Micromobbin' Rising gas prices, further fueled by the war in Ukraine, continues to cause pain at the pump. Perhaps some good will come of these spiking prices, like pushing more people into the supportive metal arms of micromobility vehicles. You've probably heard enough stats about how commuters are driving less, but what's one more? Superpedestrian says its ridership was up 360% in March, year-over-year, and that half of its customers decided to scoot instead of drive because they wanted to avoid overpaying for gas. While we're on the subject of Superpedestrian, the company, along with Lime and Spin, will be hitting the streets of Chicago for the city's new two-year e-scooter pilot. Starting in May, each operator will have 3,000 scooters on the roads. Divvy, the city's bike-sharing system, will also be expanded to include dockable scooters from Lyft. At the New York International Auto Show, Veo showcased its new Cosmo 2, its seated e-scooter, that will feature safety and accessibility features like a built-in audible electric motor noise to alert nearby pedestrians, bright underdeck lighting and turn signals, a nicer seat cushion and more. The Cosmo 2 will also have a phone holder, a Bluetooth speaker that syncs with smartphones and a basket with bungee cords. Tier is bringing its next-gen scooter to London this month. The scooter will feature more Tier coloring to make it easier to identify as well as a brighter light, upgraded indicators, three independent brakes, grippy handlebars and larger tires. Japanese company Luup has raised $8 million in debt and asset financing to expand its e-bike and e-scooter service across the country. Consumer micromobility vehicles Bosch eBike Systems is updating its smart system with networked navigation accessible through the eBike Flow app and additional e-bike theft protection via a bike lock that turns a smartphone into a digital key. Bosch is also teaming up with BCycle, a national bike-share system, to offer free e-bike rideshare access in eight cities across the U.S. from April 22 to April 24. If you live in Madison, Wis., Santa Barbara, Calif., Broward, San Antonio, Boulder, Colo., Encinitas, Calif., Nashville or Greenville, S.C., check it out! A couple of Dutch twins are on a mission to bring bike production back to the Netherlands and build an e-bike with exclusively European parts, and they're getting close. Mokumono announced its newest bike, the Polder, which already contains 90% European parts. Okai, the company that's supplied e-scooters for many shared operators, has launched its first consumer e-bike. Foldable e-bike maker Fiido is recalling two models because, well, they fold too much. Actually, they can snap in two. Rad Power Bikes is feeling the strain of rising costs of production. The company is rejigging a bit by closing down its Rad Mobile stores and putting those resources back into online shopping and opening more retail stores. When cities do cool stuff… Berlin is making plans for a new high-speed bicycle route from Honow to Spandau through the city center. The city says bikes should be able to reach their destination as quickly as cars on the new route. Oakland is running a Universal Basic Mobility program that gave people prepaid cards to purchase trips from dockless scooters, bikeshare and public transit. A mid-program survey found 40% of participants saying they changed how they travel with 23% saying they drove alone less often. Shanghai is undergoing one of the strictest lockdowns ever, but grocery delivery workers on mopeds are keeping the city fed. Onomotion, a Berlin-based company that makes very cool covered e-cargo bikes, is partnering with UPS to expand its sustainable parcel delivery service in Hamburg and Cologne. — Rebecca Bellan |
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