Standardised Swappable Batteries at Heart of Lime Gen4 Bikes
San Francisco, California, US
A global leader in shared micromobility services, Lime, has launched its Gen4 e-bike, featuring a new swappable battery that is also compatible with the company’s e-scooters.
Lime CEO Wayne Ting said the standardised, interchangeable battery was the greatest advancement in the new bikes, which were officially launched in Washington DC on January 12th following small-scale pilots in several cities last year.
“Standardising our swappable batteries across modes is a leap forward for Lime and the broader micromobility industry, making operations more efficient and sustainable while improving reliability for riders,” he said.
“As we scale our interchangeable batteries and Gen4 vehicles globally, we anticipate reduced operational costs, fewer vehicle miles travelled from our operation vans and a greater reduction in carbon emissions from our service”
“The launch of our Gen4 e-bike is an important step toward achieving our mission of building a future where transportation is shared, affordable and carbon-free.”
A statement from Lime said standardised swappable batteries between vehicle types would enable Lime operations teams to simply replace dead batteries on any e-bike or e-scooter, reducing van trips and saving the energy otherwise required for transporting heavy vehicles.
“The swappable battery also improves vehicle availability for riders and reduces the number of uncharged, unusable vehicles on sidewalks,” according to the statement.
“As we scale our interchangeable batteries and Gen4 vehicles globally, we anticipate reduced operational costs, fewer vehicle miles travelled from our operation vans and a greater reduction in carbon emissions from our service.”
Additional upgrades to the Gen4 e-bike include:
- increased motor power to help riders easily climb hills
- a phone holder allowing riders to easily navigate and follow directions without having to stop and look at their phones
- a new handlebar display that is standardised with the display on Lime scooters
- an automatic two-speed transmission, replacing the gears on the previous e-bike generation and providing easier acceleration and a smoother ride
- a modular design that extends the usable life to five years
Lime last year announced a US$50 million (A$69.88 million) investment in the Gen4 e-bike, which will be rolled out in cities around the world during the next few months.
The company expanded its e-bike service to 50 cities globally in 2021 and has plans for further expansion this year.
It says it will upgrade its services in these cities to the Gen4 model “over time”.
Wayne Ting said his company’s expansion of e-bike services, and the launch of its Gen4 bikes, comes amid a global boom in e-bike use, with nearly 12 million e-bike rides in cities around the world during 2021.
He said the use of Lime bikes more than doubled in some major cities, including London.
“The surge in e-bike use is in part thanks to cities redesigning streets to prioritise micromobility and active transportation, with lanes and street space taken from cars,” he added.