Tiny Cars: Can they fit in with US urban mobility? | February 24, 2023
Tiny Cars: Can they fit in with US urban mobility? | February 24, 2023
Plus, Tier and Lazarillo launched a project, Uber Freight is debuting a zero-emission electric truck, Dance has raised €12 million, and Mercedes-Benz announced a partnership with Google.
Issue [#176] - Every week, we deliver analysis and curation of emerging mobility news - post a job listing here!
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Micromobility
Key workers can now enjoy discounts on e-scooter rides in the UK, all thanks to Superpedestrian! The Cambridge-based shared e-scooter operator is offering a discounted e-scooter pass of £30 to workers of key public services in the UK that, when subscribed to, offers 90 rides lasting up to 15 minutes for a month, helping them to commute and maintain their monthly expenditure / ZAGDaily
Tiny cars, or more specifically the LSVs, LEVs, NEVs, and LUVs, might be the latest thing in Europe for their affordability and sustainability, but they still have a long way to go to be that popular in the US. The reason lies behind the country’s road regulations, safety issues, and how cities are designed / FastCompany
Cities are experiencing a surge in traffic and carbon emissions as most of the miles traveled in an urban environment are done so with private vehicles, mainly cars, and it's time to replace this car-centric mobility approach by investing in more shared micromobility options to witness what a clean and sustainable future looks like! / McKinsey
In an effort to provide safer urban mobility to the visually impaired, Tier, a shared micromobility operator, teamed up with Lazarillo, an inclusivity app, to introduce a project where the safest route options will be planned out for the visually disabled. At the same time, routes will be rated with a safety score which will substantially “improve navigation throughout the city.” / ZAGDaily
Product Launches & Updates
The Mate SUV is here to change car-centric urban mobility for many families! This is the first e-cargo bike displayed by Mate, the Copenhagen-based e-bike startup, with an initial cost of about $6,900 at the time of shipment, but its remarkable features speak for its price! / The Verge
Lectric is now on the way to exploring the world of e-cargo bikes! The Phoenix-based e-bike company rolled out XPedition, its first e-cargo bike that offers features like the new PWR (Pedal Assist Wattage Regulation) program, a top speed of 28 mph, and a maximum payload capacity of 450 lbs, with its affordable price of $1399 being the most notable one / RideReview
Check out these two new family-friendly e-cargo bikes rolled out by Trek! Kids being the root for their designs, the new Trek Fetch Plus 2 and Trek Fetch Plus 4 boast a battery of 500Wh and 750Wh, respectively, with the former sporting Bosch’s BES3 smart system and the latter a Gates Carbon Drive belt-drive system as well! / Electrek
Despite running into some financial difficulties in January, Arcimoto, an electric vehicle manufacturer, is all prepared to roll out new three-wheeled EVs with a revamped steering functioning that promises refined handling and reduced steering effort, with the company planning on extending this upgrade to the older vehicles as well / TechCrunch
Ridehailing, Carsharing & Delivery
To incentivize the use of cargo bikes in the country, the Irish government has instigated a new Bike to Work limit of €3,000. Being subjected to the tax band a person belongs to, a discount of 49% and 29% is offered within this limit, specifically concerning cargo bikes and e-cargo bikes / Bleeper
Lyft is once again under allegation by its drivers for not giving the wait time fees charged from riders to them. Moreover, the drivers of the ride hailing company and its rival Uber are also speaking out against the upfront pay model that, according to them, is “a disguised pay cut,” but both companies are refuting the accusations / TechCrunch
Uber Freight, Uber’s commercial trucking sector, and WattEV, an electric trucking and charging infrastructure company, are joining forces to debut the company’s first zero-emission electric truck pilot to proceed with zero-emission freight transportation. This collaboration will surely take them one step closer to a sustainable future! / Electrek
Covid-19 has shifted not only our workplaces but also our commuting choices, and the cities are struggling to accommodate these changes. While some cities like New York City are back on track toward pre-pandemic levels of traffic, cities like Mexico City are still below the pre-pandemic thresholds, all the while seeing a surge in cycling / Bloomberg
Have you noticed something different with your Uber app? Well, the ride hailing operator has revamped its app with three new features! You can now enjoy features like a new home screen, customized options like “Saved Places” for faster access, and advanced time tracking if you own an iPhone, but make sure you’ve upgraded your Uber app to the latest version / CNET
Investment & Deals
A car subscription firm called Planet42 has raised $100 million in total in equity and debt financing to solve transportation inequalities. Planet42 was established in Estonia in 2017 and now has activities there and in Mexico / Bizcommunity
By the middle of the decade, more of Mercedes-Benz Group AG's vehicles will be equipped with laser sensors that improve assisted-driving capabilities thanks to an expansion of its supply agreement with Luminar Technologies Inc / Bloomberg
In 2022, Lime reported unadjusted profitability of $4 million and adjusted EBITDA profitability of $15 million. A one-time charge for stock-based compensation was accounted for, according to the business / TechCrunch
Autonomous airline for freight drones Dronamics discloses $40M in pre-Series A funding. Once considered to have the most promise, autonomous aircraft are now being used more for freight than for flashy people-carrying drones / TechCrunch
With its third product launch scheduled for later this year, Source.ag's quick turnaround on products will be rewarded with an eight-digit sum / Tech.eu
Frontier Development Capital has contributed $2 million in new capital to the London-based micromobility company Beryl. The money will be used to assist in the construction of a new plant in Poole, Dorset / Tech.eu
Dance, a 2020 micro-EV subscription startup, has raised an additional €12 million in a debt and equity round that was primarily headed by its current backers, HV Capital, Eurazeo, and BlueYard / TechCrunch
Recently, VivaCity in London commemorated a significant accomplishment. Due to its AI-powered road sensors, urban planners can see how traffic moves / Tech.eu
Cities & Policy
After one of Tesla Inc.'s vehicles collided with a fire engine in California, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States announced on Monday that it had requested more information from the company / Reuters
Oklahoma City, which has one of the worst rates of adult obesity in the US, embarked on a citywide diet in 2008 after then-mayor Mick Cornett issued a challenge to people to drop a million pounds collectively / Bloomberg
According to the firm, Tesla Motors has declared that the former HP site in Palo Alto will serve as the home of its worldwide engineering and AI headquarters / Palo Alto
If trains and buses had emotions, Chicago's transportation system would require months of counseling to recover from all the defamation during the 2023 election season. The mayor of the city wants to fix it / Wbez Chicago
Bird, a scooter company that operates 1,500 electric vehicles for rental in San Francisco, plans to leave the city due to fines and rules / San Francisco Chronicle
New Products, Features, and Data Points
Taking its place in vehicles, TikTok will debut on the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class in fall 2023. Mercedes-Benz is set to offer an updated version of its MBUX infotainment system for the E-Class, including a large touchscreen allowing drivers to use the TikTok app when they park the car. As part of the enhanced passenger experience, passengers will also have access to a portion of the screen directly in front of them / TechCrunch
Mercedes-Benz, a luxury automaker, announced a long-term strategic agreement with Google to develop its navigation system / Business Today
Are those big electric pickup trucks good for the environment? Most experts agree that electric vehicles are more environmentally friendly than gasoline-powered vehicles. However, all-electric cars do not save the same amount of emissions. As E.V.s become larger and heftier, their impact on the environment increases as well / NY Times
Inside Rimac's quest to create the world's fastest electric vehicle is a scheme to bend physics.It has required reframing the nation's outmoded notions of might and achievement and a readiness to take on impossible tasks, like acquiring Bugatti / The Verge
Toyota seeks to (finally) join the trend as consumer preference for electric vehicles with zero emissions soars. In order to participate in the lucrative market, Toyota plans to start making electric SUVs in the US in 2025 / Electrek
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