🤝 Tier + Voi Merger?
Plus, Fuell crowdfunds motorcycle, Envo revives Veemo trike, and Boston wants kids to bike again.
Ride Expo: $5 Tickets Ending
Did you know that, in addition to our world-class trade + press summit, Micromobility America, we have another, larger, consumer-facing event coming up this fall? It’s true.
Ride Expo lands in the SF Bay Area on Oct. 20th, and this week only, tickets are just $5.
That’s not a typo. For five bucks, you and your friends can come ride an absolutely massive collection of micromobility devices, including electric scooters, bikes, boards, and buggies, at our most event test track yet. Don’t miss this deal.
What You Need to Know Today
Is more consolidation coming to the world of shared micromobility? Rumor has it that two of Europe’s largest electric scooter and bike operators, Tier and Voi, are exploring the possibility of a merger. Relatedly, industry analyst Augustin Friedel offers a strong testimony that the shared market is still growing rapidly.
Speaking of shared micromobility’s recent success stories, Donkey Republic, a publicly listed European dockless bike and ebike operator, reports that it was EBITDA positive in Q2 2023.
Multiple bidders are currently vying to restart VanMoof, the highly-funded ebike pioneer that went bankrupt earlier this summer. Some interesting but unconfirmed contenders include Trek, Giant, and KKR.
In the wake of VanMoof’s fall, other ebike manufacturers are trending away from developing new technologies toward building tried-and-true designs with longer product cycles.
As part of her effort to make Boston one of the top U.S. cities for raising children, Mayor Michelle Wu is providing free bike lessons for children between the ages of four and thirteen, calling cycling as a “crucial life skill.”
New York City is on the verge of creating a real-time bike map, including information such as bike routes and disruptions, for micromobility users.
Fuell is gearing up for the long-awaited release of the Fllow electric motorcycle and anticipation is running high. A new crowdfunding campaign raised $3 million in just three days. Deliveries are expected to start in 2024.
Spiro, one of Africa’s largest electric motorbike producers, has signed a deal with the asset financing platform Bboxx to accelerate the delivery of EV motorcycles to customers whose livelihoods depend on access to inexpensive transport across East and West African markets.
Meanwhile Metro Africa Xpress is ramping up electric motorcycle production with a $31 million investment from the UK’s Manufacturing Africa program, with the goal of expanding beyond Nigeria.
Working with Metro Mobility, Segway has released the new ChargeLock Station, an innovative docking system designed to deal with common micromobility issues like battery life and security. The station’s cable acts as both a charger and a lock, killing two birds with one stone and making docking areas more convenient for both providers and users.
The National Capital Planning Commission is planning on revitalizing Washington D.C.’s Pennsylvania Avenue (home of the White House and U.S. Congress) by reducing the number of car lanes, providing space for parkland, markets, art exhibits, and live events.
Australian startup microFleet has developed a new platform called OneDock, a patented universal charging station. The company has received a $500k backing from iMOVE Corporate Research Center and plans to install 100,000 docking ports in Australia and 1 million globally by 2023.
Envo Drive Systems has acquired VeloMetro and plans to raise their flagship vehicle, the Veemo, from the dead. VeloMetro announced the semi-enclosed, three-wheeled, pedal-powered vehicle in 2016 but never filled any orders. Before the company filed for bankruptcy, all Veemo orders were canceled and refunded. Envo’s move gives the trike another shot at seeing the light of day.
The Scottish government has decided to invest £1 million to support the Cycle Share Fund. Partnered with Cycle UK, the program will fund a variety of pro-cycling initiatives, including loan schemes, subscription services, bike libraries, and bikeshares.
While we’re on the subject of Scotland, research suggests that Edinburgh’s recent speed limit reduction to 20mph has reduced road deaths in the city by a quarter and the number of serious injuries by a third.
If a business founded in 1860 can embrace the benefits of micromobility, why can’t yours? The oldest chimney sweep firm in London is now using electric cargo bikes to save money and reduce its carbon footprint.
At last Thursday’s hearing with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, micromobility trade leaders called for higher safety standards for lithium-ion batteries to prevent fires. Noticeably absent from the various panels were any representatives from D2C brands, online retailers, or user groups.
… and amid a spate of fires caused by black-market batteries, calls are growing in London for delivery apps like Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats to take responsibility and liability for couriers’ ebikes.
Relatedly, here is a helpful guide for people who live in multi-family apartment buildings about how to safely store electric scooters and bikes.
Jobs to Be Done
Browse the best jobs in micromobility—and post your own—on our Jobs to Be Done board.