The European e-scooter market is currently the main battleground for companies playing in the micromobility space, taking advantage as they are of Europe’s relatively compact cities and the desire of populations to move to more sustainable transportation. In 2021, players like Tier, Voi and Dott continued to raise VC backing. But the war for funding […]
Nigerian mobility-tech startup MAX bags $31 million in Series B round, set to expand across Africa, build EV infrastructure
Nigerian mobility tech startup Metro Africa Xpress Inc. (MAX) is planning to enter more markets across Africa as it races towards formalizing the continent’s transportation sector after securing $31 million in Series B funding. The startup told TechCrunch that it will use the funding to enter Ghana and Egypt by the end of the first […]
Bird’s first public earnings show missed Q3 revenue, but potential for full-year growth
Today after the bell, scooter-sharing company Bird disclosed its third-quarter earnings, the first time it has done so as a public company. Bird recently merged with a SPAC, bringing cash and public-status to the formerly private unicorn. In the third quarter, Bird’s revenues missed expectations, but given an expanded global footprint and an expectation that […]
E-scooter startup Tier buys Nextbike to double down on commitment to e-bikes
Berlin-based Tier Mobility, one of the largest e-scooter operators in Europe, has just acquired German bike-sharing platform Nextbike. The move signals Tier’s commitment to the same multi-modal approach that competitors like Lime and Voi have followed to take advantage of existing market share. It’s also the latest big acquisition in the micromobility industry that might […]
The Tenways CGO 600 is a very serviceable, urban, belt-drive e-bike, great for commutes
Tenways is an e-bike maker which has launched its first model, the CGO 600, on Indiegogo. Priced at around $1,400 this is a relatively affordable e-bike in the scheme of things, and has plenty of features to satisfy even the most discerning of customers. Now before we get into it, it behooves me to say […]
Tier scoots off with ‘first close’ of its $200M Series D
Berlin-based e-scooter rentals company Tier Mobility has announced what it’s billing as the “first close” of a $200 million Series D, as investors continue to plough money into urban micromobility. Today’s announcement follows a $60M debt raise this summer, and a $250M Series C last November (led by SoftBank). It’s not clear from its PR […]
Bolt Mobility launches in-app navigation for shared e-scooters
Bolt Mobility, a micromobility company co-founded by Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, has launched an in-app navigation system for its e-scooters dubbed “MobilityOS.” To make this feature easy to use, Bolt’s next generation of scooters, the “Bolt Two,” allows a rider’s smartphone to be mounted to, and charged by, the scooter. The simple act of adding […]
Sharing mobility data without compromising privacy
Innovative mobility options provide cities with opportunities to solve the last-mile transportation problem, and the data from these services has a range of uses, but there are valid privacy concerns.
Advanced rider assistance systems: Tech spawned by the politics of micromobility
Operators like Spin, Voi, Zipp, Bird and Superpedestrian are investing in tech that can detect and correct poor rider behavior, sometimes going as far as stopping scooters if they’re on a sidewalk.
Squad Mobility eyes shared platforms as target for its compact solar electric quadricycle
Squad Mobility’s vision of the perfect urban vehicle is a low-cost EV equipped with solar panels, swappable batteries and enough zip and range in its diminutive 6.5-foot package to meet the needs of city drivers. The early-stage Dutch startup, which recently revealed the final design of its quadricycle, is now assembling working prototypes in Breda, […]