Tallinn, Estonia-based Bolt, a transportation platform providing ride-hailing, micromobility and food delivery services in Europe, announced on Monday that it has launched its fifth generation scooter, the Bolt 5.
The company reports in a statement that the new electric scooter is designed to meet the needs of users and cities by providing the highest standards of safety, sustainability and comfort.
Features offered by the new Bolt 5
This fifth-generation scooter is designed with safety as its top priority. The scooter offers curved handlebars and a wider floorboard for better grip and easy manoeuvring. The bike also sports a bigger front wheel and hydraulic suspension, to provide safe and more comfortable conditions to ride around the city. It also has features like front and back indicator lights to increase predictability in riding behaviour, making riding safer both for the rider and other road users.
Additionally, Bolt has added strong side reflectors to help improve the bike’s visibility. The bike is also equipped with a front electromagnetic brake and a rear drum brake that help riders manage speed efficiently.
Some of the other features that the company has worked upon include a high capacity swappable battery, 48V instead of the industry-standard 36V, that will help users cover a range of up to 55 kilometres. This means the Bolt 5 is more sustainable and will be more readily available for users due to less battery swaps. It also means there are fewer operations needed for battery charging, which makes for a smaller overall carbon footprint.
The scooter is equipped with a functional dashboard, providing information about the speed and battery charge levels, and a wireless phone charger on the handlebar. It also has a light indicator showing from afar if a scooter is available and ready for the trip. After the ride is finished, a double kickstand located in the front of the scooter makes parking easier.
Dmitri Pivovarov, VP of Rentals at Bolt, says, “Bolt and cities are partners. We have the same goals: we’re looking to provide vehicles and solutions that can be used together with public transport infrastructure. Bolt 5 is the safest and the most durable scooter offered by Bolt so far. It’s a great solution for people who want to move away from private car ownership.”
The Estonian company claims that the Bolt 5 scooter is made of 100 per cent recyclable aluminium and its expected lifecycle is up to 60 months. The company plans to deploy over 20,000 units of the new scooter across Europe throughout 2022.
Bolt 5 will contribute to the company’s mission of helping cities replace private cars with shared mobility options. Recently, the company partnered with the Institute of Transport Economics, TØI, and showed that in-app encouragement will cause 60 per cent more users to shift from ride-hailing to scooters for shorter trips.
“The fast, affordable way to ride”
Founded in 2013 by Markus Villig, Martin Villig and Oliver Leisalu, Bolt aims to make urban travel easier, quicker and more reliable. It is a transportation platform that provides ride-hailing, micromobility, package delivery, and scooter-sharing services.
The company has more than 100 million users in 45 countries and over 400 cities across Europe and Africa. It claims that all Bolt rides in Europe are 100 per cent carbon-neutral as part of its Green Plan, a long-term commitment to reduce the ecological footprint of the company.
Scooter-sharing is just one part of Bolt’s suite of mobility and delivery products. Some of its other products include its ride-hailing service, car-sharing service Bolt Drive, Bolt Food, which enables customers to order meals from restaurants, and Bolt Market, a 15-minute grocery delivery service.
Bolt offers micromobility services in more than 170 cities across 20 countries in Europe alone and claims to be the largest micromobility provider in Europe.