Gogoro CEO Resigns Amid Subsidy Fraud Allegations

Welcome to the Micromobility Newsletter, your weekly digest of important events and industry news in the world of personal transportation.

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What You Need to Know Today

In light of the sharp increase in U.S. pedestrian deaths (a 58% rise between 2013 and 2022), NHTSA has proposed regulations to address the growing size of SUVs and trucks. If enacted, automakers would have to test their vehicles using crash test dummies representing adult and child pedestrians for the first time.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is committing €40 million towards public bike-sharing operations and e-bike subsidy programs. The PM also wants to shift local mayors’ perception of bicycles, saying: “The bike is not a progressive symbol, it is what it is: a fantastic alternative for mobility.”

Horace Luke, founder and CEO of Gogoro, an electric moped company with a globe-spanning battery-swapping network, has resigned amid ballooning financial losses and allegations of subsidy fraud in the firm’s home country, Taiwan.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced another $1.3M in new e-bike rebates, with a round of vouchers to be available between September 16-23.

After a challenging 2023 in which revenues declined 26%, British e-scooter startup Pure Electric announced a crowdfunding campaign with the goal of raising $2.6M for global expansion.

UK-based Gocycle is also turning to crowdfunding following what it describes as “Bikeaggedon,” or the tumultuous post-pandemic period in which e-bike demand suddenly spiked and then collapsed. In order to reboot, the boutique e-bike brand plans to launch of a new line of F1-inspired e-bikes while also branching into the non-electric folding bike market, which is currently dominated by its rival Brompton.

To transition people away from gas-powered mopeds, the Netherlands launched a €17M subsidy program that will provide €1200 to low-income individuals to purchase electric mopeds.

Sticks and carrots: the Dutch government seized 16,500 “fat e-bikes” that do not meet the legal definition of an e-bike or a moped.

The Philippines has been slow to adopt EVs, with one major exception: electric trikes. Filipinos have embraced three-wheelers—some of which are large enough to fit a family—as a cheap and practical alternative for beating gridlocked traffic. Now new government directives, which require that e-trikes be registered and their operators have driver’s licenses, is threatening the momentum.

New patent drawings reveal that Chinese EV giant BYD is exploring the possibility of producing an electric motorbike. “Spotted by Motorcycle Sports, the patent drawings reportedly suggest a motorbike that would fall into the 250cc to 350cc equivalent segment, likely offering around 15-25 kW (20 to 35 hp), and a battery capacity of up to 9 kWh.” 

Between 2018 and 2022, U.S. e-bike sales shot up from roughly 250,000 per year to more than a million—an undeniable win for urbanists and environmentalists alike. But with more riders, came more accidents, with e-bike injuries more than doubling every year, according to a new Harvard study. And the rate of injuries for e-scooters rose even more sharply, jumping by more than 45% each year.

The Transit app is launching an update that allows users to prioritize (e)biking as their first mode of transit by displaying safer bike routes first and providing multiple bike route options.

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