🐤 Bird Scoops $150M
Plus, Gogoro arrives in China, Lime posts EBITDA-adjusted profitable quarter, and US e-bike sales nearly double since 2019.
Welcome to the Micromobility Newsletter…
What You Need to Know This Week
Bird announced it will raise $150M, up from $40M, in vehicle financing from Apollo Investment Corp ahead of its SPAC deal.
One industry tracker expects American e-bike sale volumes to reach 550,000 units this year, up from 437,000 in 2020 and 288,000 in 2019. That’s nearly 200% growth in two years, brought on by the heightened demand for micromobility solutions caused by the pandemic.
The mythology of ride-sharing is falling apart.
Gogoro’s hot-swappable battery infrastructure has arrived in China. The Taiwan company’s technology, which is currently compatible with two local moped brands, Yadea and DJC, launched in Hangzhou this week, opening the door to further expansion in the world’s largest two-wheeler market.
For the second time in company history, Lime says it was profitable in the third quarter after adjusting for EBITDA. The last time this happened was Q3 2020, just before an unexpected second wave of lockdowns derailed Lime’s goal of becoming full-year profitable in 2021.
Kawasaki announces its motorcycles will be all-electric by 2035.
Behind Swiftmile’s recent partnerships to bring micromobility infrastructure to APCOA parking areas and Shell gas stations in Germany.
On Jokr and the rise of personalized instant commerce.
Related: From route optimization to cargo bikes, here’s how European startups are decarbonizing last-mile delivery.
How public “e-bike libraries” are expanding access to micromobility.
A new study from Chicago shows dockless scooters compete with bike-sharing for riders. “The weekly usage of bike sharing in e-scooter sharing operation area declined by 10.2% due to the impact.”
ICYMI: Last week we published a new speech of our co-founder Horace Dediu’s latest insights on micromobility, fittingly titled “The 10 Micromobility Commandments” (video here). So far, the response has been very positive, and we recommend checking it out if you haven’t already. Here’s what Azeem Azhar of the Exponential View newsletter had to say: “Grab a pen and paper because Dediu delivers a tour de force of insights that is well worth half an hour of your time.”
Brompton CEO estimates it will take another 18 months for the bicycle manufacturing industry to sort out the global parts shortage.
Honda plans to sell EV mopeds in India within the next year.
Populus is starting the second phase of a USDOT-funded project to leverage data from over 80M micromobility trips to help more than 15 cities design safer streets.
The Australian military is testing 50-mph electric bikes for scouting missions.
Some advice on how to assess a successful micromobility pilot.
Boston is introducing maximum parking ratios for large buildings.
A new study of Barcelona, Berlin, and Paris finds that 10-30% of all moped trips are provided by shared/rental services.
Electrek tries out the new Super73-ZX: an “awesome electric moped with serious California vibes.”
Zoba has raised $12M in Series A funds to build out its demand optimization software for micromobility operators.
Electric moped maker Niu will expand its product portfolio to include e-bikes.
Bimotal launched an e-bike conversion kit that includes professional installation.
New Zealand plans to turbo-charge density and cool housing prices by allowing three homes of three stories to be built on nearly any site in the country.
Jobs to Be Done
Welcome to our jobs board, where every week we post open positions in hopes of connecting our talented readers with professional opportunities in the burgeoning world of new mobility. Find out who’s hiring below and sign up for the newsletter to view fresh listings every week.
Hit reply if you have a job that you’re interested in listing.
Growth Marketing Manager @ Shift Transit (Chicago or remote)
Head of Growth & Growth Marketing Manager @ Unagi (remote)
Head of Market Development (North America) & Global Mobility Partnerships Manager (Paris) @ Vianova
Zoomo:
Head of US Operations (New York)
VP, Product (San Francisco)
Account Manager (New York)
US People & Culture Partner (New York)
Europe Account Director (London)