a green leaf symbol," says Varik. "That means we can stay true to our ideals without compromising on the quality of our service."
As Comodule continues to expand its customer base, the company is continually working on new products and features. In 2023, the company will release Comodule Guardian, an entry-level IoT system focused on location tracking for security. "We've built this to be smaller and leaner than other IoT devices, so we anticipate it being in many more vehicles," says Varik. "Again, it's great that we don't have to worry about scaling or provisioning with Google Cloud. We can just work on new solutions and get them up and running."
Tell us your challenge. We're here to help.
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About Comodule
Comodule provides Internet of Things (IoT) devices and connectivity services to the operators and manufacturers of light electric vehicles (LEVs), enabling zero-emission micromobility and exceptional rider experiences.