Fredrik Hjelm on Winning Paris and What’s Next for Voi
Spin E-Scooters Withdraw from Albuquerque, Verona Launches Dockless E-Bike Sharing with Dott, Ather Narrows Market Share Gap with Ola, Lime Hits 5m E-Scooter Rides in Portland and much more...
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What You Need to Know Today
This Week’s Pod: Fireside Chat with Fredrik Hjelm
In this in-depth fireside chat, Fredrik Hjelm, Co-Founder & CEO of Voi, joins Tech.eu’s Robin Wauters live at Micromobility Europe 2025 to reflect on Voi's 7-year journey from the chaotic early days of scooter wars to becoming a profitable, semi-public micromobility leader operating in 110+ cities across Europe.
Heads up! Our podcast has a new dock on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify. Make sure to resubscribe, so you don’t miss out. Stay Tuned!!!
Lime Celebrates 5M E-Scooter Rides in Portland
Lime achieved a milestone of 5m e-scooter rides in Portland since its launch in 2018, involving over 750k riders traveling 6m miles. The company credits this success to sustained operations, partnerships with the City of Portland and PBOT, and community adoption of the new transport. Recent growth is evident, with 600k trips in H1 2025 (up 12% YoY) and record daily ridership (7k rides on July 4, 2025).
Portland Ride Analysis (Q1-2024 - Q2-2025)
Portland's micromobility ridership reached its peak of 0.62m trips in Q3 2024 before witnessing a seasonal decline in Q4 2024 and Q1 2025. The rides did rebound strongly to 0.56m trips in Q2 2025. TVD average showed a similar seasonal pattern, rising from 1.5 in Q1 2024 to 2.3 in Q2-Q3, dipping in winter months, and recovering to 1.63 in Q2 2025. Concurrently, vehicle availability grew steadily, reaching 3,830 in Q2 2025, indicating improved fleet operations. The data shows clear seasonal patterns and promising growth into mid 2025.
Verona Launches Dockless E-Bike Sharing with Dott
Verona has introduced a dockless bike-sharing service, deploying up to 500 pedal-assisted e-bikes operated by Dott (already providing e-scooters). This initiative, won through an AMT3 public tender, aims to diversify sustainable mobility options. The robust e-bikes (max 25 km/h) feature lights, a basket, and phone charging, and are available citywide 24/7 via the Dott app, which also integrates scooter access. Similar to e-scooters, parking in historic centers and ZRPU is restricted to designated zones. Outside these areas, bikes can be parked anywhere within the geo-fenced zone, provided an end-of-ride photo is taken.
Spain Mandates Micromobility Insurance
Spain has passed a new law requiring civil liability insurance for e-scooters, e-bikes, and other light personal vehicles, aligning with EU Directive 2021/2118. The law, approved on July 23, includes a six-month grace period before enforcement begins, with full implementation expected by January 2026. It also strengthens protections for accident victims by broadening the definition of a "traffic incident" to include any use of a vehicle on private property, whether it is moving or stationary.
Spin E-Scooters Withdraw from Albuquerque
Spin ceased e-scooter operations in Albuquerque effective July 25, marking its second departure from the city after a return in September 2024. The company is removing all 50 scooters. Residents reported issues, including vandalism involving scooters and chronic maintenance problems that rendered them unusable over time. While some lamented the loss of a convenient transport option, Spin cited shifting local operating conditions and market viability concerns, indicating that cities of Albuquerque’s size typically sustain only 1-2 providers. The company expressed openness to returning if conditions improve.
Citi Bike Faces Age-Check Demand
Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan is urging Lyft to add age verification for Citi Bike accounts to prevent users under 16 from accessing e-bikes. Currently, riders only need to enter a birthdate, with no ID check in place. Brannan warned of serious safety risks and said he will push for legislation if Lyft doesn’t act. He noted that other markets, like Mexico City, and competitors such as Lime already require ID scans and offer safety features for young users. There are currently more than 20k e-bikes in Citi Bike’s Brooklyn fleet.
China Enforces Stricter E-Bike Safety Standards
China has issued comprehensive guidelines to enforce new mandatory national safety standards for electric bicycles, effective September 1. The rules impose stricter oversight across manufacturing, sales, registration, and replacement of outdated bikes. This addresses safety concerns linked to substandard e-bikes, illegal modifications (e.g., speed-limit tampering), and fire incidents. Preliminary 2025 data shows a 44.7% Y-o-Y reduction in e-bike fires (7,048 incidents in H1). A government trade-in program has already facilitated the sale of 9.06m new e-bikes nationwide in 2025.
Ather Narrows Market Share Gap with Ola
Ola Electric's two-wheeler market share dropped to 17.2% in July 2025, down from 19.9% in June, while Ather Energy climbed to 16.5% (13.1k units), narrowing the sales gap to just 526 units. This shift follows Ola’s strategic pivot toward profitability, which has impacted its sales volume. The company is realigning operations to prioritize margins over market share in the short term. The broader industry faces production challenges due to China’s rare earth magnet export restrictions, critical for motor manufacturing, affecting major players like Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor.
Bikeroom Secures €3m
Italian marketplace Bikeroom, specializing in certified, high-end used bicycles (e.g., Bianchi, Trek), closed a €3m funding round led by Azimut VC and Vesper Holding. The platform, operating across 50 countries with 10k+ bikes sold, will allocate funds to:
International market expansion.
Technological/logistics enhancements.
Team growth in sales and operations.
Founded in 2020, Bikeroom combines curated premium inventory with e-commerce scalability, targeting dominance in the global secondhand premium bike sector.
Lime E-Scooters Exit Dresden
Lime is phasing out its e-scooters in Dresden as its rental license expires at the end of July. The contract has been awarded to another provider. However, Lime will remain active in the city by launching a new e-bike service starting August 1. The company is allowed to deploy up to 1k e-bikes
UK Govt Mulls Stricter Rules for Private E-Scooters
The UK Government is considering stricter rules for privately-owned e-scooters, including licence plates, speed limits, a minimum user age of 14, and mandatory rider training. The move follows growing public concern over safety, illegal use, and modified scooters reaching dangerous speeds. The speed of rental e-scooters, which are already regulated, won’t be heavily affected.
River Forest Updates E-Ride Laws
In response to the growing use of e-bikes and e-scooters among youth, River Forest village trustees unanimously revised the ordinance on July 14. The updated rules now require all e-bikes and e-scooters to have a white front light and a red rear light, even though no crashes involving these vehicles were reported in 2023–24.
Throwback Episode of Ride Review of Best Folding eBikes of 2024
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I live in Portugal and travel to visit friends in various places in Spain. Am I going to need the Micromobility Insurance to ride my own bike in Spain? And is there an overview somewhere by of which countries with such an insurance requirement?