Trump tariffs sting micromobility

June 20, 2019

This week, New York embraces scooters (with a Manhattan-sized caveat), Indian micromobility startup Bounce rakes in an impressive fundraising haul, and fleet decay is still a challenge even for the best scooters but first…

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What You Need to Know This Week

  • New York State lawmakers have struck a deal to allow electric scooters and bikes on the streets within the next year. The catch? Scooter rental companies will not be allowed to operate in Manhattan. | NYT

  • Meanwhile Florida’s governor signed an e-scooter legalization bill this week and it has already gone into effect. | Orlando Weekly

  • Sporting pink wheels similar to its recently introduced San Francisco e-bike, Lyft’s new scooter in Denver is its first built for sharing. | The Verge

  • Faced with an aging U.S. customer base for its hogs, Harley-Davidson is planning to build smaller motorcycles for the Chinese market. | CNN

  • In a new op-ed, former NYC DOT chief Janette Sadiq-Khan rebukes lawmakers and entrepreneurs who stonewall cities on scooter data in the name of user privacy. “Better cities need better data — to prevent crashes, minimize traffic congestion and get people where they need to go efficiently. So the way to protect mobility data is not to let private companies keep it to themselves; it’s for cities to raise the bar on digital privacy.” | Bloomberg

  • Bangalore-based micromobility provider Bounce has raised $72 million in Series C, with plans to deploy 50,000 electric scooters and expand across India. | The Pitchbook

  • In other Bangalore transportation news, Uber has launched a ride-share service in the Indian tech capital that will use a three-seater, gas-powered micro-car called “Qute.” | Reuters

  • Brussels bike-share operator, Villo, will replace more than a third of its pedal fleet with electric models this summer. | The Brussels Times

  • Spin has launched an open-call competition for urban designers to create new community-oriented parklets that feature scooter parking and charging. Winning designs will be rolled out in Denver in September. | Medium 

  • Spanish electric moped startup Muving has landed in Atlanta. | Curbed

  • Uber’s request for relief from a 25% tariff imposed by the U.S. on Chinese-made electric bikes was rejected. A similar bid by Bird regarding scooter tariffs was also denied. | Reuters

  • Chicago’s 10-company electric scooter pilot is now live. | Chicago Tribune

  • Even as scooter companies roll out more heavy-duty hardware, the unit economics for rentals remain daunting, in part because the advanced models can be harder to repair than the basic versions. | The Information

  • Germany’s long-awaited scooter legalization law went into effect this week and, in Berlin, Circ and Lime were able to hit the road a few days ahead of the competition by paying a three-digit fee per vehicle instead of waiting for permits. | RBB24

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