🔋 15 Mins to Charge Your EV?

Plus, Ryvid to produce a sub-$8000 electric motorcycle, US road deaths hit 20 year high, and Bird and Helbiz struggle with expenses

August 23, 2022

Today Only! Save Over $500

With Micromobility America less than a month away (9/15 - 16), we have an absolutely stacked lineup of programming, product launches, and demos on tap in the Bay Area. Here are a few highlights you can expect from our largest-ever event.

✋ The Road to 5 Billion Riders with Horace Dediu

🗽 How NYC Will Lead on Micromobility with Mayor Eric Adams

📈 How to Scale Beyond the Ebike Boom with Mike Radenbaugh, cofounder and CEO of Rad Power Bikes

🦾 Autonomous Delivery Robots: The Next Big Innovation in Urban Logistics? A discussion with Cosimo Leipold of Nuro and Ed Niedermeyer of Autonocast

⚡️ Micromobility Accelerate Pitch Contest, featuring innovative new brands like Eli EV, Miloo, Bimotal, Bo, Taur, Three Wheels United, and Beyond

➕ and much more

Best of all, tickets are over 50% until midnight tonight. Don’t miss your opportunity to join the world’s top micromobility founders, journalists, officials, reviewers, technologists, and investors.

PS - We’re looking for a handful of volunteers to help ensure the event runs smoothly in exchange for a free ticket. This is a great chance to go behind the scenes, save money, and meet industry leaders. Are you interested? Email us asap to reserve your spot.

What You Need To Know This Week

  • “Similar to how Steve Jobs helped to bring the power of computers to a personal scale, micromobility gives people the freedom of urban mobility.” Horace Dediu reveals the rationale behind his term “micromobility” in a blog new post.

  • Bangalore-based Exponent Energy is developing a proprietary charging system that can recharge an LEV battery in just 15 minutes.

  • Over 260 German cities are working together to establish 30km/h maximum speed limits for their streets.

  • A comprehensive new study released this week compiles over 50 years of data on bicycle vs car ownership in countries across the globe. The results reveal that, in the absence of pro-bike policies and infrastructure, higher rates of bicycle ownership do not necessarily correlate to higher ridership.

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  • Denver proposes to shift $900 million away from highway expansion towards more climate-friendly pedestrian, bicycle, and transit projects.

  • Donkey Republic raises $5 million to expand its operations across Europe.

  • How a Facebook group for electric skateboards is bringing hobbyists together for massive communal rides.

  • The micro-est of micromobility: Airtrick E-Skates are powered skates that you strap to your shoes.

  • Oakland introduces an “ebike library” program to give residents the opportunity to discover the benefits of micromobility.

  • Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. It’s sad but not shocking that US roadway deaths alo increased 7% in Q1 2022, hitting a 20-year high.

  • In New York City, a rise in battery fires has pushed MTA to consider new regulations for bringing personal electric vehicles on trains.

  • The Ryvid Anthem uses aircraft-inspired design to deliver an electric motorcycle for under $8,000.

  • Q2 2022 earnings reports are out: Bird saw a boost in revenue (28% YoY), but it wasn’t enough to offset higher operating expenses ($310 million). New leadership says that the results from cost-cutting measures won’t be evident until later in the year. Bird isn’t alone, with Helbiz facing similar headwinds.

  • The US government dropped the ball on providing incentives for ebike in the Inflation Reduction Act. But many cities, states, and private companies are stepping up to fill the gap.

  • If you were looking for another reason to make your next EV a micromobility vehicle, Rivian just helped you out. After the company discontinued its lowest-priced model, the Rivian R1T now starts at $73,000.

  • How do you draw a 600-mile bicycle? A couple and their dog cycled 4500 miles around Europe to create a giant GPS-mapped bicycle to raise awareness for climate change.

  • Concerns about the safety of cheap electric mopeds are stalling India’s EV revolution.

  • Are you a city planner waiting for moonshot technology to solve all your VisionZero woes? Maybe first look at how cheap, boring solutions, like repairing sidewalks and allowing bikes on trains, can help.

  • Toronto conducted a Complete Streets pilot with the installation of cafĂŠs, bikeways, and other streetscape improvements. As a result, pedestrian and active mobility increased up to 193% between May 2021 and June 2022.

  • Brussels joins the growing list of European cities that have closed their downtowns to automobiles. (We spoke to the transportation leader who is guiding Brussels’ car-free transformation about creating complete streets and navigating ‘bikelash.’)

Pod People

Kari Anne Solfjeld Eid talks to Oliver Bruce about her cargo bike subscription service. In this podcast, they discuss:

  • The backstory of Whee!

  • How the subscription model creates a lot of value for families by providing a “holistic service experience”

  • The fundraising/company building experience they’ve had to date

Jobs to Be Done

Looking for your next opp? Browse 40+ amazing new micromobility jobs on our new and improved platform right now.

Our Jobs Board is an expanded, keyword-searchable online hub where you can post open positions and connect with thousands of talented professionals seeking jobs in the burgeoning world of new mobility. Check it out and post your first job free using promo code SF!

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