San Francisco Joins the E-Bike Rebate Bandwagon

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

Big Europe Sale Ending Soon

In two months’ time, the micromobility industry will converge in Amsterdam for our largest trade summit yet: Micromobility Europe. With over a thousand mobility leaders in attendance (+40% founders, c-level, VPs, directors), it’s a can’t miss for operators, manufacturers, retailers, developers, and startups alike.

For a few more days, you can score tickets at a 75% discount during our Innovator Sale.

Book tickets now for €250, then join us in Amsterdam on June 5-6 for two incredible days of networking, programming, vehicle demos, and more.

P.S. Our recent webinar with McKinsey about the impact of increased e-bike usage on cities is now available to replay. This Thursday, we are hosting another scintillating web conversation about the intersection of connectivity and profitability for fleet operators. Don’t miss out.

What You Need to Know This Week

Rad Power recently introduced their 2024 lineup headlined by the Radster, which we had the opportunity to check out in our latest video review. Our verdict? “The Radster Trail is a perfect fit for riders who want a versatile e-bike, one they can use to get to work on weekdays and take off the beaten path on the weekends. It has a more active geometry and seating position than any of Rad's other models, even the RadRover (their best off-road model until now).” Check out our full review here.

Even in its third year, Denver’s e-bike rebate remains as popular as ever. Last month, when the city reopened the application window for the first time this year, all of the available vouchers were claimed in less than 10 minutes. Overall it’s estimated these vouchers eliminate 170,000 miles in car trip per week.

Colorado also has a statewide e-bike credit, which is worth up to $450, but it requires retailers to float the money to shoppers for a whole year before being reimbursed. E-bike sellers are understandably not thrilled about this arrangement.

Following in Denver’s footsteps, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will provide rebates of $1,000 to low-income residents interested in buying new e-bikes. Overall the program will dispense up to $1M in vouchers. Meanwhile, in the East Bay, Ava Community Energy just released an RFP to create its own e-bike incentive program, which is backed by $10M in funding.

Indonesia is having incredible success with its own electric two-wheeler subsidy, but in the absence of robust safety regulations, a sketchy cottage industry of DIY battery makers has lately emerged. “[Shopkeeper Dharmawan Kusna] Handoyo is part of a growing community of battery packers in Indonesia, driven by the frenetic growth of the e-bike market and the complete absence of battery regulations in the country. This has created an opportunity for shops that can cobble together replacement batteries, which often provide more range for less cost. These homemade battery packs come with real concerns over safety and reliability — but for many riders, it’s a risk worth taking.”

Still it’s exciting to see Indonesia and other growing economies embracing micromobility. A new study confirms that, in developing cities, e-bikes act as an “important mitigator of car ownership.”

Related: eBikeTips reports that the British government is investigating 60 e-bike and e-scooter companies to assess their safety standards, following a rash of deadly battery fires.

Last week we reported that, as of 2023, electric bikes now outsell ordinary bikes in Germany. Apparently this is true in Japan too, according to a news report from last year.

NYC is embarking on a e-bike public safety campaign after a rise in deadly crashes.

India’s micromobility revolution appears to be in full blossom. “The number of startups in India’s electric two-wheeler market has surged to over 150 from 54 in 2021, driven by government incentives to promote clean vehicles and cut oil imports, according to a new analysis.”

The case for why cities should ban second-car ownership: “There are approximately 400,000 second cars on London’s streets. Using Cyclehoop’s estimation that one car can comfortably fit approximately ten bicycles, this equates to space for four million bikes, parked on-street!”

Harley-Davidson has extended a $100M loan to its loss-making EV motorcycle unit, LiveWire.

Meanwhile Novus, a Germany-based electric motorbike startup, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from 468 Capital to fuel its GTM strategy in Europe.

It’s official: Tier and Dott have finalized their merger transaction, creating a new European heavyweight in shared micromobility known as Tier-Dott. The combined entity (which for the time being will continue to exist as two separate apps) is active in 20 countries with €250M in revenues. (We dove into the implications of the Tier-Dott merger on the most recent episode of our podcast with experts Prabin Joel Jones and Augustin Friedel)

The completion of the merger comes at a time when the shared market appears to be on the upswing in Europe. Ridership of dockless bikes grew 54% last year, according to Fluctuo’s annual survey.

From New York to Austin, a plethora of new infrastructure for e-bike charging is coming online to help cities prevent battery-related fires.

A group of Oregon lawmakers are seeking to ban e-bikes for individuals under 16 years old following the death of a teenage rider who was struck by a van last summer. It will be worth watching to see if Oregon’s bill advances, and if so, whether other states follow suit.

A new study from EIT InnoEnergy finds that logistics providers could dramatically reduce both costs and emissions by adopting mixed fleets of electric vans and cargo bikes for deliveries: “The research shows for a large logistics player delivering 2 billion parcels per year with a mixed fleet of 80 per cent e-cargo bikes and 20 per cent e-vans (compared to 100 per cent e-van fleet), the annual cost savings could amount to ~€554 million by 2030, while reducing last-mile logistics emissions by up to 80 per cent.”

Speaking of micromobility’s climate impact, another new study from Colorado State University finds that electric scooters are the most effective at limiting emissions over the life cycle of all commuting options.

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