France is banning electric scooters from riding on the pavement; U.S. oil rig count has fell since the end of 2018; self-driving vehicle companies are pushing towards favorable government regulations for commercial deployment.
Wheels, a relatively new entrant to the electric scooter-sharing ecosystem has raised an investment of $37 million, which further reinforces the explosive interest shown by investors towards this segment.
Off late, electric scooter company Lime has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Batteries burning up, bike vandalism, fragile bikes breaking down, and the latest – abrupt braking issues.
Since the launch of Ford Smart Mobility, Ford has been intent on gaining ground in alternate mobility with e-biking being an important segment. Apart from acquiring Spin, the company has also bought GoBike and has launched an e-bike service ‘Jelly’, across the Purdue University campus.
China has toyed with the concept of bike-sharing but met with disastrous results due to an unsustainable business model and excessive dumping of bikes on the streets. The U.S. bike-sharing startups could take a leaf out of their book and improvise accordingly.
