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- đź›´ A Fresh Spin on Lyft
đź›´ A Fresh Spin on Lyft
Plus, high gas prices boost escooter sales, Phylion raises $148M, and the US rethinks Chinese bike tariffs.
What You Need to Know This Week
You can now find and and pay for Spin escooters on Lyft’s app. A new partnership will bring Spin vehicles to the Lyft app in 60 US markets by the end of the year.
Sweden is developing geofencing systems for buses. If this technology is good enough for relatively safe modes of transport like buses and escooters, why not apply it to high-risk vehicles like passenger cars?
As a result of a new US trade rules, many Chinese ebikes and bikes will become exempted from 25% import tariffs. This change comes at a time when US gas prices are near record highs and many commuters are desperately looking for cheap alternatives to driving. Could a second ebike boom be far off?
Rising gas prices are also pushing people into the arms of escooters: “Miami e-scooter marketplace and manufacturer Fluidfreeride has sold more than twice as many units this month compared with last, founder Julian Fernau says. Sales are 70% higher than in March 2021, he added, and website traffic is up about 30% since gasoline prices began to shoot up at the fastest rate on record earlier this month. At Bird, another manufacturer, sales have increased 60% and website traffic is up 30% during the same time, according to a spokeswoman.”
This Friday, on our next Micromobility Pro webinar, renowned technology analyst Horace Dediu will examine how the geopolitical fallout from the Russia-Ukraine war is compelling us to rethink our transportation practices on a global scale.
With the price of gas and other energy soaring, global consumers are alarmed—and maybe—ready for change. On this timely webinar, we’ll explore to what extent the conflict in Ukraine will force the rest of the world to reevaluate its reliance on fossil fuels and embrace cleaner forms of transportation and energy.
Become a Micromobility Pro member today to gain access to this webinar, plus special deals on event tickets, a 40-hour archive of exclusive episodes, and more.
American pedestrian deaths increased 46% over the last decade.
Chinese ebike battery manufacturer Phylion has received a new strategic investment of $148M.
Audi is working on a connected technology to protect cyclists by using direct vehicle-to-bicycle communications that rely on short-range signals for identifying a bicycle on the road, that can’t be otherwise seen by a driver.
While America’s ebike tax credit is stalled in Washington DC, many state and local governments are taking it upon themselves to create their own.
Barq revealed its Callum-designed prototype electric moped for last-mile deliveries in the Middle East and North Africa. With swappable battery technology and 93-mile range, the vehicle’s value prop to couriers who are paid per delivery is to eradicate time lost to charging.
Battery swapping is now being seen in India as a way to help electrify what is the world’s largest fleet of two- and three-wheel vehicles, with the government developing policies to encourage the industry.
Relatedly, Ola Electric will get state support from India to manufacture EV batteries that can store a total of 20 gigawatt-hours of power.
Maybe this has something to do with Ola Electric’s recently announced plans to invest in Israeli fast-charging startup StoreDot.
Bird is launching a pilot in the Bronx to test a battery-powered attachment for wheelchairs.
Backed by almost $500,000 in state funding, Boston will launch an e-cargo bike pilot program this summer that will focus on deliveries to and from small businesses.
European super app Bolt is enticing Berliners to ditch their cars by offering a €2500 credit, which can be spent on Bolt services including ride-hail and shared scooters.
Speaking of Bolt, the shared mobility company is launching its Bolt 5 escooter with an estimated 60-month lifespan and 34-mile range.
Between 2012 and 2022 the average price of a new car in America increased 50% to $47K. What is clear from these numbers is that car prices started increasing long before COVID jammed up supply chains.
At SafeBoda, a Ugandan motorcycle-hailing service, drivers are quitting en masse after the company stopped paying bonuses.
Beam, an APAC-based shared micromobility startup, is piloting a new AI-powered technology that can adjust the speed of escooters based on road surfaces.
US states are moving forward with 16,000 road and bridge projects this year, 20% of which are new construction.
Aventon has launched its new Pace 500 and 350 ebikes with big updates, such as an integrated battery pack, a color LCD display screen, and new app functionality.
The LA Times responds to California Governor Newsom’s plan to give residents a $400 gas rebate as relief for the oil crisis: “Why would Newsom decide to shower money on car owners—even people with electric vehicles will get debit cards—and give short shrift to carless Californians?”
The Point, a master-planned 15-minute city being developed in Utah, is slated to have bus rapid transit, scooters, shared vehicles, and EV-charging—but also 40,000 parking spots.
Will your next ebike come with ABS? Bosch R&D is working toward it.
ICYMI: Micromobility Europe is coming to Amsterdam on June 1-2, and right now, you can save 60% on General Admission tickets. Come join the micromobility vanguard (everyone from founders and city leaders, to your next business partner or investor) for two highly programmed days of talks, meetings, activities, and more. Learn more and book now.
Jobs to Be Done
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