The Turbo Levo SL is Specialized’s lightest, most nimble eMTB | May 05, 2023

This week, Razor launched a moped-style e-bike for adults, Specialized rolled out its latest e-bike the Turbo Levo SL, Uber is partnering up with Stripe, and HumanForest raised £12 million.

Issue [#186] - Every week, we deliver analysis and curation of emerging mobility news - post a job listing here!

Micromobility

This year’s Met Gala’s red carpet saw an unusual scene where renowned musician David Byrne arrived on his bicycle wearing a sleek white tuxedo. It may be uncommon for many, but certainly not for David because his love for bikes is well-known among his peers. He bikes around New York almost every day, and his love of biking is what made him choose this environmentally friendly mode of mobility for fashion’s biggest night / Uproxx

While electric cars do represent a considerable solution to the problem of increasing carbon emissions, they might not do the same to reduce congestion. A more appropriate strategy would be switching the car to an e-bike instead. Australian governments are bumping up their EV rebates but their incentives to ride e-bikes are less motivating than that of the US, UK, or France, even though they could be more rewarding in terms of sustainability and affordability / WA Today

Over the past 12 years, Santa Monica built its network of painted bike lanes; now, concrete barriers are being built on many of the existing lanes. Thousands of new cyclists will be converted from the new flats that will open here once everything is finished, which should be approximately 2026–2030 / LEJ via YouTube

Product Launches & Updates

Razor’s latest electric two-wheeler, designed for adults, is a thrilling addition to the Razor Rambler line. The Razor Rambler 20, a moped-style e-bike, comes with 20″ fat tires, retro-inspired mint, and chocolate-colored frame, a 500W rear hub motor, and a 20 mph top speed which provides not only a fun ride for its riders but also fulfills “Razor’s desire to get the whole family moving and playing together.” / Electrek

Tesla might lead the EV price war as the No. 1 EV seller, but Ford is right on its tail. The automobile manufacturer has decided to reopen orders for its all-electric Mustang Mach-E amid the fluctuating EV prices, but that’s not all. The EV will be sold with a boosted EPA-estimated range of 250 miles for RWD models and 226 miles for dual-motor AWD versions with lower prices across the lineup / The Verge

The Specialized Turbo Levo SL is a feat of engineering genius. It's a lightweight eMTB that tips the scales at a mere 4kg less than the standard Turbo Levo. By shrinking the battery capacity to 320Wh and using a smaller motor that weighs just 1.9kg, Specialized has created a bike that defies gravity. With 150mm of travel in the front and rear suspension, the Levo SL is based on the Specialized Stumpjumper EVO. To give it that extra edge, it rolls on a mullet setup with a 29-inch front wheel and a 27.5-inch rear wheel, making it a true trailblazer / Electric Bike Report

Alfa Romeo plans to introduce a large electric SUV in the US to rival the Tesla Model X. The SUV will be designed with US customers in mind and is set to launch in 2027. The US is expected to be the primary market for the SUV, accounting for 70% of sales / InsideEVs

Ridehailing, Carsharing & Delivery

The series of fires linked to e-bike batteries has prompted various companies to improve the fire safety of their vehicles. Grubhub, an online food ordering company, and JOCO, an e-bike rental company, are collaborating to offer monthly e-bike credits for 1,000 e-bikes to at least 500 New York City delivery workers. The credits given through the pilot program will provide delivery workers with free access to e-bikes and more than 55 JOCO hubs / Smart Cities Dive

Police and firefighters are sometimes frustrated by how some Waymo and Cruise autonomous cars respond to their calls. The delay in the robocars’ response might be because of a “paradox of safety” where companies strongly emphasize safety and do not make a move urgently, or it might be because of a lack of human communication. Whichever the case, regulatory teams should work on improving on-site communication between vehicles and first responders while accelerating response times to prevent such cases in the future / Forbes

After securing recent enterprise deals with Amazon, Microsoft, and BMW, Stripe is now partnering up with Uber. Available in eight of Uber’s biggest markets, this “strategic payments partnership” entails selective services like integrating Stripe Financial Connections and Link by using which users will be able to pay for services like Uber Rides and Eats straight from their bank accounts. For Stripe, which also extends its services to Uber’s rival Lyft, this collaboration might bring further partnership opportunities with the ridehailing giant / TechCrunch

Wes Edens, a multibillionaire co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and private equity investor, believes he can build a second railway far from Florida with electric bullet trains traveling between Las Vegas and LA at up to 186 mph. With the entire project being electrified and using renewable energy, Edens claims it focuses on climate change, helps address inequities, and is economically viable /  Forbes

Investment & Deals

With a more than €10 million transaction, Indian e-mobility companies are placing their trust in German engineering as Motovolt and eROCKIT ride together / Tech.eu

Elmo has secured up to 2.6 million euros from an international growth capital fund, making it the first firm in the world to offer remotely operated electric automobiles in a carsharing program / Elmo

Joby Aviation has landed a $180 million equity investment from returning backer Baillie Gifford. The funds will be used to accelerate Joby’s early production and capitalize on near-term revenue opportunities, including a recent $55 million contract from the U.S. Department /  TechCrunch

London-based eBike operator HumanForest raised £12 million in a Series A funding round. The funds include a £5 million project finance facility from Triodos Bank UK and will be used to double the size of its London eBike fleet and invest in technology / HumanForest

Cities & Policy

In 2022, California invested close to $1.3 billion in around 19,500 projects using money raised from the state’s cap-and-trade auction. The initiative, known as California Climate Investments, aims to reduce emissions that warm the planet and tackle other issues such as the availability of affordable housing and transportation. Since its inception in 2014, almost 75% of the funds have been allocated to projects that benefit low-income or disadvantaged communities / Smart Cities Dive

California introduced a bill requiring all EVs to have bidirectional charging from 2027. The bill covers light-duty motor vehicles and school buses. A stakeholder workgroup will examine the challenges and opportunities associated with using EVs as mobile batteries to power homes. The proposal aims to leverage the anticipated eight million EVs on California roads by 2030 to support the largely renewable grid / The Driven

Washington State has passed a transportation budget of $13.4 billion for the next two years. This budget is the first to include funds from the state’s cap-and-invest program established by the Climate Commitment Act in 2021. The money will be used for projects such as hybrid electric ferries and EV and hydrogen fueling stations, as well as supporting public transit / Governing

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