Welcome to the Micromobility Newsletter, your weekly digest of important events and industry news in the world of personal transportation.
What You Need to Know Today
Ante up, SUV drivers: Paris residents voted to triple parking rates for ICE vehiclesweighing more than 1.6 tonnes. Interestingly, the new rates will also apply to electric vehicles weighing over 2 tonnes, as this measure is about more than just climate change: making Paris a fully bike-able and walk-able city.
Cake struggled in 2023 with recalls for two of its signature models, and now the iconic e-motorcycle manufacturer has filed for bankruptcy after an investor pulled out of their current funding round. While details of the filing are unknown, CEO Stefan Ytterborn stated that the company is “[determined] to find a solution in one format or another.”
DYU, a prominent e-bike manufacturer in China, has raised CNY 100M ($14M USD) in a Series A funding round. Noted as the first e-bike company to enter Costco’s distribution channel, DYU has been operating internationally since 2017 and will use their new infusion to expand operations and optimize their supply chain.
Battery swapping titan Gogoro continues its rapid global expansion, partnering with Latin American energy company Copec to establish a swap station network in Chile and Columbia.
Battery swapping also continues to grow in Africa with Kofa announcing Kore 2, the second generation of its Swap & Go network. The new system uses Edge AI and proprietary IOT technology, allowing for fully autonomous battery swapping even in areas with no internet connectivity.
The escalating cost and delayed ROI of urban rail systems has more and more cities looking for alternate ways to provide climate-friendly mobility, such as investing in micromobility services and infrastructure. From the article:
Optimizing regulations and creating adequate lanes for micromobility vehicles require effort and money, but the cost is a small fraction of that needed to extend urban rail systems. And micromobility promises immediate greenhouse gas emission reductions, rather than the deferred benefits provided by rail extensions. Especially in places … where subway ridership is expected to be limited, encouraging micromobility is a far more cost-effective option.
Accel Group, owner of popular e-bike brands such as Raleigh, LaPierre, and Ghost, is making reductions to its European workforce. The company is expecting to cut up to 150 jobs as it merges some facilities and relocates others.
Drivemycar, a Swiss car-sharing company, is adding electric microcars to its fleet. These adorable Microlino vehicles bridge the cap between two-wheelers and cars, with a significantly smaller carbon footprint than full-size vehicles.
London-based logistics company Fin has closed a deal to acquire bankrupt delivery company Urb-it. Fin specializes in zero-emission delivery with a fleet of electric vans and cargo bikes, and will be able to significantly expand operations with its new access to Urb-it’s technology and customer base.
Hero Motorcorp, a market leader for ICE motorcycles in India, is shifting more focus to electric two-wheelers with a new partnership with Zero Motorcycles. Hero will gain access to advanced electrification tech from the American e-moto specialist, and plans to launch four new electric models in the near future.
Cargo e-bikes aren’t just reducing trips by car, they’re also having a notable impact on car ownership. These findings are from a recent study published in Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, which found that enabling access to cargo bikes led to an 18.1% reduction in car ownership, along with other positive benefits.
