The Activesphere: Versatility at its best | February 03, 2023

This week, Washington, DC partnered up with Ride Report, Audi rolled out the Activesphere, Finalrentals secured a six-figure investment, and Arrival shed 50% of its staff.

Issue [#173] - Every week, we deliver analysis and curation of emerging mobility news - post a job listing here!

As the restaurant industry gears up for what is sure to be a busy year, experts from all corners of the culinary world will gather in this online discussion hosted by Restaurant Dive's Julie Littman. Three prominent players - CookUnity Co-Founder & CEO Mateo Marietti, chef John DeLucie (Empire Diner), and EaterClub Founder & CEO Perrin Davidson – come together to explore new avenues for food delivery that promise affordability and sustainability without compromising on quality. Join them as they investigate how these options can shape our cities! - Sign up HERE

Micromobility

To promote shared micromobility, Washington DC partnered up with Ride Report, a micromobility management platform, to roll out an online dashboard for the public that offers real-time information about e-scooters and e-bikes in the district, in addition to authorizing VeoRide’s shared micromobility fleet to operate in the city as well / Smart Cities Dive

According to Moto-Station’s sales data for 2022, scooters were the most popular two-wheeler commuters in Spain, occupying the top ten positions in the best-selling two-wheelers list. This certainly says a lot about the rider-friendliness of the scooters and their rising popularity among the general public / RideApart

While some cities' transportation authorities are incentivizing the purchase of Zero-emission vehicles (ZEV), Washington DC’s e-bike-only subsidy brought forth a more economical solution. With 30,000 rebates worth $400 or $1200 determined by household income, it might be the best approach toward a sustainable future / Greater Greater Washington

Two years ago, Molly Steinsapir, 12, was involved in a horrible e-bike crash. Sadly, she did not survive. Her life and death are told here in a piece that raises important questions about e-bike safety and regulation / Bicycling

One of the reasons behind our feeling of isolation is how we have planned and built our cities. While an improvement in the built environment promotes social interactions and reduces loneliness, every person has a different response toward the change in their surroundings / StreetsBlogUSA

Product Launches & Updates

Tesla has started the price reduction trend, and Ford is also joining the bandwagon! The American automobile company is now offering about 1% to 8.8% discount on its all-electric Mustang Mach-E vehicles, with the existing customers who already ordered their vehicle enjoying a rebate as well! / TechCrunch

Meet the Activesphere, the fourth Sphere concept car rolled out by Audi! Boasting an AR interface, the PPE drive platform, retractable steering wheels, 22-inch wheels, and a rear hatch that can be modified into an open-air cargo bed, this electric luxury coupe is perfect for an off-roading adventure / The Verge

NIU is bringing two-wheel fun to the kids now! Aiming to redefine urban mobility, the electric two-wheeler manufacturer has rolled out the kids’ version of its popular NQi e-scooter with a top speed of 5 km/h, a small 12V 4.5Ah lead acid battery, and a pair of removable stabilizer wheels to make it safe and fun at the same time / Electrek

Here's TechCrunch's take on the Superstrata electric bike, which has been called a rebel without a cause / TechCrunch

Ridehailing, Carsharing & Delivery

New York City expects Uber and Lyft to become all-electric ridehailing fleets by 2030, and the mobility-as-a-service providers concur with the said authority’s decision. Likely to influence about 100,000 for-hire vehicles, it might not be an easy rule to implement / The Verge

The ride-hailing company Lyft is introducing a dockable e-scooter of the "next generation" and new docking stations. Beginning in Washington, D.C., Lyft will gradually roll out the new scooters and, presumably, new docking stations in all the locations where it runs a network of scooter-share programs. The business intends to launch 1,000 new e-scooters in the middle of February to coexist with older models until they reach the end of their useful lives before launching another 1,000 in the middle of 2023 / Yahoo! News

Waymo and Cruise’s robotaxis might be facing criticism from San Francisco’s transportation authorities and some of the area’s residents due to their traffic obstruction and hard braking cases, but a rise in the number of their rides in the past few months shows their strong will to roll along despite these hurdles / The Verge

Hotai Motor has compromised the personal data of its iRent customers, as reported by security researcher Anurag Sen who found the data on a Hotai-owned cloud server. The unintentionally exposed data also contained partial credit card numbers and identification documents of customers / TechCrunch

Aiming for a transparent service for users, Uber Eats introduced a new View as Delivery Person feature. Through this feature, the online food delivery platform's customers can now know how much of their data is available to the courier before, during, and after the delivery! / The Paypers

Investment & Deals

Wales-based Finalrentals recently secured a six-figure investment from four business angels, London VC Fuel Ventures, and the Development Bank of Wales, which was matched by the Welsh national angel co-investment fund / Tech.eu

Before giving up some of its gains, Nissan stock rose as much as 3.1% in early trading. Outperforming a little downbeat Nikkei 225 market average, they ended the session up 2.1% / Reuters

Peer-to-peer car-sharing firm Getaround has been delisted from the New York Stock Exchange as a result of abnormally low activity. On January 30, 2023, Getaround received notification from the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") that the company's stock price had consistently averaged less than $1.00 over a period of 30 trading days, in accordance with the NYSE's ongoing listing requirements / BusinessWire

Ford Motor Co. reported $2 billion in losses in the fourth quarter and last year, a decrease from expectations. Jim Farley, Ford's CEO, told analysts on the call and in his earnings report that many of its missed goals were under the company's control. “We should have done much better last year,” said Farley in a statement. “We left about $2 billion in profits on the table that were within our control, and we’re going to correct that with improved execution and performance.” / Yahoo! Finance

Giant Group has invested $20 million in Stages Cycling, acquiring 32.5% of the company's common stock, according to a filing with the Taiwan stock exchange / Bicycle Retailer

Messer, a German gas producer, is negotiating a purchase of CVC JV with state funds. It is a partnership with CVC funding / Reuters

Cities & Policy

Among the many outreach programs Bike New York provides to get people on bikes, some are particularly innovative. A new program sponsored by Kryptonite was announced this week / Bicycling

A week ago, a council member from New York City asked for the treatment of e-bikes and e-scooters as motor vehicles and proposed legislation to outlaw them until they can be made safer / Bicycle Retailer

New Products, Features, and Data Points

In an effort to lower operational expenses and preserve cash, Arrival is undergoing another restructuring under the direction of a newly recruited CEO that will result in a 50% reduction in staff. Arrival is a commercial EV firm with headquarters in the UK / TechCrunch

Electric vehicles will take center stage at this week's Washington DC Car Show, with the show website offering a search for cars that qualify for the new EV tax credit. From GM to Ford and beyond, McKinsey expects to see about 400 EV models available by 2035 due to federal incentives passed by the Biden administration in 2022 / Forbes

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