🙅♂️ High Cost of Cheap eBikes
Plus, new rules for California’s eBike rebate, Gogoro plots major expansion in India, and helmet laws fall out of style.
Hello and welcome to the Micromobility Newsletter, a biweekly missive about mobility, mostly mobility in cities by small electric vehicles.
If you’re not a subscriber and you want to keep getting the latest news and analysis from inside the micromobility movement delivered straight to your inbox twice a week, sign up here for free. If you’d like to unsubscribe, just click that link. Thank you for reading.
Today’s newsletter is brought to you by… Civilized Cycles.
Civilized Cycles is an engineering and technology company bringing automotive ride comfort and integration to the ebike platform. With innovative, patented technology including auto-leveling suspension and expandable hard-shell panniers, the Model 1 is able to comfortably transport adult passengers and lock cargo ‘in’ the bike - and could replace your second car.
Civilized Cycles’ products are currently available for purchase online as well as through select dealers. For inquiries, get in touch.
Micromobility World Replays
Big thanks to everyone who joined us last week for an incredible Micromobility World experience. The day was jam-packed with memorable moments, including thought-provoking conversations with Kara Swisher, Gabe Klein, Matthew Yglesias and more. If you missed any of it, you can now replay the entire program here.
The virtual show also featured the dramatic conclusion of the first-ever Rider’s Choice Awards, aka the “mobility Oscars.” After +50k votes, the results are now public. You can find a complete list of finalists and winners here (or rewatch the live ceremony above).
What You Need to Know Today
The New Republic examines the high cost of cheap eBikes, ie battery fires. Our motto is that if cities want to stop people from buying the kind of poorly made eBikes that are prone to catch fire, they should make high-quality, safe vehicles more accessible. And the best way to do that is with subsidies.
From around the globe, here are some new updates on the intertwined issues of subsidies and safety:
Barcelona is temporarily banning electric scooters from public transit over fears of battery fires.
Pakistan is working on a government program to make it less expensive for people to buy electric motorbikes.
California shared some key updates on its upcoming $10M electric bike rebate program, including vehicle eligibility, income threshold, and how the money will be spent.
Australia is looking to ban unsafe batteries after a rash of fires.
Joining Washington D.C. and Atlanta, Nashville is now also considering a resolution to create an electric bike rebate: $300 for eBikes, $500 for cargo bikes, $1,000+ for low-income residents.
The global market for privately-owned micromobility will grow 9% annually and reach $260B by 2025, according to a new report by McKinsey & Company. The research predicts that over the next two years the fastest-growing market will be Europe and the fastest-growing modality will be electric scooters (although electric bikes are still expected to outsell other modes).
Gogoro, a Taiwanese EV moped company, is working with the Indian state of Maharashtra to establish state-wide battery charging and swapping infrastructure. The partnership, which also includes Indian automotive systems maker Belrise Industries, aims to spend $2.5B over the next eight years in Maharashtra.
Acrimoto, Oregon-based maker of three-wheeled EVs, has stopped production at its factory and says it will “require substantial additional funding to resume.”
Bike helmet laws are falling by the wayside as more cities realize that these mandates discourage people from cycling.
Yoda, a Belgian company that makes moped-style electric bikes, has raised nearly $500k in pre-seed funding to set up production.
The U.S. transportation system is ripe for transformation, say federal officials.
How the public sector can encourage micromobility was a hot topic at Micromobility World.
A not profitable private bikeshare system in New Orleans was rescued and revived by a nonprofit.
A detailed look at how pickup trucks evolved from everyday workhorses into supersized luxury vehicles.
In Istanbul, one of the largest shared micromobility markets globally, angst is rising over improperly parked scooters.
Similar concerns in Paris have led to a public referendum on shared scooters. Here’s why banning scooters in France’s capital simply doesn’t make sense.
In Tokyo, Hello Mobility is launching moped rentals and battery swapping through a partnership with Gachaco, the battery consortium created by Japan’s big four motorcycle manufacturers, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha.
French manufacturer Kate wants to help revive the iconic Moke tiny car as an EV.
Starting in July, Japan will no longer require a driver’s license to ride an electric kickscooter.
Sales growth halted or fell across nearly every sector of the bike industry in 2022 - except for eBikes.
Trouble in (bike) paradise: In response to safety concerns from trad cyclists and pedestrians, Amsterdam is cracking down on fast electric bikes that have been souped up so riders can exceed legal speed limits.
Citroen’s CEO says electric cars will kill the SUV because large vehicles are less aerodynamic, and therefore, are at a disadvantage when it comes to battery range.
Browse the best jobs in micromobility—and post your own—on our Jobs to Be Done board.
Pod People
On the latest episode of the Micromobility Podcast, Oliver Bruce talks to Ryvid founder Dong Tran about building low-cost electric motorbikes for the masses, starting production with only $1M raised, winning a big EV grant from the state of California, and more. Listen here.
Those expandable panniers on the Civilized Cycle look so slick! I'm surprised no one has thought of something like that before. It's a pretty nice feature for me. I wonder how easy it is to attach a child seat to that thing. I wouldn't feel great just having my kid sitting on the passenger seat until she's a bit older. Great design though!