Detroit’s Eastern Market has long been a hub of commerce in the city. The market holds significant historical value and has been one of the city’s crown jewels. While commerce has been the life blood of the market, city leaders also envision a future where mobility will play a role in its future.

To help spearhead this, The City of Detroit recently announced the semi-finalists in the Sustainable Cities Challenge which is hosted by the Toyota Mobility Foundation.

Detroit sees itself as a player in the mobility market

The Sustainable Cities Challenge is a global competition but Detroit was the only U.S. city picked. The foundation cited Detroit’s unique culture and urban environment as key reasons for it being selected as a venue.

“We are tremendously grateful to the Toyota Mobility Foundation for selecting Detroit and its culture of innovation as the only recipient in the United States to be a part of its Sustainable Cities Challenge,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “Eastern Market moves the food Detroiters need every day.  Thanks to the Foundation, Detroit can help to pioneer solutions to lessen the environmental impact of this important commerce.”

The four semifinalists selected were part of a broader pool of 10 and they will each get $130,000 to test and implement their mobility solutions within Eastern Market. We have provided a list of the chosen firms which can be seen below.

• Civilized Cycles – Civilized Cycles is a Detroit-based design and engineering company that manufactures light electric vehicles (semi-trikes) for urban freight and cargo delivery. The team’s solutions seek to use semi-trikes to replace gas-powered options in city environments, offering sustainable and efficient mobility solutions.
• ElectricFish Energy Inc – ElectricFish is a climate-tech company developing distributed energy infrastructure that combines battery storage with DC fast-charging capabilities for electric vehicles. The team’s solution aims to leverage this infrastructure to build systems designed to reduce strain on the grid, lower energy costs, and provide backup power during outages.
• Neology – Neology is a Swiss clean technology startup aiming to develop systems that produce hydrogen and electricity on demand. These energy solutions are adaptable for use in construction, urban environments, remote sites, and other areas where clean, off-grid power is needed.
• Orange Sparkle Ball Inc – Orange Sparkle Ball is an innovation accelerator that collaborates with organizations to scale impact-driven solutions. The team is developing a data-powered micro-logistics platform which aims to streamline first- and last-mile freight delivery and enhance local logistics efficiency.

Each firm is tackling a different project but we were personally intrigued by two of the finalists Civilized Cycles and Orange Sparkle Ball Inc. Orange Sparkle Ball will be a familiar face for anyone that has visited select areas of Detroit with the company focusing on mobility based solutions for disposing of waste.

The company brought a bigger version of its waste shipping robot to Eastern Market and the company announced that it will be using its $130,000 reward to test them in the market with their Penny Pickup service being tasked with food and waste disposal in the market.

Civilized Cycles aims to rewrite the script on hauling

Meanwhile, Civilized Cycles is looking to rewrite the script when it comes to formally hauling goods within the market. The company’s project focuses on utilizing its “Semi-Trike” to haul goods which will cut down on the amount of pollution generated by traditional semi-trucks.

The Semi-Trike is a deceptively simple vehicle with the front trike serving as the tractor with the trailer being hooked up to it. The trailer also acts as a giant stabilizer. It helps keep the trike from falling over. This is especially important when navigating sharp turns while hauling heavy loads. The pedals on the trike are actually sensors. In a nod to providing ease of maintenance, over 80% of the parts can be purchased from other sources like Amazon. The remaining 20% consists of IP protected technology and electronics.

Civilized Cycles Founder and CEO Jeff Schieffelin is confident in the Semi-Trike’s potential as a mobility solution saying that the vehicles will be useful in urban environments where they can access areas that are off-limits to traditional trucks. One potential example of this in action is a deal the company is trying to reach with the city of New York. The city has a hard time getting parcels for customers into all parts of the city due to the limited-number of bridges available.

Under the proposed deal, the Semi-Trikes would work together with maritime shipping to create a continuous loop of shipping and receiving to help get packages into the city more efficiently reducing costs and improving service for customers.

The finalists were chosen to advance based on criteria including innovation in freight, reduction of fossil fuel use, scalability, technological maturity, potential to scale, and team capacity. Judges looked for solutions that could reduce fossil fuel use while demonstrating a strong understanding of local needs and implementation of feasibility. Each team had to show a clear demonstration plan with measurable KPIs to support long-term impact and scalability.

 Detroit leaders share their thoughts

In addition to the statement by Mayor Duggan, other city leaders also shared their thoughts on what this stage of the competition can bring to Eastern Market and other areas of the city.

“These finalists bring an exciting mix of complementary innovations and practicality, with solutions that aim to show demonstrable impact in Detroit’s Eastern Market, said Ryan Klem, Program Director at the Toyota Mobility Foundation. “Their work provides an opportunity to show incremental steps towards sustainable, people-centered freight systems globally.”

“The Sustainable Cities Challenge has already had a positive ripple effect.  Local innovators inspired by this global challenge have joined the finalists in working to reduce diesel runtime,” said Vince Keenan, Head of Innovation Engagement for the Mayor’s Office of Mobility Innovation (OMI).  “Eastern Market has become another real-world tech innovation laboratory in Detroit.”    

The Detroit potion of the challenge will conclude later this year when the finalists are chosen. While most would expect only one finalist to be the winner, the Toyota Mobility Foundation said that it was possible more than one finalist will be crowned the winner. But regardless of who wins, the challenge serves as a preview of potential long-term gains in the city as summed up best by Katy Trudeau, President and CEO of Eastern Market Katy Trudeau

“Over the last 100 years, businesses in Eastern Market have innovated around food logistics, distribution, and production. Working with growers, businesses, and other stakeholders across southeast Michigan and beyond, we are shaping the next 100 years right here in Detroit.