Rad Power Bikes' Assets To Be Sold For $13.2M
Cowboy Reshuffles Leadership as Co-Founder Steps Back, Berlin Court Orders Nextbike Removal, VinFast Drives Vietnam’s E-Two Wheeler Boom, TfL Targets Safer Cycling Future and more...
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What You Need to Know Today
Microcars and New Urban Form Factors with Horace Dediu
In this episode of the Micromobility Podcast, Horace Dediu, Co-Founder of Micromobility Industries joins Prabin Joel Jones to explore the rise of new urban vehicle form factors and why microcars may be the next major shift in city mobility.
The conversation starts with a simple question: why did cars never evolve into a true urban form factor the way trains did with trams and metros, or aviation did with short haul and long haul aircraft? Horace argues the modern car is an accident of history, shaped by rural origins, highway assumptions, and regulations that have reinforced size and weight over decades.
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Lime Prepares Milan for Olympic Crowds
Lime is scaling up operations in Milan ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, expecting around 2m visitors. Drawing on lessons from Paris 2024, Lime is prioritizing reliability over sheer fleet size by increasing warehouse mechanics by 30% and doubling on-street operations staff to keep vehicles available and functional. The strategy aligns with Milan’s tighter micromobility rules, growing preference for e-bikes, and major cycling infrastructure investments, positioning shared bikes and scooters as a key solution for last-mile travel during the Games.
Berlin Court Orders Nextbike Removal
Berlin’s Higher Administrative Court has ruled that bike-sharing company Nextbike must remove its 6.5k rental bikes from public streets after continuing to operate without the required special-use permit once its public funding ended in June 2025. Nextbike had previously operated under a Senate contract, but after that support was withdrawn, the company chose to go it alone rather than secure a permit. Its only path back into the market now is to successfully apply for the approval it failed to obtain earlier.
Cargo Bikes are Finally Having Their Moment
Cargo bikes have shifted from niche historic tools into a mainstream urban transport solution thanks to electrification, which made hauling heavy loads easier and more practical. Both commercial logistics (including adoption by big carriers) and everyday consumer use (families, groceries, pets) are driving this uptick. However, broader infrastructure and cultural support (e.g., protected bike lanes) are still needed for cargo bikes to fully reshape urban mobility.
Bird Challenges Florence Scooter Ban
Bird has filed an appeal with the regional administrative court (Tar) against the City of Florence’s decision to suspend shared e-scooter services starting April 1, 2026. The company argues the municipal resolution contains “significant inconsistencies,” particularly misclassifying its service type. A key dispute is the city’s classification of Bird’s service as free-floating; Bird says this is incorrect because it operates with fixed parking stations. Florence cited safety and regulatory compliance issues among its reasons for the suspension, but Bird insists a court decision is needed.
Finally, A Driver With No Ego
A new safety study from Waymo covering 56.7m autonomous miles across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Austin shows an 82% reduction in cyclist and motorcyclist injury crashes and a 92% drop for pedestrians versus human drivers, alongside a 96% fall in intersection injury crashes. Building on these results, Waymo plans robotaxi pilots in London and is exploring expansion into Australia, as regulators move toward updated AV frameworks. While large-scale deployment is still expected closer to 2030, the findings point to autonomous vehicles potentially becoming safer street partners for micromobility.
Voi’s Valuation Drops by ~7% Since Q3-2025
Voi Technology’s valuation has dropped by ~7% since Q3 2025 to $610m. VNV Global stated in its Q4 report that Voi is on track to achieve positive adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBIT in 2026, with expanding margins.
Amazon and UL have sued several Chinese e-bike and e-scooter makers over alleged misuse of UL safety certification labels.
Raleigh, North Carolina, US e-bike and e-scooter services have resumed with Lime and Spin.
In the US, Illinois plans clearer e-bike and scooter rules with a safety education push.
Powell City in Wyoming, US, is considering new e-bike/scooter ordinances to improve safety rules.
Amsterdam city authorities ban electric fat tire e-bikes in Vondelpark amid crashes and injuries.
Jersey City, US, launches a dedicated local battery recycling pickup service for businesses.
Waymo aims to raise $16B funding round, valuing it near $110B.
Cowboy Reshuffles Leadership as Co-Founder Steps Back
Cowboy, the Brussels-based e-bike manufacturer, has reshuffled its leadership as it enters a new operational phase, with co-founder and CTO Tanguy Goretti stepping down from his executive role to become an advisor and board member. In place of a single CEO, the company appointed two General Managers, Kjell Fastré to oversee sales and after-sales, and Oliver Barleben to handle supply chain, manufacturing, finance, and engineering. This change follows Cowboy’s December 2025 restructuring with ReBirth Group, which brought fresh funding and restarted production after financial pressures.
TfL Targets Safer Cycling Future
In London, UK, Transport for London’s new five-year “London on the Move” strategy aims to transform the road network by cutting congestion and prioritising sustainable travel. The plan continues investment in walking and cycling infrastructure, backed by £87m in ring-fenced funding for safer streets and lower speeds, and could deliver up to 95 km of new cycle routes across the city. London’s strategic cycle network has quadrupled since 2016 to over 431 km, and nearly 30% of residents now live within 400m of it. All of this supports the mayor’s ambition for 80% of journeys to be made by walking, cycling, or public transport by 2030.
Rad Power Bikes Assets To Be Sold For $13.2M After Chapter 11 Filing
Rad Power Bikes is set to be sold after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with its assets going to Life Electric Vehicles Holdings for $13.2m following a January 22 auction. Once valued at around $1.65B, the e-bike maker entered bankruptcy in December 2025 amid falling sales and mounting financial pressure. A backup bid of roughly $13m from Xander Bicycle Corporation (Retrospec) remains in place if the primary deal collapses. The transaction still requires court approval, with a hearing scheduled for January 30, 2026, and closing expected by mid-February.
A 2025 empirical study examines how shared bikes and shared e-bikes interact with public transit in Ningbo, China, using geospatial trip classification to distinguish how these modes substitute, integrate, or complement bus and subway travel. The authors find that shared e-bikes tend to substitute public transit more frequently, especially in suburban areas, whereas shared bikes are more often used to complement transit services. These results highlight how different micromobility modes uniquely affect transit ridership and urban mobility dynamics.
Full paper: Relationship between shared micromobility and public transit: The differences between shared bikes and shared e-bikes.
Authors: Hui Kong, Hao Chao, Wenyan Fu, Diao Lin, Yongping Zhang (2025)A 2025 peer-reviewed article explores the practical integration of shared electric micromobility (e-scooters and e-bikes) with public transport from the perspective of operators, transport authorities, and city planners. Based on interviews with key stakeholders, the study develops a principles-based framework for multimodal integration, emphasising institutional partnerships, shared data ecosystems, and coordinated planning, offering actionable insights for scaling sustainable multimodal networks.
Full paper: Integrating Shared Electric Micromobility and Public Transport – A Practitioner’s Perspective.
Authors: Matthias Brüning, Philipp Scharfenberger, Philippe Stadler Benz (2025)A 2025 peer-reviewed study analyzes how shared and privately owned e-bikes and e-scooters are used across Iberian cities, focusing on differences in mobility patterns by vehicle type and ownership. Using travel survey data from Lisbon and Madrid, the authors find clear variations in trip purpose, frequency, and spatial distribution between shared and private micromobility users. The results suggest that shared and private micromobility play distinct but complementary roles in urban transport systems, with implications for infrastructure planning, regulation, and sustainable mobility policy.
Full paper: Mobility Patterns of Shared and Own E-Bikes and E-Scooters in Iberian Cities.
Authors: E.-C. Adorean, J. Nofre, L. García-Juan, F. Moura (2025)
VinFast Drives Vietnam’s E-Two Wheeler Boom
In Vietnam, electric two-wheelers are rapidly displacing petrol vehicles, led by VinFast, which delivered 406.4k e-scooters in 2025, a 473% jump YoY, helping it rank second in a 3.4m-unit market (+15% YoY). Petrol motorcycle sales slipped 1.5% to 2.62m, while rivals lagged, with Honda growing just 1.3% and Yamaha falling 17.3%. Policy shifts in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City drove sharper declines in late 2025 (Q3 -9.4%, Q4 -6.8%), with Hanoi set to restrict petrol bikes inside Ring Road 1 from July 2026 and Ho Chi Minh City planning central bans by 2028.
Mississauga Sees Scooter Injury Spike
In Mississauga, Canada, Trillium Health Partners reported 738 e-scooter-related emergency visits between 2023 and 2025 across Mississauga Hospitals, with cases rising from 148 in 2023 to 275 in 2024 and 315 in 2025, marking a 113% increase over two years. Injuries peaked in summer 2025, with 69 visits in June and 58 in July. Mississauga’s shared micromobility pilot, launched in June 2024, operates 300 e-bikes and 900 e-scooters and recorded 120.1k trips in 2025, up 7% YoY. The program is run with Bird, Canada and Lime.
Liverpool Tightens Rules on Shared E-Scooters
Bolt will take over Liverpool’s shared e-scooter scheme, introducing 2k e-scooters and 150 e-bikes while pledging stricter enforcement against misuse. The new system requires riders to confirm correct parking via an in-app photo, limits parking to designated bays, and allows Bolt to suspend repeat offenders. Liverpool officials say the measures aim to address safety and pavement clutter concerns while supporting greener travel and reducing car trips across the city.
Lime Slashes Sydney E-Bike Fees
In Australia, Lime has launched a new $4.99/month subscription in Sydney that removes unlock fees and drastically cuts ride costs, in some cases making rides up to five times cheaper than standard rates. The strategy aims to encourage repeat use and higher ridership ahead of Lime’s planned US initial public offering to boost its valuation. Meanwhile, users in other cities still pay $5.99/month with no reduced riding rates.
E-Bike Rebates Spark Safety Row in Queensland
In Queensland, Australia, an internal audit found that 21% of 3.2k subsidized e-bikes (693 units) and 141 of 1.5k e-scooters bought under a 2024 rebate scheme were illegal or potentially illegal, despite speed caps of 25 km/h and motor limits of 250W. The scheme offered $500 e-bike and $200 e-scooter rebates and exhausted its funding within a month, intensifying concerns about unsafe devices entering everyday cycling and micromobility networks.
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Phenomenal breakdown of Rad's fall from unicorn to pennies. That $1.65B to $13.2M drop really shows how fast consumer hardware can crater when the growth story breaks. My neigbor actually bought a RadRunner during the pandemic boom and it's been solid, which makes the bankruptcy even more suprising since the product itself wasn't the issue.