California-based mobility startup Lime has announced it will add electric mopeds to its growing platform of e-bikes and e-scooters.
The Lime e-moped – manufactured by the shared moped manufacturer, Niu – is the first vehicle to allow for two riders at a time.
Lime to soon add electric mopeds to its platform
The company claims that its mopeds are safe, affordable and sustainable light electric vehicles. It aims to introduce mopeds only in a handful of cities early this spring, with Paris and Washington DC being the first cities to pilot the service in the coming months.
3 shared EVs on single platform
With the addition of mopeds, the company says that it is the first and only micro-mobility provider to offer three shared electric vehicles on one platform. “The Lime moped will serve as the perfect complement to Lime’s e-bikes and e-scooters, ideal for longer-distance trips between two-to-five miles.”
Speaking on the development, Wayne Ting, CEO of Lime believes, “The addition of electric mopeds to our fleet of e-bikes and e-scooters is another major step in our goal of ensuring access to affordable, carbon-free shared transportation in cities around the world. We are a committed partner to over sixty cities in Europe, and we continue to invest heavily in sustainable and safe product solutions municipalities, and riders need. This is why we choose Paris as one of two cities in the world to pilot our e-moped service allowing riders to make longer trips than ever before using the Lime app, in a safe and clean way.”
How can users get their hands on the mopeds?
To access Lime mopeds, riders must have a valid driver’s license and take a photo of themselves to ensure it matches the photo in the license. However, these are not the only thing you need to do to get access to Lime’s mopeds. Lime says it has invested heavily in safety after seeing other providers face difficulties in this area.
And hence, before beginning a ride, riders must take a photo of themselves wearing a helmet, which must then be worn all times throughout a ride. If this rule is not adhered to, the company will take strict enforcement measures for repeat safety violators, including removal from the platform to avoid putting themselves and other road users at risk.
As the e-moped is the first vehicle to allow for two riders at a time, it will provide two high-visibility helmets in the carrying case of every moped, with varying sizes to meet the needs of riders and to provide for one passenger.
Reportedly, the mopeds will have a top speed of 28 miles an hour and be able to travel up to 87 miles on a single charge.
In the US, the helmets are manufactured by Moon, and in Europe, they are manufactured by Nikko, keeping in mind the local regulations.
Exclusive integration with Uber, Google Maps, and CityMapper
The company’s multimodal offering is boosted by Lime’s exclusive integration with the three popular urban transportation apps globally – Uber, Google Maps, and CityMapper. Lime believes that the integration will allow the company to reach hundreds of millions of people who might otherwise not use micro-mobility to complete their trip.
By serving more trip types, vehicle preferences and distances, all with sustainable light electric vehicles, Lime aims to reduce congestion and car use as they get moving again after a difficult 2021.
About Lime
Founded by Brad Bao and Toby Sun, Lime aims to provide a sustainable solution to the first and last-mile transportation problem by helping people move around their cities in an affordable and convenient way while eliminating their carbon footprint.
The company partners with cities to deploy electric bikes and scooters enabled with GPS and self-activating locks. In Europe, it serves more than 60 cities, including Paris, Berlin, London, Rome or Budapest.
Previous fundraise
In May 2020, the company had secured a whopping $170M (approx €157M) in funding led by Uber as well as participation from Google’s Alphabet, GV, Bain Capital Ventures, and other new and existing investors. The funds helped Lime to acquire Uber’s bike and scooter service – JUMP’s business operations, and expand its mobile app integration with Uber. Besides, Lime also promoted Wayne Ting as its new CEO.
Prior to that, in 2018, Lime secured $335M (approx €277.7M) in funding from Uber and Alphabet, among others.
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