The tale of microcars in the multimodal city of Amsterdam | June 02, 2023

Also, Arcimoto is rolling out a Modular Utility Vehicle, Zoomo is adding e-cargo bikes to its fleet, and Ford and Uber are collaborating to offer affordable Mustang Mach-E leases to drivers.

Issue [#191] - Every week, we deliver analysis and curation of emerging mobility news - post a job listing here!

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Micromobility

It has been three years since Zeus offered its services to Regensburg, Germany, and now the Irish micromobility operator is ready to give something more. The micromobility provider has introduced a pilot project to provide solar-powered wireless charging for its e-scooters. This project also reflects the riders' inclination to ride e-scooters due to their sustainability and availability. What's more, the roads of Regensburg will also witness Zeus debuting Z2, its latest e-scooter, which claims to offer a 'superior riding experience.' / Tech.eu

Microcars are small, slow, and usually cheaper than full-sized automobiles. European cities like Amsterdam welcomed these miniature autos, like Cantas, due to their feasibility for the elderly or those with disabilities, but the entry of Biro, an Italian microcar, swayed the regulatory balance in the urban mobility sector. While minicars serve their purpose of being sustainable, reliable, and affordable, the story of Amsterdam’s microcars is an eye-opener for local officials to plan ahead of time where microcars should lie in the urban mobility scene and avoid any regulatory gaps in the future / Bloomberg

Cowboy is being sued by eBikeLabs, a French firm working on embedded software for electric bikes, for patent infringement, as well as for replicating eBikeLabs' technology in its latest software update feature, AdaptivePower. Yet the Belgian electric bike manufacturer has denied all the charges and even claimed that eBikeLabs is conducting a smear campaign against them. While both firms will most definitely be interested in settling the issue promptly, the failed collaboration exemplifies their perilous route ahead in the mobility arena / TechCrunch

Early female bikers contributed to the notion of the "New Woman,” who felt self-reliant and independent riding away on their bikes. However, males outnumber women bikers in today's American cities, and the reason may primarily be safety and societal norms. While protected bike infrastructure is a central part of solving this puzzle, we may need to educate our women through campaigns, encourage them to choose these two wheels for their daily tasks, and still be confident about their appearance / CityLab

Roberto Cerero, Hoppy's General Manager for Spain, sat down with Zag Daily to share his views on the aspects they take into account while selecting a market for expansion, the effects of unsustainable pricing some operators are offering, and the precautions the company takes to avoid being fined or vehicle confiscation. He also claimed to focus on prioritizing sustainability and reliability over all others in the upcoming years / ZAGDaily

Product Launches & Updates

After making a name for itself for its unique three-wheeled FUVs (Fun Utility Vehicles), Arcimoto has set its sight on offering a more practical version for various industries and businesses. Labeled as the new Arcimoto MUV (Modular Utility Vehicle), this latest utility vehicle boasts a payload capacity of 500 pounds, a range of up to 102 miles, and a top speed of 75 mph, with many exciting structural configurations to support sustainable and reliable goods transportation / Electrek

Faraday Future has finally released its long-awaited FF 91 electric vehicles, including a special edition called the Futurist Alliance, a model that costs $309,000. Yet just 300 Futurist Alliance EVs will be produced, each with a unique wheel design and presented in exclusive colors. In addition, the first 91 purchasers will receive a high-speed internet satellite communications package with their purchase as well! / Engadget

Ducati’s DesertX has become the talk of the town in the rally racing arena and is reckoned as the brand’s most proficient adventure bike to date. Adding to the party is Mivv’s latest slip-on exhaust system, the Dakar, which claims to enhance the power and torque and upgrades the sound and aesthetics of an already remarkable bike! And the exhaust system being homologated according to ECE standards serves as a cherry on top! / RideApart

Porsche eBike Cross Performance and eBike Cross Performance EXC are Porsche’s latest high-end electric bicycles, boasting thrilling features like Fox Factory suspension, the new Shimano EP-801 mid-drive motor, a 630 Wh battery, the MT7 brake system from Magura, etc. But they are not unique for just their innovative features. With price tags of US $14,250 and US $15,350, these might be Porsche’s most expensive e-bikes yet! / Electrek

Ridehailing, Carsharing & Delivery

Zoomo is getting ready to expand by adding e-cargo bikes to its line of services! Partnering up with Urban Arrow, an e-cargo bike manufacturer, the Australian last-mile subscription service provider is primarily focusing on the last-mile parcel delivery sector. By electrifying this sector, Zoomo intends to offer more sustainable mobility options for last-mile deliveries / ZAGDaily

Two Uber drivers, Pablo Gomez, and Sergio Avedian, discovered that Proposition 22 grants drivers a small reimbursement for vehicle expenses. Starting in 2021, gig app companies were to pay drivers 30 cents per mile driven on the job. However, Proposition 22 also stipulates that every year, that rate will be raised to keep pace with inflation. Gomez and Avedian discovered that no such increase ever took effect / LA Times

Waymo has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with Uber. This partnership will integrate Waymo's autonomous vehicle technology into Uber's platform. The initial phase of this collaboration will begin later this year in the Metro Phoenix area, where a specific number of Waymo vehicles will be available for ride-hailing and delivery services through both the Uber and Uber Eats apps / TechCrunch

Ford and Uber are collaborating to provide flexible, no-commitment Mustang Mach-E leases for rideshare drivers. The groundbreaking pact aims to promote EVs while reducing pollution in cities. Known as Ford Drive, the lease program would be an ideal deal for drivers, riders, and communities with lower budgets and emissions alike, claimed Christopher Hook, Uber’s head of sustainability / Electrek

Investment & Deals

With up to £50 million in support, Weev will deploy thousands of EV charging stations in Northern Ireland / Tech.eu

India's Ola Electric plans to list on the public market by the end of 2023, and it has selected domestic bank Kotak and investment bank Goldman Sachs to oversee the share sale / Reuters

Applied Intuition, a provider of simulation and software for the development of autonomous vehicles, is buying Embark Trucks, the autonomous trucking business that recently eliminated 70% of its workers. / TechCrunch

Swedish marine propulsion startup ZParq has successfully completed a seed round led by cleantech investors, totaling 2.5 million euros ($2.68M). The seed round was co-led by Santander (via the Santander InnoEnergy Climate Fund) and Almi Invest GreenTech. With the fresh funding, ZParq looks to bring its compact electric marine motors to market to help decarbonize the segment / Electrek

In 2021, Tesla sold 100,000 units of its Model 3 sedans to rental car company Hertz for around $4.2 billion. This move increased Tesla’s value to over $1 trillion and has been beneficial for both companies. Hertz has since expanded its EV offerings to include other models such as the Tesla Model Y, Chevy Bolt, Kia EV6, and Polestar 2 / InsideEVs

European startup Loewi raises €1 million to compete in the market for refurbished electric bikes. By raising money, Loewi will be able to expand its capacity for refurbishing, reaching 300 reconditioned motorcycles per month by 2023 / Tech.eu

Cities & Policy

Eight states have received funds totaling more than 52 million USD through the Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation (ATTAIN) initiative of the US Department of Transportation / Future Transport

A report from ICF Climate Center states that converting the entire US federal fleet to electric vehicles would save $6 billion over 15 years. The fleet consists of over 650,000 vehicles globally and travels more than 4 billion miles annually. Currently, only about 4,300 vehicles in the fleet are battery-electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles – less than 1%. / Electrek

Berlin's attempts to reduce driving stopped by German car culture. While the nation's capital has made strides in constructing bike lanes and limiting traffic, changes in national politics demonstrate that automobiles continue to dominate / Bloomberg

Minnesota has passed budgets to invest in fighting climate change. One way people can benefit is through rebates on e-bikes. Minnesota will offer rebates of up to 75% of the cost of e-bikes, with a maximum of $1500. Higher-income families will receive smaller rebates of up to $1000 or half the cost / Fox9

On May 11, Governor Jared Polis (D-CO) approved House Bill 23-1272. According to information on page 8, beginning on July 1, 2023, all Colorado residents who buy or lease an electric vehicle (EV) with an MSRP of up to $80,000 are eligible for a $5,000 EV tax credit / Electrek

New Products, Features, and Data Points

During a Twitter Spaces conversation with Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, on Thursday, Elon Musk stated that Tesla would make part of its automobile operating system code available to other manufacturers / TechCrunch

The in-car environment is being improved by NVIDIA with AI, streaming, and cutting-edge safety measures / Electrek

A Spanish start-up called Niche Mobility has announced the creation of "the first motor system for electric bicycles with regenerative brakes and a virtual gearbox," that will be readily accessible to e-bike manufacturers starting in 2019 / New Atlas

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