Volkswagen’s €20,000 EV Set to Shake Up the Affordable EV Market | February 7th, 2025
VinFast launched four new EVs for Vietnam’s fleet market, including the tiny Minio Green and Lyft is rolling out the Claude AI chatbot for driver support, cutting resolution times by 87%.
Issue [#275] - Every week, we deliver analysis and curation of emerging mobility news - post a job listing here!
Micromobility
Trump’s new tariffs—25% on Canada and Mexico, 10% on China—hit February 4, 2025, stoking inflation and a weaker dollar. Over 90% of US e-bikes rely on Chinese parts, forcing retailers to absorb costs or raise prices. Brands scramble to shift production to Taiwan, Vietnam, or seek exemptions, complicating affordability. | Electrek
VinFast quietly launched four "Green" EVs for Vietnam’s fleet market, including two rebadged models and two new ones. The Minio Green, a tiny 26-hp city car below the VF3, offers 111 miles of range and 12 kW DC fast charging. Competing with Wuling’s Mini EV, it targets motorbike-replacing taxi services. Three more models—the Herio Green (VF 5-based), Nerio Green (e34-based), and seven-seat Limo Green—arrive in January. Vietnam’s transport shift accelerates, and while VinFast’s EVs remain unpolished, persistence may refine its lineup. The Minio Green, unlikely to leave Vietnam, could still inform future models like the troubled VF8 | InsideEVs
A whirlwind tour of seven factories reveals big shifts. Bafang now makes batteries and transmissions. NIU’s factory hums with electric two-wheelers. EUNORAU’s BKRE rescues orphaned e-bikes. Yadea’s 4,000-dealer event showcased sodium-ion batteries. Dahon expands folding e-bikes. Zhenmin handcrafts electric golf carts. Heybike’s Alpha mid-drive is a torque monster | Electrek
Zedify, the UK’s first zero-emission cargo bike delivery firm, entered administration after failing to raise funds, closing seven hubs and cutting 105 jobs. Interpath seeks buyers for its fleet, IP, and brand. Cambridge, Edinburgh, and Bristol hubs persist. Pedal Me hires ex-staff. Leaders lament sustainability’s price amid gig-economy pressures | ZAGDaily
Product Launches & Updates
Monte Carlo-based HPS Design, co-founded by ex-international cyclist Harry Gibbings, offers its sub-2kg, F1-inspired WattAssist e-bike system to European manufacturers and U.S. partners. Co-designed by ex-Jordan F1 engineer Gary Anderson, it integrates seamlessly, preserving race-bike geometry. Used by Lotus, FiftyOne, and F1 elites Button, Coulthard, Toto, and Susie Wolff, it features 85wH (720g) and 193wH (three-hour) batteries, a removable water-bottle-shaped unit, and on-demand propulsion. Gibbings, inspired by struggling to keep pace with younger cyclists, likens WattAssist to gears revolutionizing cycling’s accessibility. Most equipped bikes weigh 8-9kg, maintaining stability and handling while discreetly enhancing performance for aging or health-limited riders | ZAGDaily
Ferrari’s first EV debuts October 9, 2025—a high-priced SUV-like model with advanced motors and artificial exhaust sounds. Built in Maranello’s e-building, it joins six new models. Ferrari eyes a $7,500 battery warranty subscription | Green Car Reports
Polestar’s rally-ready Polestar 3, 4, and resurrected 2 Arctic Circle get OZ Racing Rally Legend wheels, Pirelli Scorpion tires, adjustable dampers, mud flaps, gold tow hooks, Recaro seats, LED spotlights, and strut braces, plus yellow paint evoking Mustang Mach-E Rally. Unveiled **February 1st at Austria’s FAT Ice Race, alongside Audi’s Q6 E-tron Off-road | The Verge
Volkswagen will unveil a €20,000 ($20,800) EV next month, likely the ID.One, reviving its ID.1 plans from 2021’s ID. Life concept. Launching in 2027 alongside the €25,000 ($26,000) ID. 2all, both use a new modular battery platform. VW, cutting billions in costs, recently struck a deal to shed 35,000 jobs post-German labor strike | The Verge
Ridehailing, Carsharing & Delivery
Cycling Industries Europe and EIT Urban Mobility seek proposals (due Feb. 24, 2025) for a study on bike-sharing’s ROI, covering jobs, carbon credits, health, infrastructure, productivity, and policy impact across Europe | ZAGDaily
Lyft partnered with Anthropic, backed by Amazon and Google, to deploy the Claude AI chatbot for driver support, cutting resolution times by 87%. Drivers, long frustrated by impersonal service, may resist further AI expansion. AI handles routine queries, escalating complex cases to humans. Lyft also uses generative AI for coding—1 in 4 lines | The Verge
London’s black cabbies, trained via the *Knowledge* test, navigate 26,000 streets strategically, outperforming AI’s brute-force routing. A *PNAS* study links their efficiency to hippocampal growth and Alzheimer’s resistance. Meanwhile, private hire vehicles surge as energy-hungry GPS apps dominate | Bloomberg
Cruise, now fully absorbed by GM, is laying off nearly 50% of its 2,100 employees, including CEO Marc Whitten and key executives, after regulators suspended operations over a botched accident disclosure. GM, abandoning robotaxis to save $1 billion annually, offers severance, benefits, and job support while shifting focus to personal autonomous vehicles | TechCrunch
Uber is preparing for Waymo’s Austin robotaxi launch, where Waymo’s fully driverless vehicles will operate exclusively via Uber’s app within a 37-square-mile geofenced area. Waymo One won’t be available. Uber is collecting rider interest. Pricing matches UberX. Uber handles depot operations via contractors; Waymo manages roadside assistance and customer service | The Verge
Investment & Deals
Ford’s EV unit lost $5.1B in 2024, with up to $5.5B expected in 2025. Gas cars kept profits, but Trump tariffs, Biden EV credit cuts, and price drops threaten earnings. Ford pivots to cheaper EVs, hybrids, and flexible platforms | The Verge
Nissan may abandon its $60 billion merger with Honda over control disputes, particularly Honda’s push to make Nissan a subsidiary. Honda, worth $51.90 billion to Nissan’s $1.44 billion, fears Nissan’s weak turnaround. Renault, owning 36%, remains open. Nissan’s shares fell 4%, Honda’s rose 8%. Decision delayed to mid-February | Reuters
Italian startup SWITCH raised €946,000 to scale AI-driven fleet management. Backed by Magic Spectrum, EIT Urban Mobility, and Berkeley Skydeck Europe Milano, its AI tools optimize fleet deployment, cut congestion, and boost resilience, analyzing five million trips to enhance efficiency and sustainability | ZAGDaily
Ford CEO Jim Farley slams Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, calling them arbitrary while Hyundai-Kia and Toyota import tariff-free. Ford, facing a $5 billion EV loss and Cybertruck competition, pivots to hybrids. Farley warns tariffs will erase billions in profits, kill U.S. auto jobs, and raise prices | TechCrunch
Cities & Policy
Demetrius Crichlow, NYC Transit’s first Black president, tackles fare evasion, financial shortfalls, and safety concerns while overseeing MTA’s $51.4 billion 2025-2029 plan. He backs congestion pricing, subway expansion, and modernized infrastructure. Engaging frontline workers, he supports Janno Lieber’s budget strategy and Jessica Tisch’s overnight train patrols amid declining ridership and security fears | Bloomberg
For decades, U.S. transit agencies ignored restroom access, but LA Metro’s smart bathrooms, used 100,000 times in a year, cut public defecation by 50% and improved cleanliness. Riders with IBS, parents, and elderly commuters benefit. Caltrain and AC Transit follow suit. Poor facilities drive workforce turnover; tech-enabled solutions boost retention and hygiene | StreetsBlog USA
Trump’s FHWA halted all new EV infrastructure obligations under Biden’s $5 billion NEVI program, suspending state plans already approved through 2025. States can’t commit funds but won’t be penalized for inaction. Previously obligated money remains untouched, and reimbursements continue until FHWA issues updated guidance requiring resubmission of all state plans | Electrek
Ann Arbor partnered with Velo AI to equip bike commuters with "CoPilot" cameras, using AI to quantify near-misses, passing distances, and vehicle types, generating "stress scores" for city planning. Critics fear tech may replace infrastructure. Velo expanded to Pittsburgh’s POGOH bike-share. Officials use data to push national bike safety reforms | StreetsBlog USA
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