Ride AI (Oliver Bruce and Horace Dediu)

This week Oliver interviews Julia Thayne Demordaunt, Principal of Urban Transformation at the Rocky Mountain Institute. Oliver is a massive fan of RMI - they’ve been advocated for market based climate solutions for years and have some of the most in depth research on the pathways required to help us meet our climate goals. Julia is leading the research at RMI about the potential for micro to contribute. She came onboard as one of the hosts for the Micromobiltiy Europe show and the team had an absolute blast meeting her and talking about her work. In this conversation they talk about the opportunities and pitfalls of micromobility in all it’s forms, and how they intersect with cities.

Specifically they dig into:

• Her background and how she got to Rocky Mountain Institute
• What RMI does around urban transport / electrification
• Why Micromobility is important in the overall mix, and why it’s different from other options (especially around funding/infrastructure)
• What steps we need to take to accelerate adoption

Leading up to Micromobility Europe, James Gross talks the state of micromobility in Europe with Prabin Joel Jones, Founder and CEO of Mayten along with Augustin Friedel, Senior Manager, MHP – A Porsche Company who is sharing his personal views on the podcast.

Topics Discussed:

Shared and Owned Micromobility

Prabin takes us through the Tier and Dott merger:

• Tier/Dott deal 
• Background of the deal
• What the deal is
• Challenges in merging
• Where can they go from here
• What does this mean for the industry?

Augustin predicts continued consolidation in the shared mobility space, with potential mergers or acquisitions among companies like Bold, Lime, and Voi. Prabin critiques Bolt's strategy and their future as the next Uber.

Augustin also spoke about the struggles of owned ebike companies and the shift towards software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and AVs to enhance customer experience and safety.

Software Defined Vehicles, AI and Regulation

Augustin elaborates on Europe's position on AVs, noting a lag compared to the US and China due to a lack of investment and no existing tech giants.

The potential for software-defined vehicles to improve user experience and safety, but recognizing Europe's fragmented approach to AVs and mobility tech.

How government and local authorities could play a more significant role in advancing AVs and shared mobility through funding and regulatory support.

Augustin speculates about Europe's potential to catch up in the AV space by pooling resources from major automotive players and focusing on local mobility solutions.

Safety is discussed as a primary concern for micromobility users, with different European cities showing varying degrees of progress in creating safe infrastructure for cyclists and scooter users.

Despite the challenges faced by shared mobility and AVs, there's optimism about the future, with emphasis on the need for innovation, better regulation, and strategic investments.

The discussion concludes with a call for continued exploration and improvement in the mobility space, acknowledging the long journey ahead but recognizing the opportunities for impactful change.

Trends to watch:

- Software-Defined Vehicles and Artificial Intelligence

- The Role of Government in mobility investments and Regulation

- Safety and Infrastructure

Offers and Giveaways

Micromobility America is right around the corner. You can get your tickets to the show here: https://micromobility.io/events/micromobility-america Enter for your chance to win a new Lectric Lite at RideReview.com https://ridereview.com/giveaway/win-a-lectric-lite-with-commuter-bundle Summary James Gross talked with Ain McKendrick the Founder and CEO of Faction about how the future of delivery is evolving with Faction, offering new opportunities and advancements in the industry. Faction provides driverless delivery vehicles for last mile logistics by combining autonomous technology with remote human assistance. In the conversation, Ain discusses Faction's focus on short 3-5 mile repetitive delivery routes for commercial users like bakeries and retailers. He explains how Faction works with light electric vehicle OEMs to incorporate their driverless tech on the production line. McKendrick notes they have operated legally in states with supportive regulations like Nevada, Arizona, Texas. Faction recently raised an extension funding round from TDK Ventures to help scale their delivery fleets in 2024, with plans to partner with national retailers and food brands. Faction won Micromobility America's Riders Choice Award in 2023 for autonomy and robotics. Highlights 🚚 Faction provides driverless delivery vehicles combining autonomy and remote human assistance 📦 Focus on short 3-5 mile repetitive last mile logistics routes for commercial users 🤝 Works with light electric vehicle OEMs to incorporate driverless tech 🚦 Has operated legally in states with supportive regulations 💰 Raised extension round from TDK Ventures to scale fleets in 2024 🤝 Looking to partner with national retailers and food brands 🏆 Won Micromobility America's Riders Choice Award in 2023

This week we share another interview from Micromobility Europe - This time it is the timeless interview of Jason Slaughter, creator of the largest urban planning YouTube Channel - Not Just Bikes being interviewed by Julia Thayne DeMourdant from the Rocky Mountain Institute, about why many cities suck, but Dutch cities don’t. 

Our host Oliver has often joked that if you spend enough time talking about Micromobility, you end up falling backwards into discussions about urbanism, space allocation and what makes for great cities. Jason nails why that is in this interview, and being in the Netherlands for this conference we can see what he was referring to. The intersection between transport, vehicles, felt experience and finances are all laid to bear. 

This was also released on our YouTube channel that has turned out to be our most popular ever with more than 100,000 views on You Tube.

Specifically they tackle:

• The origin of Not Just Bikes and Jason's background
• Why car dependency creates sprawled suburbs
• How urban planning and design can determine if a city will suck or not
• A city that is built for cars is not built for people
• We need to move away from building car-centric cities, and instead build people-friendly cities with walkable neighbourhoods and good land use.
• Any micromobility solution needs to be compatible with walking

If you like this, you’ll love Micromobility America coming up in San Francisco on the 15th and 16th of September 2022. We are expecting 1000 people from hundreds of companies to talk about the latest on Micromobility technology services companies and more, as well as the wider implication for micromobility in climate, transport systems and cities. I will be up there and would love to see you there – please come and join us by getting your tickets at micromobility.io

Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

This week Oliver interviews Adam Barmby from EAV, the electric cargo bike manufacturer based in the UK.

When Amazon launched their 'micromobility hub' in the UK recently, an EAV bike was the pictured bike used in promotional material for the announcement.

Micromobility for freight hasn’t been discussed a lot on the podcast, and it was really exciting to unpack the implications of Micromobility and see how it conforms to the thesis that Horace and Oliver have been weighing out of the last couple of years.

It is especially exciting to hear that EAV is fundamentally changing the business model of last mile delivery, where interestingly more than half of the cost of delivery is incurred. Adam was part of the Micromobility Accelerate pitch contest that in the recent Micromobility Europe conference in June.

Specifically they tackle:

• The background for EAV and how it came to be founded
• What EAV builds, and why it matters impact of cargo vans in cities
• Their traction to date including recent business development deals and the sales pipeline to operators working for large ecommerce platforms.
• The fundraising journey so far

See more of what Adam is doing within the micromobillity industry here.

You can view the EAV website here

Micromobility America conference coming up on the 15th and 16th of September in the Bay Area. We will have over 1000 guests from hundreds of companies talking about the future of Micromobility and how it can simultaneously help us with climate change while, disrupting the urban transport economics of cities. It’s going to be a wonderful reunion for the industry to all get together with incredible vehicles, including the Nimbus which Oliver covered in episode 141, as well as the new autonomous bike from Weel which we will be covering on a future podcast , as well as a whole heap of other really cool product announcements. Learn more and get tickets here.

This week we release a discussion with Michael Keating that was recorded when Oliver was passing through San Francisco on the launch day of his new company Tempo.

For those who are in the know, Michael Keating is an OG of the Micromobility space, having founded Scoot back in 2012, which was one of the first moped sharing companies before selling it to Bird.

Tempo is Michael's latest venture and one we're very excited about, having followed the journey along for a while. We are honoured that he would share this with us on a busy launch day, as they were fielding calls from lots of other journalists, and we really enjoyed this conversation about not only the history of shared Micromobility, but also the current state of things and his efforts to accelerate getting Micromobility into the hands of millions.

Specifically the discuss:

- Who is Tempo, what do they do?

- Why subscription and not sharing?

- What makes Tempo different from other subscription micro businesses?

We hope you enjoyed as much as we did, and if you are listening to this and would like to come and join us, get your tickets for Micromobility Europe – June 8th and 9th in Amsterdam. Horace will be there along with Oliver and the whole rest of the team and over 1000 thinkers and builders in the space of Micromobility. It will be an absolute blast.

And with that here is Michael.

Catch us on Twitter ⁠⁠@MicromobilityCo⁠⁠. ⁠⁠Horace⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Oliver⁠⁠ are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our https://micromobility.substack.com/⁠⁠ is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

We’re also on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.

In this episode of the Ride AI podcast, host Ed Niedermeyer interviews Anuja Sonalker, CEO of Steer Tech, to discuss a lesser-known success story in mobility technology. Anuja shares how Steer Tech, founded in 2016, specializes in low-speed, autonomous vehicle operations within geofenced areas like parking lots and depots. She explains that while parking automation was initially underestimated, it presents complex challenges requiring high precision and intelligence. Steer Tech developed the first fully autonomous Level 4 parking solution and has since expanded into broader vehicle orchestration systems. Their lean, customer-driven approach allowed them to achieve cashflow positivity by focusing on practical applications in fleet management, emphasizing operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability. Unlike many companies in the autonomous vehicle space, Steer Tech avoided big venture capital funding, choosing instead a more sustainable business model that balances innovation with profitability.

This week Oliver interviews Mike Radenbaugh from RAD Power Bikes. RAD is the largest maker of the bikes in the US and this is a conversation we have wanted to have for a really long time.  They discuss the new bike that they have just unveiled (skip ahead to around minute 13 if you want to know more about that!) They've been so excited to let you know about what is happening! Besides that, they also talk all about how he got to starting the company, the vehicles that he's built and why he still sees micro as such an exciting and interesting space. They also get into what he’s up to next now that RAD has brought on Phil Molyneux as CEO last month. This was also published as a YouTube interview complete with video here: https://youtu.be/u1_H3kSdSl0 Also, for a further take on everything RAD, head to our YouTube Channel for an shorter interview at Micromobility America with Mike earlier this year (https://youtu.be/EJnH8ie-x9k) Specifically they dig into: - Rad Power Bikes, how it started and where they are at now. - D2C, and why they chose that model and how they think about servicing - RAD has the largest marketing budget of the industry. What’s been effective in this space? What are the biggest barriers in a D2C marketplace? - Mike has recently stepped down as CEO, what is he now focusing on? - The double standard about ebikes vs other vehicles. - The RadTrike - RAD has always been known for two wheels so why the move to three, and why it's been their most requested bike ever. And with that, here’s Mike! Be sure to check out our Rider Choice Awards - the Oscars of the micromobility world. Voting is open now ahead of Micromobility World on the 19th of January. We’re excited to see which brands are considered the most popular - with thousands of votes already in, be sure to not miss out. Check it out at Micromobility.io Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you. Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team! We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram..

We are doing a GOFLUO giveaway, leave a comment here and enter to win at Ride Review: https://ridereview.com/giveaway/win-a-gofluo-bodyflower-and-bag Meet Julie Vets, Founder and CEO of GOLUO, https://gofluo.com/, and learn how she is inventing the category of high visibility gear for everyone that is moving. You can also see Julie present at Micromobility Europe 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7br1CqOz3EU&t=43s

Arnold Kamler, CEO of Kent International, discusses the evolution of his family's three generations of the bicycle business from its inception in 1906 to the present day. The journey includes the transition from retail to wholesale, adapting to market trends like racing and mountain bikes, overcoming challenges during the financial crisis and COVID-19, manufacturing in the US, moving it to Europe, then to Chin and then back to the US all the while remaining resilient in a dynamic industry that has now gone electric.

Timeline:

• 🚴 1906: Arnold's grandfather arrives in the U.S. and opens up his first bike shop in the Lower East Side.
• 🛠️ Early 1920s: The family moves the business to New Jersey.
• 📈 1947: Post-WWII, Arnold's father shifts the business from retail to wholesale.
• 🌎 1950s-60s: The company adapts to changing markets, beginning to import bikes from Europe and then Asia.
• 🏁 1970s: Kent International experiences a boom with the popularity of racing/road bikes, starting in California.
• 🚵‍♂️ 1990s: The company adapts to the mountain bike craze and faces the challenges of globalization and competition from China.
• 💸 2008: The financial crisis impacts the business, leading to strategic pricing and inventory adjustments.
• 🌐 2010s: Kent International focuses on e-commerce and begins exploring the electric bike market.
• 📉 2020-21: The COVID-19 pandemic causes a surge and then a sudden drop in demand, impacting inventory management.
• 🌿 Present Day: Kent International remains a resilient player in the bicycle industry, adapting to current market trends and consumer needs.

Other Highlights:

• 🌍 Global Expansion: Kent International's strategic shift to importing and later manufacturing in China.
• 🚀 Growth: Significant growth in the 1970s, reaching new heights in the 2000s with major retail partnerships.
• 🛠️ Manufacturing Innovations: Experimentation with different bike designs and materials, adapting to changing consumer preferences.
• 🛍️ Retail Shifts: Adjusting strategies to cope with the rise of e-commerce and direct-to-consumer sales.
• 🚲 Industry Trends: Continuous adaptation to industry trends like electric bikes and changing consumer habits.

This week we release another session from Micromobility America – this one is the interview with Wayne Ting, CEO of Lime being interviewed by Julia Thayne Demourdaunt. Wayne was impassioned and his call more recognition of Micromobility and the role that it can play in our transport systems.  Being in the audience It was electric to watch. We hope you enjoy the session as much as we did.

Specifically they dig into:

• The history of the space and how they’ve grown
• What he sees as the opportunities for shared micromobility
• The importance of city regulations
• The injustice of how these vehicles are viewed relative to other options

From Julia - I don't think I've ever laughed so hard during an interview as when Wayne Ting, CEO of Lime told Micromobility America that Micromobility can't just be for "white boys". Check out the full video, and Wayne's other quotable comments on our You Tube Channel

Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Offer and Giveaway Micromobility America is right around the corner. You can get your tickets to the show here and be one of the first to ride the P1! https://micromobility.io/events/micromobility-america Enter for your chance to win a new Lectric Lite at RideReview.com https://ridereview.com/giveaway/win-a-lectric-lite-with-commuter-bundle Summary Today we have the exclusive launch of the P1 from Joseph and Eddie Cohen. The P1 is a new electric moped designed by start-up Infinite Machine to be fast, fun, and practical for urban transportation. It has a powerful motor, removable batteries, and tech features like wireless CarPlay. With its striking sculptural design, the P1 aims to make electric vehicles inspiring. Preorders are now open, with priority delivery for the first 100 units. The founders see it as part of their mission to reimagine vehicles and reduce car dependence in cities. Emoji Bullets 🙂 Launch of the P1 electric moped from Infinite Machine 🛵 Brothers Joseph and Eddie Cohen started Infinite Machine to create the perfect electric city vehicle 📱 P1 has a fast 6KW motor, removable batteries, carplay, and a modular design 🚘 Inspired by automotive brands to create a beautiful, sculptural vehicle 💨 Accelerates quickly with a turbo boost button - designed to make you smile 🔋 Removable batteries allow charging without needing garage 🎧 Built-in speakers and navigation audio for safety 💵 $10,000 MSRP - preorders open today 🏍 First 100 units get priority delivery for $5,000 deposit 👪 Owners become part of an exclusive club with perks and membership 🚲 Different from e-bikes: faster, street legal, and can be left locked outside 🔋 UL certification on batteries for safety 🛣 Able to keep up with cars on roads up to 55mph 🎨 Distinctive anodized metal finish in silver or black 🌎 Plans to expand with more vehicles and global showrooms 🚘 Mission is to rethink vehicles and reduce cars for better cities

This week Oliver speaks with Albin Wilson from Roam Motors, who are building a electric motorbike manufacturer and battery stack out of Kenya. Oliver was particularly struck when talking to Albin about the size of the opportunity and how conforming to the theory of micromobility what they’re doing is. 

We have long thought that the market for Micromobility would be most exciting in countries where automobility and electrification has yet to happen simply by nature of these vehicles being cheaper and the markets less attached to the past than OECD countries. It’s also the most exciting spot for future decarbonisation opportunities. 

Specifically they dig into:

• Roam’s backstory - how they ended up building EV’s from Kenya
• The details of the bikes and what Roam is working on
• What has been hard/different about building for
• How much Roam has raised and what the market for raising is like

Connect with Albin on LinkedIn

Learn more about Roam here

We are committed to finding more people to interview in this space. If there’s anyone listening to this who can give us an introduction to the team at Ola in India please let us know via Twitter DM’s or at oliver@micromobility.io. We would love to have that conversation with them and about their electrification efforts given that they’ve just shipped their 100,000th electric moped in only just over a year since starting production.

In the meantime if you haven’t check out our latest effort, the Rider Choice Awards, you really should check it out. It is our industries version of the Oscars, the Baftas, the Top Gear Speed Week and the Webby’s all tied into one. You can select the best firms and vehicles in more than 30 categories and get them selected for consideration ahead of judging for Micromobiltiy World, which is happening on January 19th online. We have many of the top brands in the world currently battling it out for top spot in the bike, scooter, pod, subscription business, shared operator and more from around the world. We’ve been blown away by the level of excitement from the community and are super excited to share the preliminary results with you. The first round of cutoff is coming this month, and then again next month so get your votes in quickly!

Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Fresh off Micromobility America, James Gross talks with Jimmy Standley, the Co-Founder and CEO of Solé Bicycles. Solé Bicycles was founded in 2009, with the initial concept being a class project to create affordable bicycles, specifically aiming for a price tag of $200-$300. They subsequently won an Alibaba business plan competition, and used the $25,000 grant won to create their first product. They sold their products directly to customers, offering a high-quality product at a competitive price. They used the Shopify platform early on, and utilized digital marketing strategies on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to grow their business. The brand focuses on being relevant culturally, collaborating with various DJs and other artists for special products and promotions. Highlights 🎓 The idea for Solé Bicycles began as a college business plan project to create affordable fixed-gear bikes. 💡 Winning a business plan competition sponsored by Alibaba, they received a $25,000 grant to start their business. 🌍 Initial struggles included direct dealings with manufacturers in China and rapidly scaling the business. 📈 The company's focus on vibrant, artistic designs helped them break into the market and attract customers. 🚲 Solé Bicycles diversified into direct-to-consumer sales, online marketing, and various collaborations. 💻 Early adoption of Shopify and leveraging social media platforms like Instagram played a key role in their growth. 🛠️ Future plans include expanding into electric bikes while maintaining their core in acoustic bikes.

At Micromobility America, James Gross and Levi Conlow, CEO of Electric Bikes, discuss the company's rapid growth to become the #1 ebike seller in the US. He also shared insights into the ebike market, Lectric's DTC strategy, plans for new products, and the need for industry regulation while also being concern with some of the current legislation being pushed.

🚲 Lectric sells over 150,000 electric vehicles annually, that is more than any US vehicle company besides Tesla

📈 Despite industry downturn, Lectric still seeing double digit growth

⚙️ Focused on high quality, low cost bikes rather than maximizing margins

🛒 Committed to DTC as it provides valuable customer feedback

🆕 Excited about upcoming partnerships and new wider wheelbase models

🤝 Sees need for more industry regulation to protect consumers

🫂 With influence comes responsibility - brands can drive positive change

We’re incredibly excited to introduce the first round of speakers joining us at Micromobility America in the SF Bay Area this October! Manufacturers, operators, brands, policymakers, investors, media—and this is just the start. https://micromobility.io/events/micromobility-america We are giving away some GOFLUO gear. Leave a comment here and head on over to ridereview.com for your chance to win. https://ridereview.com/giveaway/win-a-gofluo-bodyflower-and-bag Chapters: 00:00 - 5:20 Announcements and giveaways 5:21 - 8:59 NYC enforces traffic cameras 9:00 - 14:18 NYC Equitable Commute Project off to slow start 14:19 - 17:18 Lavoie buys Vanmoof 17:19 - 19:52 Kenya shipping electric motorcycles at scale 19:53 - 31:58 Vehicle Launches! 31:59 Interview with Patrick Wirth at Baloise Group NYC has speed cameras cranking Here’s a novel idea for reducing car deaths: enforce traffic laws. One year after introducing its new 24/7 automatic traffic ticketing system, New York City speed violations have reportedly dropped by 30%. Small mode shift leads to big gains A good argument for why motorists should want to see more ebikes on the road: “Studies have shown that a mere 10% shift from car drivers to bike riders has resulted in a 40% reduction in traffic congestion. Even if you never touch an ebike, you would benefit from supporting their increased use.” Lavoie buys Vanmoof Cult ebike brand VanMoof has been bought out of bankruptcy by Lavoie, a company that makes high-end scooters based on McLaren Applied’s Formula 1 technology. VanMoof’s bankruptcy earlier this summer had left its more than 190,000 riders in limbo. NYC Equitable Commute Project can't get off the ground New York City’s ebike trade-in program—designed to help delivery workers swap low-quality, fire-prone bikes for safer, industry-certified models—is off to a rocky start. Since July, only three bikes have been traded in. Experts say the city’s 60,000+ delivery workers aren’t participating due to language barriers, cost of the trade-ins, and a slow and somewhat difficult approval process. Kenya is making the US programs look silly. Kenya has revealed the details of its ambitious new plan to encourage electric motorbikes adoption through a manufacturing partnership with the African startup Spiro. “[President] Ruto said Kenya currently had 1,000 of the new bikes, with another 10,000 on their way, and that Spiro had established a plant with the capacity to assemble 1,000 of the vehicles daily.” Vehicle Launches The new V13 Challenger from Chinese manufacturer InMotion is a thrilling new electric unicycle that reaches a staggering top speed of 87 mph (140 kph), powered by a 4,500W motor with a maximum torque of 300 Nm. Speaking of Specialized, the company just launched the new Globe Haul LT electric cargo bike, a heavy duty hauler equipped with a throttle and a top speed of 28 mph (45 kph). The $3,500 bike has a carrying capacity of 176 lbs (80kg), a 700W hub motor equipped with a torque sensor, and a UL-listed 772 Wh batter with a range of up to 90 miles (96 km). Cannondale’s Cargowagen and Wonderwagen Neo are two newest additions on the electric cargo bike scene. The Cargowagen is a longtail that can haul up to 80kg, while the Wonderwagen has a giant front bay that can carry 100 kg, plus another 27kg on the rear rack. Both models are powered by capable Bosch motors, giving them a top speed of 28 mph (45 kph). Interview with Patrick Wirth Today we have Patrick Wirth on the show. Patrick is the VP of Mobility at Baloise Group. Baloise, is a European insurance company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. Founded in 1863, the company offers a range of insurance and pension solutions, as well as investment products. VC. It is very cool to see an insurance company get into VC and take a different approach to not only investing but also the ongoing relationship these companies might have with an insurance company.

This week Oliver interviews Melinda Hansen, founder of consulting firm Brightside and formerly the head of sustainability at Bird. They talk about the recent spate of Micromobility/ebike battery fires in New York and the response there as well as the wider conversation about equitable transport options, from her work with the equitable commute project.

Like we’ve discussed many times on the show, we think that there is a real opportunity for Micromobility to contribute to the conversation. We really love Melinda‘s take on the whole space – she has a wealth of industry knowledge and is in New York with the legislators having the grunty conversations that will help lead the industry forward. Really hope that you enjoy this episode as we did.

Specifically they tackle:

- The E-bike fires for the Micromobility Podcast and know that you've been doing some advocacy in this space.

- The work on transport equity she has been doing

- How she is working to better aggregate and lobby for ebike subsidies at MMI.

- How micromobility companies can play a more active role in getting streets ready for smaller vehicles.

Connect with Melinda on LinkedIn and Twitter

Catch us on ⁠Twitter⁠. ⁠Horace⁠ and ⁠Oliver ⁠are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Catch us on Twitter ⁠@MicromobilityCo⁠. ⁠Horace⁠ and ⁠Oliver⁠ are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our ⁠Micromobility Newsletter⁠ is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday and Thursday morning. And for those who want more, we offer ⁠Micromobility Pro membership⁠ that includes exclusive content and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team.

We’re also on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠.

This week Oliver interviews Jonas Nyvang, CEO and founder of Stilride, who are building a very novel electric motorbike out of Sweden. 

We are always VERY interested in how micromobility will create and enable new production techniques for lightweight electric vehicles, and we think that what Stilride have built might offer something very interesting to the conversation. 

As Horace has often laid out, the manufacturing technique determines so much about a product, and new vehicle manufacturing techniques like iStream from Gordon Murray or modularised microfactories that Stilride talk about, so goes new types of vehicles that can be created.

Specifically they tackle:

• The background of Stilride and what they are building
• The significance of alternative vehicle fabrication techniques
• Why Jonas is working on his own vehicle and what’s significant about it
• The manufacturing technique and what it offers
• The details about the moped
• Fundraising to date and what has worked/not worked

Find Jonas on LinkedIn and learn more about Stilride right here

Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

As we tick over from 2022 to 2023 we wanted to reshare our most popular episode from 2022. 

Our recent Spotify Wrapped and general analytics we get from our podcast platform gave us a few really cool stats about the podcast. We’re in the top 5% of followed and shared podcasts shared globally, with listeners from 61 countries and the majority of you being new listeners who only found us in the last year. 

Exciting times! 

We're excited to rerelease what was our most listened to episode from 2022.  What is Micromobility and Why does it matter (2022 edition) that Horace and Oliver recorded at Micromobility Europe in June. We do these every so often as a recap of the thesis about why lightweight electric vehicles are interesting - cheap, best suited to the majority of trips that most people take and as vehicles, fast to evolve - and what micro therefore offers to the transport and decarbonisation conversation. 

In this episode we discuss what we got right back in 2018 when we started this podcast, what we were hoping to see that is either starting to happen or now common place, and what we got wrong. 

Specifically they tackle:

• Where the insight for micromobility came from
• The core tenets of what it is
• Electric, lightweight, utility
• Why it matters including how the world is urbanising, how we need to radically reduce emissions per vehicle, how most trips are short trips and how small vehicles evolve faster than small vehicles etc.
• Why it is significant to transport systems in terms of enabling point to point transport in dense urban areas
• What we got wrong in the last four years

Right before we head off to this. we wanted to also suggest that you check out the Rider Choice awards. These are the Oscars of the micromobility world ahead of Micromobility World on the 19th of Jan. We’ve just shifted to the semi-final rounds for many of the categories, and we’re excited to see which brands are considered the most popular whether it’s your favourite scooter, ebike, shared service or more - with tens of thousands of votes already in, be sure to not miss out. Check it out at Micromobility.io.

Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Jame Gross interviews Edward Niedermeyer, the author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors. Nathan Robinson has suggested that there is "probably no greater expert on the career of Elon Musk and the development of Tesla [than Niedermeyer]." His insights regarding Tesla Autopilot in particular have been cited repeatedly. Chapters: 00:00 - 03:54 CPUC ruling on paid operations on L4 AVs in San Francisco 03:55 - 07:29 Will L4 AVs lead to much less traffic violence? 07:30 - 09:09 Teslas are not L4 AVs 09:10 - 21:03 Are urbanists are wrong about L4 AVs? 21:04 - 27:56 The L4 AV tech is very real and should push automakers to do more 27:57 - 35:50 Demos of different vision technology, regulation and safety marketing 35:51 - 38:10 AV technology is how we get out of car monopoly hell In August 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved permits for Cruise and Waymo to charge fares for passenger service in San Francisco. The CPUC agreement for AVs to operate in San Francisco includes a number of safety and operational requirements that the companies must meet. These requirements include: The AVs must be equipped with a variety of sensors and cameras to detect and avoid obstacles. The AVs must be able to operate in a variety of weather conditions. The AVs must have a safety driver on board who can take control of the vehicle if necessary. The AVs must be operated in a safe and responsible manner. The approval of the CPUC agreement is a major milestone for the development and deployment of AVs in San Francisco. It is the first time that AVs have been allowed to operate without a safety driver on board in a major U.S. city. The agreement is expected to help to accelerate the development and commercialization of AVs, and it could lead to the widespread deployment of AVs in San Francisco and other cities in the future.

Apple is reportedly exiting the car industry, focusing instead on software and mobility services. The company's decision is driven by the challenges and complexities of the automotive industry, including high costs, long product cycles, and difficulty in making significant contributions. Apple's future in mobility may lie in micromobility and smart accessories for vehicles.

🚗 Apple's decision to exit the car industry is not surprising given the challenges and complexities associated with building and selling cars. The company's strengths lie in software and user experience, which may be better applied to mobility services and smart accessories for vehicles. 📱 The smartphone is already a powerful tool in the car, with features like Apple CarPlay allowing users to integrate their phone's apps and functions into the vehicle's infotainment system. Apple's focus on privacy and AI could enhance the smartphone's capabilities and create unique mobility experiences. 💡 Apple's decision to pivot away from the car industry and explore opportunities in micromobility aligns with the broader trend of urbanization and the growing demand for sustainable transportation options. By focusing on smaller, more agile vehicles, Apple can address the needs of urban dwellers and contribute to the future of mobility.

This week Oliver interviews David Hansen from Weel Bike based in Seattle. Oliver has known David since the early days of Micromobility Industries, and indeed, Weel was one of the companies that the Microbility VC syndicate invested in back in 2019 when we were running it, so full disclosure, Oliver does have some skin in the game. 

We love what they’re doing - they really have taken to heart what Horace talked about early on with the concept of what a smartphone on wheels would look like, rather than being a bike with phone bits stuck on. With the company about to ship bikes in Q1 next year, We wanted to bring David on to discuss their product but also their philosophy and what makes their vehicle different to any other bikes in the space. It’s a bold strategy, but I’m excited to see what conversations it’ll provoke about what a bike is or should be.

Specifically they tackle

• David's background and how you and Justin got into building crazy e-bikes that ride themselves
• What software the bike offers
• Where they’re at with Weel in terms of development/funding/etc
• The route to market
• Why no incumbents would be crazy enough to build this themselves
• What David sees as the future of ‘bikes’
  

Learn more about David here.

Visit the Weel website.

Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

This week Oliver got to interview Josh Hon from Tern bikes. If you’ve not come across the Tern brand before, they’re now a mid-size bike company, but have really found a strong niche providing high quality utility bikes like their best selling mid-drive short tail compact cargo bike the GSD. 

Tern is different from a lot of the other micromobility companies that we've had on the Micromobility Podcast in that it’s definitely more of a traditional bike company, using bike shops etc to sell and service their bikes in what has now grown to be 61 countries.

They also pass over it relatively quickly in this episode, but Tern is an amazing story in that Josh has raised only around 6m in funding to date.  

 We really valued Josh’s humility and perspective as someone who has been around the bike industry for a really long time, especially on his insights into Taiwan and what does/doesn’t work there. We are really looking forward to future discussions with him.

Specifically they tackle:

Josh's personal history and how he came to start Tern

The current range - what’s notable right now

How they’ve raised capital and built their team

Building in Taiwan - what should people know about what they’ve done

Also, if you haven’t already, please be sure to check out our Rider Choice Awards - the Oscars of the micromobility world. Voting is open now ahead of Micromobility World on the 19th of January. We’re excited to see which brands are considered the most popular whether it’s your favourite scooter, ebike, shared service or more - with tens of thousands of votes already in, be sure to not miss out. Check it out at Micromobility.io

To learn more about Tern Bikes, click here

Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Meet Jason and Camilla Iftakhar of Swifty Scooters. Swifty Scooters is an innovative micromobility company that specilizes in foldable and portable scooters for adults. James Gross talks with Jason and Camila about winning the Startup Awards at Micromobility America 2023 and their brand new electric Scooter, the G500. You can see their Startup Awards pitch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRKQrqI04mM Highlights of the Talk 🔋 Swifty Scooters are powered by a LFP (lithium ferrophosphate) battery that can cover a range of 25km and assure the rider that these batteries won't catch fire in or around their home or work. 🏙️ These scooters are ideal for adults commuting in urban areas. 🛴 Convenient features such as adjustable handlebars, low center of gravity and a kickstand enhance maneuverability and add ons for paneers and other storage capabilities. 💦 Mudguards are added to keep the ride clean. 🎒 Thanks to their foldable design, these scooters are portable and easy to store.

This week Oliver interviews San Kim, founder and CEO of Swing Scooters, the largest shared micromobility operator in South Korea. 

South Korea is one of the worlds biggest shared micro markets and also one of the most underreported. This interview lifts the lid on the growth of the space and why the unique regulatory environment, high incomes, dense urban environment and other factors has contributed to one of the highest levels of penetration per capita for shared than anywhere else on the planet. 

In this great first exclusive interview with San, they unpack:

• The background of San at Softbank and auto companies and how that perspective gave him the idea for Swing
• How they got into the scooter game initially
• The South Korean landscape - players, regulations and other contributing factors
• How they’ve managed to build such a strong operational team and how that compares relative to other companies around the world
• How he’s thinking about growing the company - focus on competition vs expansion
• How they’ve raised capital over time

To learn more about San and Swing Scooters, visit his LinkedIn page.

Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

This week Oliver interviews Danny Kim from Lit Motors. Danny is an OG of the micromobility space. He was thinking about the impact of electric and what it’d enable in vehicle architectures well before pretty much anybody else, evidenced by both the Kubo and their C1. The C1 is an enclosed gyro balanced electric motorbike that in our view has amazing potential in terms of providing something that is as performance, weather protection and safety of a car, but in the package of a motorbike. We think that what Lit motors are trying to build is not without very substantial risks but has the potential to be a real game changer in the conversation in urban mobility if they manage.

It would be remiss not to note that Lit Motors has a storied history, to say the least. A quick scan of their Wikipedia page certainly makes that clear - like Oliver, there are a bunch of people who did put in pre-orders back in 2012 and 2013 that haven't seen a vehicle. But after meeting Danny and learning more about both his journey and also what technical issues they’ve managed to work through we are more excited than ever for the potential future of having lots of these crazy amazing vehicles zooming around our cities. We love bold founders who show incredible tenacity and grit in building something as bold as this.

Full disclosure, as mentioned in this episode, Oliver recently invested in Lit Motors on the basis of their team and technology. None of this should be construed as financial advice, and we are VERY aware that it was an insanely risky investment, but like Marc Randolph, the founder of Netflix said in a recent tweet storm, there are some times when you just want to have a seat in the arena to watch the journey, and to cheer on those crazy enough to try and build a better world. Danny is, in our mind, one of those.

Specifically they dig into:

- The early days of Lit Motors

- The promise and potential of gyro-balacing technology in car/vehicles

- Danny's accident in 2015 and the impact of that

- The team he's built

- The plan for the next few years

- The addressable market and implications of these vehicles if they work.

Right before we head off to this. we wanted to also suggest that you check out the Rider Choice awards. These are the Oscars of the micromobility world ahead of Micromobility World on the 19th of Jan. We’ve just shifted to the semi-final rounds for many of the categories, and we’re excited to see which brands are considered the most popular whether it’s your favourite scooter, ebike, shared service or more - with tens of thousands of votes already in, be sure to not miss out. Check it out at Micromobility.io.

Catch us on Twitter @MicromobilityCo. Horace and Oliver are also active on their personal accounts and would love to hear from you.

Our newsletter is completely free, and you can subscribe to have it in your inbox every Tuesday morning here! And for those who want more, we offer our Micromobility membership (mmm — “Triple M”) which includes exclusive content, swag, and conference discounts, as well as live calls with Horace and team!

We’re also on LinkedIn and Instagram.

The latest Ride AI podcast episode features Stefan Seltz-Axmacher, the former founder of Starsky Robotics and current founder and CEO of Polymath Robotics, discussing his experiences in the self-driving truck industry. Stefan reflects on the challenges faced by Starsky Robotics, particularly the overconfidence in machine learning and the belief in a one-size-fits-all solution for autonomy, and how this experience informs Polymath Robotics, his new venture focused on building a generalized navigation layer for off-road vehicles.

• Stefan reflects on the history of self-driving trucks and the challenges faced during his time at Starsky Robotics, including the overconfidence in machine learning and the misconception that data collection alone would lead to successful autonomous driving.

• He highlights the difficulty in raising funds for a more focused approach compared to competitors' broader promises.

• Stefan discusses the need for a more grounded understanding of robotics and AI, emphasizing the importance of addressing specific problems rather than chasing general solutions.

• Polymath Robotics aims to democratize automation by reducing the upfront costs and complexity, allowing smaller players and seed-funded startups to compete effectively.

• Stefan emphasizes the parallels between the evolution of the automotive and smartphone industries, indicating a similar maturation process in robotics hardware.
  

In this inaugural episode, we outline the key themes and issues we want to address in the show series including:

1) Defining micromobility - what is it, where did it come from and why does it matter?
2) The disruptive potential of micromobility. With this, we will unpack why the current fixation on autonomy with automobiles is misplaced, and what a distributed, connected robot of micromobility vehicles might look like.
3) The great unbundling of the car - what does it mean, and why the micromobility was required to make multimodality a feasible unbundled option for travel.
4) How the emergence of micro mobility tracks the development of the early days of computing, and why we’re still really in 1976 with the emergence of the Apple I.
5) How disruption from the low end induces demand and drives such steep adoption curves. We also unpack why their scale will permit the development of large scale computation platforms, especially vs. traditional car platforms.
6) The impact of the emergence of micromobility on infrastructure and how cities function.
7) How the business models of this might emerge, how securitisation of the assets deployed will enable rapid deployment, and lay the foundations for tokenised solutions that align the interests of users, operators and investors together.

We also hit Marchetti’s constant (time budgets for travel) and log normal distributions of travel time. We end on a thought experiment on how teleportation would change everything.

In this episode, we define the term micromobility and what is/isn’t in the categorization. We run through: 1) Why micromobility can be defined as utility focussed urban transport in sub 500kg vehicles, and predominantly electrically powered. 2) The background of how Horace came to see micromobility’s potential to disrupt the automobile industry. 3) Why e-bikes are some of the best city-based transportation mode option- hint: it’s the fastest way across town and can be parked anywhere. 4) How to think about the categorization of different types of micromobility devices, and why that matters. 5) How the development of micromobility is paralleling the development of personal computing and why we’re still in 1976. 6) Why car obesity has provided ripe opportunity to develop micromobility options in the marketplace. 7) The key difference between invention and innovation and how this applies to micromobility. Bonus! Why Horace thinks that riding an electric bike is more thrilling than driving a Porsche. Transcript of this show is available on our show page.

In this episode, we look at Marchetti's constant and why commute times tend to aggregate at under 1 hour per day. In this episode we also cover:  - How the 1 hour daily commute has been a constant across time, and how that affects how our cities form.  - What the Marchetti's constant is, and how it has driven the explosion in shared scooters and bikes.  - The Segway, why it failed and what it can teach us about the emergent micromobility phenomena. - The problems with traditional bikeshare systems, and why new layers of technology have helped this. - The power-network-intelligence matrix for thinking about emergent trends in micromobility. - How networks can creatively use incentives to solve for the limitations of the vehicles

In this episode, we refine the micromobility categorisation and unpack why urban infrastructure is a leading indicator to adoption. We run through: 1) Why the development of batteries and small electric motors underpinned the development of micromobility, the importance of off-the-shelf componentry in providing the basis for innovation and why electric will be the dominant powertrain for the coming 10 years.  2) The history of fuel infrastructure in the US, how hard this is to replicate, and why micromobility provides an opportunity to leapfrog this.  3) The history of transit, roading and tramways in major cities globally, and how they provided the conditions for the development of the car.  4) The significance of the standard bike as we know it today, and the impact that it had on society.  5) The emergence of cars in cities, the safety battles fought, and the development of signals, licensing and traffic segmentation, and the implications on that for alternative vehicle types.  6) How the emergence of micro mobility will terraform our cities in the same way that the car did.

In today’s show we cover the rise of scooter sharing and how different localized constraints result in different micromobility solutions blooming. Specifically:  - The scooter sharing model that Bird pioneered, why it emerged in Santa Monica and why it might not apply to other contexts. - The history from the Segway to the hoverboard, Boosted Board and on to the current scooter form factor. - The local variables that need to be considered for micromobility fleet operators. - The parallels of the rise of micromobility with early cellular, and the Galapagos scenario of ecosystem development.

On today's episode Horace and Oliver are joined by Corinne Vogel, head of operations at Smide bikeshare based in Zurich, Switzerland.  Smide is a high-end e-bike share system, with speed pedelec bikes that travel up to 30mph/45kph. It's using a completely different approach to the rapid blanket approach from e-scooter rollouts we're seeing elsewhere. It's a fascinating discussion.  Specifically, we touch on:  - who and what their customers are, why they choose Smide over other options and how this parallels to iPhone market positioning. - the importance of having good relationships with cities (and how they're loved by the governments they work with) - their unique crowdlending model for financing the launch of new cities - how they deploy user incentives to help load-balance the network, and the importance of having vehicles that go >70km / 50miles per charge As always, let us know what you think on Twitter at @asymco or @oliverbruce. Thanks!

In this episode, we look at the history of the Dutch cycle infrastructure, the symbiotic tension that we'll see between micromobility and autonomous vehicles, and the intangible quality of cities with vibrant micromobility ecosystems. We also cover:  - the recent spate of news re: the dawning scooter wars (Bird, Lime, Jump) - San Francisco's highway history - the cost comparisons for cycling infrastructure vs. car infrastructure, especially when compared to modal share vs. land-use in European cities. - How the rollout of cycling infrastructure parallels (or doesn't) the rollout of cellular infrastructure in both the US and Europe. - the creative tension that will exist between micromobility vehicles vs. autonomous cars (walkable neighborhoods vs. exurbia sprawl) - the 'experience' factor of micromobility, and the unquantifiable value of the thrill of riding a scooter/e-bike vs. passive A-B transport and how this is influenced by the European vs. American views of the world.

Micromobility has an addressable market of more than $1.4 trillion dollars annually in the US alone, a figure that makes it more valuable than longer distance transport addressable by cars ($1.1 trillion). That’s the message in this episode where we run through the talk ‘When Micromobility Attacks’ that Horace gave at the recent Micromobility Summit in Copenhagen. Be sure to check out the slides — have also included the relevant ones below. We look at: - How US trip data typically exhibits log-normal distributions (and an explanation of what this means!) - How many of the 2 trillion vehicle trips taken in the US annually would potentially be served by micromobility - How Marchetti’s constant (one hour of travel a day) relates to micromobility’s benefits- how adoption of micromobility would impact car demand, and why this is relevant to automakers- why these high volume, short trips are actually more valuable than average car trips on a dollar basis. - How time spent traveling will actually drive adoption of micromobility in highly congested cities. - Why 3 times more time is spent on short trips than longer trips in vehicles, and the implications for micromobility - The impacts this explosion in micromobility might have on carbon emissions and how we can measure that

In today’s show, we examine the role of platforms in micromobility’s rise, and what role they might play in furthering adoption. Specifically, we cover: - What an entry into the micromobility space might look like for Apple, and how their experience in interface stepchanges puts them at a unique advantage - How autonomous cars are analogous to wormholes vs. a more tactile engaging experience of the world with micromobility. - What a platform built on a micromobiltiy fleet might look like, and what it might enable, and what names we might give to these experiences in the same way that cars have crusing, drivethrus and cinemas. - The stage of the market, and the parallels to the Playstation vs Xbox argument - How the network effects of micromobility sharing platforms are inverse to the traditional car infrastructure - Horace introduces his new research paper looking at modal shifts with the introduction of e-mobility in a cities transport mix.

In today’s episode we unpack more about the latest data on micromobility adoption, what this implies for the total addressable market of micromobility and then run over the details of the upcoming Micromobility California event. Specifically, we touch on: - The speed of adoption curves for scooters compared to other technology platforms in the past. - The environmental impacts that we might be able to imply from using lightweight electric vehicles - Who will be attending the Micromobility California event, as well as who might find it interesting. - The details on who will be presenting.

On today’s episode Horace and Oliver are joined by Winston Kwon, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Social Innovation at the University of Edinburgh Business School. We discuss mobility poverty, why it matters and the role that micromobility could play in improving access to opportunities. We also touch on: - The concept of Universal Basic Mobility (as put forward by Alex Roy) and how micromobility might enable it - The importance of social inclusion — and how transport, specifically cars, impact it. - How the homogeneity of suburbs is accelerating their infrastructural decline. - Which cities/built environments will benefit the most from micromobility and which will be the most negatively impacted. - Horace revises his estimates for the Total Addressable Market for Micromobility globally.

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Twitter micromobility celebrity Michal Naka (@michalnaka), to talk about scooters, how they’re evolving in hardware and their interactions with cities and what the future might look like. It’s a packed episode. Specifically we cover: - How Michal ended up in micromobility through his skepticism of autonomous cars. (5:50->) - How the most valuable miles travelled are likely to be addressed by micromobility and not autonomous. (9:20->) - The history of the scooter supply chain.(13:00->) - The tradeoff that companies are making between opex and capex. (25:50->) - What future evolutions we’re likely to see in (29:30->) - How cities are responding to these new business models, and what we’re likely to see in the future. (33:46->) - How the diffusion theory applies to scooters and their evolution. (40:30->)

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr Chris Cherry (@drchrischerry), Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee and Director of Light Electric Vehicle Education and Research (LEVER) Initiative, an international academic/industry research consortium on lightweight and low speed EV’s about the environmental and social implications of micromobility. We discuss: - How China’s electric micromobility sector has grown to lead the world, and how Chris and his colleagues have worked to understand it. - The framework that they use to understand the benefits that lightweight electric utility vehicles offer users — notably low cost, point to point, low emission transport. - The emission and energy use of micromobility vehicles compared to other options. - How to think about whether micromobility is additive or substitutive trips vs. incumbent modes of transport. - What the role of fun plays in micromobility adoption. - Which cities will benefit the most from the ride of micromobility and why.

In this episode we discuss the recent Bird Platform announcement, why this was predictable given the dynamics of the market, and how franchising might evolve in the future. We also cover: - Dediu’s Law: Horace’s thesis that we’ll see 10x growth annually for the next 5–6 years in micromobility trip numbers. - How challenges related to social technologies like local bureaucracy/current scooter caps will be overcome. - The [VeloMetro/Veemo shared covered trike system](https://www.velometro.com/) that has emerged in Vancouver and whether this is likely to catch on.

On today’s episode, Horace and Oliver dig deep into the evolution of business models in transport, and how micromobility lays the foundation for the next great shift of interoperable, efficient, low-cost transport services powered by blockchain. I think we just hit peak hype words, but bear with us! We cover: - How the car was the first great bundling of transport ‘jobs-to-be-done’ into a single option — kickstarting the first major productization of transport. - The emergence of Uber, and the shift of trips from pre-paid product to service. - The dynamics of vehicle fleets, and why scooter/e-bike fleets are likely to move off-balance sheet for most large operators in the near future. - How multimodality, especially that underpinned by micromobility, lends itself to open transport systems, and how this will give rise to token marketplaces for trips (similar to Bitcoin developer Mike Hearn’s tradenet proposal ). - The impact that decentralized token marketplaces will have on cities. It’s a conceptually dense episode as we explore the Productization-Servitization-Securitization-Tokenization (Pro-Se-Sec-To Framework?).

On today’s episode, Oliver talks with Regina Clewlow (@reginaclewlow), CEO of Populus.ai about her insights gained from building micromobility data dashboards for city officials. We discuss what matters to cities, and why the rise of micromobility data will drive the changes in streetscapes across the world. We also discuss: - The new data standards emerging for operators in cities, and how this will help both operators and cities better manage fleets, and cities to develop more appropriate infrastructure. - The new partnership they’ve developed with Lime to monitor their LimePod car sharing in Seattle, and how that lays the foundation for fixing the tragedy of the commons problems with scooter parking. - The report that Populus has produced for DC looking at equity of access to dockless mobility services vs more traditional docked services and why this matters to cities.

On today’s show, Horace and Oliver talk through the challenges that vandalism poses to the shared micromobility model. Specifically we cover: - The core drivers of vandalism of such fleets, and how this compares to historical parallels. - The implications for capex vs. opex - The calculations that operators are making to ensure that the services still function well.

In this episode, we have Steve Anderson (@Rashomon2) as a guest on the podcast. Steve has a long history in motorcycle safety and engineering forensics, and more recently has been working on low powered electric vehicles. He will be speaking at the upcoming Micromobility Summit in California on the 31st of January. We cover: - The role of vehicle design, infrastructure and speed in micromobility safety. - The coming emergence of different form factors, including cabin motorcycles and enclosed cargo trikes - Different avoidance and damage mitigation options for micromobility. - Helmets — their impact and how their role in micromobility. Be sure to check out the Danish airbag helmet, the [Hovding](http://hovding.com/). - The role of fun and joy in micromobility’s appeal.

On today’s show we have Boyd Cohen, CEO of Iomob, to discuss building a marketplace operating system for city transportation, and what is enabled having all modes of transport interoperable and discoverable. Specifically, we dig into: - What the benefits to customers and operators are for an open marketplace for mobility. - Why micromobility is specifically well suited to open marketplaces/interoperability. - Why Boyd doesn’t think the current scooter/micromobility operators will survive in their current form. - The benefits and pitfalls of having system wide integrations for all transport options. - How this will scale in the face of competition from Uber, Google Maps and others.

On today’s episode we do a very quick recap of the inaugural 2019 Micromobility Summit and then turn our attention to talk through what early stage investment in micromobility looks like with Reilly Brennan of Trucks Venture Capital (@reillybrennan). He is a founding general partner at Trucks (trucks.vc), a seed-stage venture capital fund for entrepreneurs changing the future of transportation. Reilly holds a teaching appointment at Stanford University and is influential newsletter [Future of Transportation](http://www.tinyletter.com/transportation) is a radar for what’s happening in transportation. Prior to Trucks, Reilly was Executive Director for Stanford’s automotive research program, Revs. He is very well known in the transport technology space. In this episode we discuss: - Trucks VC and how it’s adjusted it’s thinking about micromobility in its search for the companies that will power the future of transportation. - How he thinks about the evolution of the supply chain in the micromobility sector, and who will be looking to get involved. - Where he sees parallels between the existing early stages of micromobility and the autonomous vehicle space a few years ago. - What opportunities he is looking for in the space, and his thesis of where value will accrue. We also discuss the new Micromobility VC syndicate on AngelList that will be syndicating interesting deals in the micromobility space out to early stage investors. If you are an accredited investor and would like to hear about the deals that Horace, Oliver and others are coming across and backing, please find us on [AngelList](http://5by5.tv/micromobility/angel.co) and apply.

On today’s episode, Oliver runs over recent news in the scooter/micromobility space with Michal Naka (@michalnaka) and we release the government regulator panel from the recent Micromobility California Summit talking about the experiences from LA, Portland, Oakland and Claremont in regulating scooter operators. In the news section, we discuss: - The emergence of Grin in South America, and what this means for scooters in LatAm. - Lime’s recent $310m raise and how this reflects the consolidation of the rest of the industry. Next, we have the panel from the recent Summit where Katie Fehrenbacher from Greenbiz hosts a panel with: - Seleta Reynolds from the LADOT - Ryan Russo from Oakland DOT - Briana Orr who managed Portland’s Shared Electric Scooter Pilot - Julie Medero, Chair of the Traffic and Transportation Commission from the City of Claremont They cover: - How cities are viewing the rise of micromobility operations as a means of providing access to low-cost mobility and benefitting their citizens. - What cities have learnt from the rise of Uber/Lyft and how that is influencing their regulatory stances with new operators and business models. - How they’re using their ability to regulate to influence data standards and how this will affect operators/entrepreneurs in this space. - The variables that they, as regulators, need to consider as part of rollouts. - How cities are thinking about infrastructure and deployment, and the challenges that they face in rolling out safe infrastructure for micromobility.

In this episode, Horace and Oliver discuss vehicle standards and classifications based on Horace's recent discussions with the Society of Automotive Engineers. Specifically, the cover: - What are automotive standards, why are they important, and how does this change how we look at the world? - The history of the term 'microcomputing' and how the significance of this faded away over time, and what parallels we might be able to see with mobility. - How is the SAE thinking about classifying micromobility vehicles, and what are the likely implications of this - What variables regulators should be thinking about when looking at vehicles, and which they should avoid (hint: speed) - What value the German system for classifying low-powered electric vehicles could offer globally - The parallels to Horace's time at Nokia, and how he foresaw the rise of the battle of iOS and Android.

In this episode, Horace and Oliver discuss the new Micromobility book that is up on Kickstarter. This is the first book from Horace in the space, and outlines why and how micromobility will take over the world. Get your copy here - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2092675260/micromobility-the-first-year?ref=27ap2v. Next up, Oliver and Michal discuss the latest news including the first Bird Platform launch globally in New Zealand, Voi's recent raise and Jump's latest data from Sacramento. Finally, we release the Venture Capital panel from the recent Micromobility Summit in California. We have Greg Lindsay, Director of Strategy, LA CoMotion moderate a panel with Julie Lien (Founding Partner, Urban Innovation Fund), Reilly Brennan (Founding Partner, Trucks.vc) and Damir Becirovic (Principal, Index Ventures).

In this episode, Oliver and Horace discuss the Micromobility FAQ's and their significance. Specifically, they cover: - how it's categorised and why this is important - whether autonomous cars will make Micromobility irrelevant - Infrastructure and why and how this is an important question - How should we think about measuring success. The sponsor of the episode is Joyride, a software platform that lets you launch your own bike or scooter share system under your brand, with full consumer facing apps, and backend fleet management and integrations. Check them out at Joyride.city

New to micromobility? This episode is for you. Been with us all year? There is still plenty of depth and breadth being addressed. In this special episode, Horace and Oliver revisit many of the ideas of the first 20+. It is a great episode for both solidifying one’s understanding and introducing one’s friends and family. Specifically, they cover: - How Horace came to micromobility and why it was so initially captivating - The primary requirement of the micromobility definition (500kg) and the secondary requirements — motor and utility - Recent growth in global production ability and the China bikeshare bubble - The push and pull of micromobility - How success in disruption requires humility for both sides - The various pain points of modern transportation and how micromobility addresses them - Jobs to be done and the markets for micromobility - How the sharing economy allows us to no longer buy for the extremely rare use cases (six sigma) - Applying our intuitive sense for jobs to be done in computing to transportation - The significance of the lognormal distribution for car trips - The evolution rate of micromobility vehicles, which is orders of magnitude greater than that of automobility. - A few predictions - The adoption curve and the disruption principle - Efficiency gains of various modes and environmental impact of micromobility - The exponential growth of scooter companies in 2018 - The maintenance needs and vehicle design needs of shared vehicles

In this episode, Horace and Oliver unpack the Uber S-1 filing, noting, among other things: - The parallels between Uber's assessment of total addressable market and that which we've talked about on the Micromobility podcast. - The economics of short trips, and how these skew towards Micromobility vs Uber's existing rideshare business. - The strategy that makes the most sense for Uber to scale micromobility over the short to mid term. - We discuss the recent Barclays Bank report on micromobility that also further validates Horace's and Uber's analysis of the market potential. We also discuss the Micromobility book, the Micromobility Membership and the upcoming Micromobility Summit in Europe on October 1st. For details on all of this, please head to micromobility.io

In this episode, we publish a panel discussion from the Micromobility California Summit in January. Derrick Ko (CEO, Spin), Michael Keating (CEO, Scoot), Sanjay Dastoor (CEO, Skip) and Sergio Romo (CEO, Grin) are interviewed by Cory Weinberg from The Information. They cover: - The scooter landscape as it was in January, and lessons learnt so far - The challenges they've faced ins scaling, and what they foresee ahead - Their changing relationships with cities - Which competitor company they respect the most - How OEM's such as Ford are thinking about the space. - How each of them think about capital raising, and the different approaches taken.

In this episode, Horace and Oliver discuss Horace's visit to Christchurch, New Zealand for the ITSNZ T-Tech 19 conference. For those that don't know, Christchurch suffered a massive earthquake in 2011, levelling most of downtown and killing 181 people. The city has been rebuilt with great cycle/micromobility infrastructure, which has led to Lime Scooters and cycling as a modal being incredibly popular in the city. In this episode, we unpack: - why the concentration of political power in cities makes them more likely to be able to quickly adapt to micromobility changes - how the earthquake parallels the expected increase in volatility in environment we're likely to see from climate change, and how this benefits micromobility. - how sunk costs in infrastructure can and will hinder the adoption of micromobility, and why this is a mistake. - How the conformability of small vehicles allows them to permeate further into the city substrate in a way that larger vehicles cannot - How transport changes how we relate to cities, and the possibilities that we see with them. - How asset-light models suit an experience driven culture, and how this is a reflection of new forms of status. Be sure to check out micromobility.io for all the latest, sign up to our newsletter, and get tickets for Micromobility Europe which is happening on October 1st. Please also rate the show - it helps us get recommended to others. Cheers and let us know what you think on Twitter - @oliverbruce and @asymco

In this episode, we publish the Software for Micromobility panel from the Micromobility California Summit. In this panel, Stacey Randecker Bartlett (Co-Host, The Flying Car) hosts a conversation with William Henderson (CEO, Ride Report), Tiffany Chu (COO, Remix), Alex Kirn (CEO, INVERS), Jake Sion (COO, Transit App), Victor Pontis (CEO, ScooterMap) about how software is enabling and empowering micromobility to be adopted into cities. Specifically they cover: - Whether they see the emergence of one app to rule them all - How software is integrating these services into a multimodal solution that can replace the job to be done of cars - How software enables the remote fleet management for shared assets - The software that cities are adopting to manage both shared fleets, as well as planning for their roadspace - What cities are starting to learn when they’re empowered with software - How MDS is working and not working for cities and operators - The challenges around privacy in software and open data standards - Their take on the potential for autonomous micromobility Be sure to get your tickets to Micromobility Europe (Berlin, 1st October), as well as sign up to the MM Newsletter at micromobility.io

In this episode, Oliver interviews Nick Lovett (@nicklovettnz), Transport Policy Planner at the Christchurch City Council in New Zealand. Nick runs the scooter trial with Lime, and has recently expanded the programme to Beam (Singapore) and Flamingo (a local competitor). As noted in earlier episodes, Christchurch has been widely praised for his progressive stance embracing micromobility. In this episode, we dig into the wider lessons both entrepreneurs and regulators can take from Christchurch’s example. Specifically, we cover: - The primary things that entrepreneurs need to understand when dealing with regulators - How regulators like Nick are thinking about the rise of business models like Lime and the new leading programme from Bird - The challenges with having cities adapt quickly to new transport modes, and what entrepreneurs need to watch out for. - What regulators are balancing while seeking to embrace micromobility in their cities.

In this episode, we release the content from a recent MM Meetup call with Horace where he unpacks 'What makes Micromobility Disruptive?'. This was recorded from a call for our paid subscribers via the Substack newsletter, and grants exclusive access to Horace to ask questions on a monthly basis. It helps support the work that Horace, myself, James, Chase and Luke do to generate content for you guys, and grants you exclusive benefits like discounts to Summits, exclusive swag, early access to content and a community of other micromobility enthusiasts. See more details below. On the call, they cover: - How the current phase of scooters are similar to the Motorola Razr of the mid-late 2000s. - How dependent on infrastructure is Micromobility’s success? What can we learn from the deployment of both cellular and autonomotive infrastructure development? - The difference between adoption and disruption. Why adoption will come regardless, and what about disruption is predictable? How can we use language to track adoption? - What is micromobility actually disrupting? Why is it hard to convince others to see the market for something that is additive. - What segments are existing OEM’s not serving with their car products, and what opportunities does this present to micromobility providers? How is this causing them to flee the low end? - How disruptive are traditional electric vehicles? How is this different? - Micromobility deserts - what will happen in exurban areas? How does this track with the trend of urbanisation? - Christensen says that automobiles weren’t disruptive themselves, but the Model T was. Horace explains why.

In this episode, Oliver interviews Tiffany Chu (@tchu88), co-founder and COO at Remix to discuss the role of software in helping cities plan for better use of their streets and help them harness the benefits of micromobility. Specifically we cover:  - The story of Remix and how they came to found it. - The predominant use cases for cities in utilising their software, and how this helps break down silos within city governments. - The challenges she sees with the rapid growth of micromobility and cities ability to absorb these new vehicles. - How she sees us more rapidly deploying new micromobility friendly infrastructure, and how that pares with the existing political processes in a lot of places - An explanation of MDS and why it’s valuable for city officials - What they’re planning to do with their recent Series B raise - What she would recommend for entrepreneurs thinking of working with governments. Unfortunately we lost a bit of the better quality audio halfway through so have to revert to the backup recording. Apologies. Also, as mentioned in the episode, check out the great Slate article on the MDS debate from David Zipper: https://slate.com/business/2019/04/scooter-data-cities-mds-uber-lyft-los-angeles.html

This week Oliver interviews journalist David Zipper about the quietly brewing war over mobility data that is being played out between cities and shared micromobility operators. David is a Resident Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and a Partner in the 1776 Venture Fund, where he oversees investments in smart cities and mobility ventures. Following his tenure as director of NYC Business Solutions in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration in New York City he served as director of Business Development and Strategy for two mayors in Washington, D.C. David has written a number of articles in Slate, Fast Company and The Atlantic covering, among other things, the rise of the Mobility Data Specification which we see as one of the building blocks to supercharge micromobility’s growth, and underpin the future operating systems for mobility in our cities. In this episode, we dig into: - What is the Mobility Data Specifications, and why are they significant? - Who are the major players arguing for or against MDS? - What are the implications of widespread adoption of standards in this space? - What will happen in the event of the preemption bill AB1112 passing in the California Senate, stripping cities of the right to collect the data that MDS provides, including the city that is leading the development of it. It’s a fascinating conversation about the politics playing out at the local and state levels as cities build new solutions. For a more detailed read, check out the article from Slate that David wrote: https://slate.com/business/2019/04/scooter-data-cities-mds-uber-lyft-los-angeles.html Unfortunately the good quality audio on David’s side got cut off around the 30 minute mark, so we default to the Skype recording. As always, let us know what you think on Twitter: @oliverbruce or @davidzipper

In this episode, Oliver and Horace discuss a recent trip that Horace made around Continental Europe and reflect on the changing dynamics of shared micromobility business models. Specifically: - The core product, regulatory and operational challenges that are constraining shared mimo companies - The differences between being anti-car and pro-micromobility - The parallels in this market to the mistakes made by the Chinese bikeshare operators, and more historically, the clean tech boom of the late ‘00s. - Why Bird launching the Cruiser was predictable, what the likely next steps will be in terms of product design and how this tracks the early years of the phone industry - An update on Horace’s blogpost ‘The Three Eras of Micromobility’ - The three categories of operators we’ve seen emerge: Independent Mega’s (Bird, Lime), Corporate Parent backed (Jump, Motivate) and Independent Minors (Voi, Tier, Bolt, Circ, etc etc.) and how the capital constraints of each impact their ability to innovate. - How micromobility is not going to be a winner-take-all market As mentioned, the article on the Three Eras of Micromobility by Horace: https://micromobility.io/blog/2019/4/29/the-three-eras-of-micromobility

In this episode, Oliver interviews Sampo Heitanen, CEO of MaaS Global/Whim on their mobility as a service subscription model they have in Helsinki and a number of other markets. Specifically we cover: - How MaaS Global came to be started - The unique context of Helsinki’s regulatory environment and the enabling factors that made it a great first market - The challenges and opportunities of scaling mobility as a service offerings - ticketing, API’s, regulatory barriers and walled gardens - The importance of docked and dockless micromobility in driving down the costs of the subscription model - Their customer demographics and how this has driven their choices around subscription packages - How he thinks about Uber’s walled garden efforts in the mobility as a service space - The role of governments/regulators in encouraging mobility as a service offerings It’s a great conversation about the shift of business models to mobility-as-a-service subscriptions, underpinned by micromobility.

In this episode, Horace and Oliver discuss Donald Shoup’s work, The High Cost of Free Parking, and why micromobility offers such a compelling counter to the dominant mindset that has existed around parking for the last 70 years. Specifically, we cover: - the financial and spatial impact of parking minimums in the US - The Catch-22 of parking legislation - parking creates sprawled landscapes that increases the need for them to move around. - The importance of pricing parking appropriately - The odd behaviour that our misplacing of car parks has created in Japan and the US - the logical use case for autonomy in RV’s if we can’t better price/allocate roadspace - Why micromobility offers such a fundamental rethink of space allocation and parking requirements

In this episode, Oliver interviews Lawrence Leuschner, CEO and co-founder of Tier, one of Europe’s largest scooter operators with over 6 million cumulative rides to date. Specifically, we cover: - Lawrence’s background as a successful entrepreneur and his motivations for starting Tier - the landscape for micromobility adoption in Europe, and why Europe is better placed to adsorb these transport innovations - we unpack the reasoning behind their unique operational model and more recent moves into custom hardware - reviews of regulations and data standards across Europe, lessons from Paris and why he thinks Germany is the most promising micromobility market - capital efficiency of operations, and how/why European operators differ from Lime and Bird - current and future integrations with public transport systems, and where this is most likely to occur. All in all, a fascinating interview!

In this episode, Horace and Oliver run over Horace’s insights from his recent research using UN data into city-level potential for micromobility markets globally. We run through the most interesting growth trends in 1800+ cities. Specifically we look at: - Contextualising the rapid growth in car-based urbanisation as part of a 5000 year trend - Why Africa is one of the most interesting potential markets between now and 2035. - The cities positioned for both the fastest growth and largest increase. - How the low-income demographics of new migrants to these emerging mega-cities necessitates the need for cheap micromobility transport - Why we should look at auto-ownership rates to understand the 'low-end' potential of micromobility. - The likely business models we'll see emerge with the confluence of autonomy, networking and new propulsion options. - How these vehicles will beat the current incumbents of petrol powered scooters in Asia The things mentioned in the episode are: - The blogpost that Horace has written on the micromobility markets by city. - The talk by Jeremy Grantham re: the majority of increase in global population coming from Africa between now and 2100 - https://youtu.be/cPCblFpqrkI?t=1635 As requested, if anyone has a suggestion for an interview guest for micromobility in India or Africa, please message me on Twitter @oliverbruce. Thanks!

In this episode, Oliver interviews Jeff Russakow, CEO of Boosted Boards, makers of the famous electric skateboards and now scooter. Boosted focuses on vehicle-grade owned micromobility, which provides a refreshing counter to the hype around shared models. It’s one of our best episodes to date--highly recommend checking it out! Specifically we cover: - the origins of the company, and how it proves out Horace’s early thesis on the disruptive potential of modularized componentry. - Jeff’s history with lightweight electric vehicles and his eventual coming to Boosted - How they think through their role as manufacturing ‘vehicle grade’ vehicles in the micromobility space, and how this differentiates them from other manufacturers - how their customers use their products - hint: 82% of their customers use them for their commute. - How they think through shared services vs. the owned micromobility market, solving the job-to-be-done of travel and why they’re doubling down on personally owned vehicles - Why they consider their competition the car and not other scooter or board manufacturers. - How they think about safety, why shared scooters have given a lot of people the wrong impression about what micromobility safety can be, and the standards that they build their vehicles to. - How they think about infrastructure for these lightweight vehicles, and where the opportunities are for regulators to harness the benefits. - The challenges that they’ve faced scaling to being a global, growth stage electric vehicle company. - How the venture capital community have viewed them vs the hyped space of shared micromobility. - Hints at their product pipeline and what they find interesting. Key quotes: “What are your options? You can buy a vehicle like ours and you're down to two dollars a day for unlimited mileage and no parking. You can pay $2 a mile for scooter or car share, or you can take your car - it's 40/50 cents a mile between insurance and depreciation and then parking could be $30 a day. So quite literally buying a premium scooter is the cheapest thing you can do.” “It’s been fun for us with the scooter shares because somebody is spending a billion dollars of somebody else's money to put free demos on every street corner on the planet and educate people to the value of these vehicles. There's a bunch of people say, ‘this is great.’ I'm going to use sharing and that's awesome, and then there's a bunch of people who say I like this so much, I’m going to buy one. If they want a vehicle grade one, there's only one. So we're in an interesting market spot.”

In this episode, Oliver interviews Martin Mignot, a general partner at Index Ventures and panelist on our ‘Capital in Micromobility’ panel at the upcoming Micromobility Europe conference in Berlin. Index Ventures were early investors in Bird, and have a long history of investing in the micro and macro mobility space over the last 15 years. Specifically, we dug into: - His thesis around investing in mobility companies, and why the smartphone/internet has proved so transformational - Index’s investment in Bird, and why their focus on design and brand differentiates them starkly from the competition - His investment in Cowboy, his bullishness on high end owned micromobility, and how software/hardware integration can create outsized value. - The evolving funding landscape for shared scooters, and how he sees that progressing over the two years. - Why Paris has been a model laboratory for how the market for shared operations will develop over time. - How the pointy end of micromobility tech has started to hit the hard concrete of infrastructure, and how it’s increasingly dragging him into debates about infrastructure. It’s a really fun interview - one of our best so far! Well worth a listen.

In this episode, Oliver and Horace talk about cost-per-mile calculations for micromobility, and the implications of the recent blogpost that Horace published on the Micromobility.io blog (https://micromobility.io/blog/2019/9/9/the-cost-of-a-mile). In short - what happens when the marginal cost per additional km collapses towards zero with Micromobility. We think there are lots of lessons we can take from the telecom industry. Specifically, we cover: - The cost-per-mile calculations from New York for both Citi-Bike and taxis and how they compare to private owned cars - The comparison of shared vs. owned micromobility, and why Horace is far more bullish than Oliver on shared platforms - The jobs-to-be-done of shared vs owned micromobility, and why they’re in many ways different markets - What new behaviours and business opportunities we’re seeing emerge on shared platforms and why scooter trains validate our early thesis about why micromobility is disruptive. - Why Lime and Bird are likely to become the equivalent of Vodafone or Verizon over time - A discussion about whether the social layer for micromobility transport will sit on the vehicle or on the phone of the user. It’s a great discussion with lots of sparring. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it!

In this episode, Horace and Oliver host a live podcast recording at The Drivery, an incubator in Berlin in front of an audience. They discuss the upcoming Micromobility Europe conference, disruption of the German car industry and what will disrupt micromobility itself in the future. It was a great conversation! This week we discuss: - Germany’s micromobility explosion and why it’s different from other countries - Why we chose Berlin for the Micromobility Conference in Berlin - Why the intellectual interest in micromobility from the car OEM’s is a textbook disruption response - How automakers will eventually be forced to flee cities - What can we see coming along that will disrupt Micromobility in the future - What would businesses built on micromobility platforms look like? - What form factors we see emerging for colder climates - What the impact of new motors will be on vehicles - Why a marketplace for rides is coming, and what the impacts of these low cost rides will be. “A bit transfer cost has gone to zero. When a human transfer cost goes to zero, then what?’ Thanks to this week’s sponsor Particle. Particle provides an end-to-end IoT platform, from device management to connectivity to hardware for connecting micromobility vehicles to networks and reducing complexity as operations scale. For operators that I've talked to, they're a godsend in the world of highly complex and competitive operations. Visit Particle.io/micromobility to learn more and request a free IoT development kit. All podcast listeners will also receive a free consultation. Visit Particle.io/micromobility today.

In this episode, Oliver interviews Frank Reig, CEO of Revel, an e-moped sharing system in NYC/DC that has just announced a $27.6m raise to expand to 10 new cities. It’s a fascinating interview as shared e-mopeds have a number of key operational improvements over the more popular kick scooter/electric bike shared systems that we’ve seen. Specifically we discuss: - Their recent raise and plans for the next 12-18 months. - Their origin story from Frank’s experiences in Argentina and his background in the electric vehicle space - The financial, infrastructural and operational advantages of using e-mopeds over normal kick scooters, and how that drives them to consider themselves more like a parallel to the carshare industry than the kick scooter industry. - Their fleets in NYC and DC, and the experiences they’ve had working with regulators in both. - How they deal with parking, and why they believe that is part of Revel’s ‘special sauce’. - A deeper dive on both their vehicle longevity and their swappable battery advantages. - Why they’re able to finance all their vehicle, and how that improves the capital efficiency of the operations. - How they think about competition, especially from larger players. - How their full time labor model changes regulatory conversations with cities. - How their vehicle type lends itself to longer trips, and the role that they play as a transport option in a suburb with relatively low connectivity options. - How they’re able to end up being a cheaper operator than both Bird and Lime in some markets. - How they were able to learn from Scoot and it’s lessons from San Francisco - Reflections on their safety and insurance practices - Other form factors that would make sense for them to expand into in the future Thanks to this week’s sponsor Particle. Particle provides an end-to-end IoT platform, from device management to connectivity to hardware for connecting micromobility vehicles to networks and reducing complexity as operations scale. For operators that I’ve talked to, they’re a godsend in the world of highly complex and competitive operations. Visit Particle.io/micromobility to learn more and request a free IoT development kit. All podcast listeners will also receive a free consultation. Visit Particle.io/micromobility today.

In today's packed episode, Oliver interviews Dmitry Shevelenko, CEO of Tortoise, an autonomous scooter software company about the potential of self driving scooters in clearing clutter, improving economics and unlocking the suburbs for shared micromobility. Specifically we dig into: - Dmitry's background at Uber leading business development in micromobility, and how that led him to coming across his co-founder. - The promise and potential of self rebalancing micromobility networks, and how that is appealing to operators and regulators. - Why they're pursuing a horizontal strategy in the space, and why that's required based on the industry structure. - Why the simplicity of the tech stack/operations, low cost and high levels of vehicle replacement make this a well suited space for the rapid iteration of the tech space. - What the discussions with regulators has been like, and the key considerations that they have. - The competitive landscape for autonomous micromobility and where Dmitry sees the threats in the space. - Their go to market strategy using teleops first, moving towards increased levels of autonomy over time. - What are the KPI's that are important for them, especially around operations. - What is the funding environment like now that scooter companies are in the trough of disillusionment, and how investors are thinking about the bet on them. Thanks to this week’s sponsor Particle. Particle provides an end-to-end IoT platform, from device management to connectivity to hardware for connecting micromobility vehicles to networks and reducing complexity as operations scale. For operators that I’ve talked to, they’re a godsend in the world of highly complex and competitive operations. Visit Particle.io/micromobility to learn more and request a free IoT development kit. All podcast listeners will also receive a free consultation. Visit Particle.io/micromobility today.

In this episode, Oliver interviews David Hyman, CEO of Unagi Scooters about the market for premium, lightweight owned micromobility. David’s background is in software and marketing, having previously been the CEO of Beats by Dre. Unagi has really nailed the owned scooter brand experience, and it’s a great discussion. Specifically we dig into: - Features and tradeoffs that they made in order to deliver the best ownership experience - The origin story for the Unagi Scooter - The overall market potential for the space and how they’re thinking about it - The importance of quality and signalling for something that is personally owned, and how that differs from shared services - What he sees happening for the micromobility space, both owned and shared, in the coming few years - Their recent raise of $3m, who it came from and what they intend to do with it. Thanks to this week’s sponsor Particle. Particle provides an end-to-end IoT platform, from device management to connectivity to hardware for connecting micromobility vehicles to networks and reducing complexity as operations scale. For operators that I’ve talked to, they’re a godsend in the world of highly complex and competitive operations. Visit Particle.io/micromobility to learn more and request a free IoT development kit. All podcast listeners will also receive a free consultation. Visit Particle.io/micromobility today.

In today’s episode, Oliver interviews Mark Frohnmayer, CEO of Arcimoto, a new 1100lb+ electric trike that has just gone into production in Eugene, Oregon. Arcimoto is aiming to a hit a US$12k production price point for a vehicle with 70+ miles of range and able to conform to all roading infrastructure, including highways. We unpack why this is a disruptive solution to the market. Specifically we dig into: - The origin story for Arcimoto and why Mark launched the company - The specifics of the vehicle, including their design tradeoffs and benefits and what ‘rockstar parking’ means - Their planned routes to market, including rentals and enterprise customers - The challenges of getting to production, and where they’ve learnt lessons - How and why they’re interested in adding autonomy to their design platform - Why their manufacturing strategy is disruptive compared to existing vehicle manufacturing techniques today - Their plans for expansion globally - What the capital markets have been like for them as they went from concept to production Thanks to this week’s sponsor Particle. Particle provides an end-to-end IoT platform, from device management to connectivity to hardware for connecting micromobility vehicles to networks and reducing complexity as operations scale. For operators that I’ve talked to, they’re a godsend in the world of highly complex and competitive operations.  Visit Particle.io/micromobility to learn more and request a free IoT development kit. All podcast listeners will also receive a free consultation. Visit Particle.io/micromobility today.

In this episode, Horace and Oliver talk though the flood of news post-Berlin, and how the micromobility is being circulated around by the giants of automotive and large tech, as they work out how to best participate.  We also explore:  - the parallels between feature phone experimentation and the extensive discussions over form factor experimentation we’re seeing in lightweight electric vehicles (ie. the rise of the Scoot/Bird Cruiser) - why that has the potential to lead to unifying operating systems that unite the fragmentation, and who the most likely contenders are to lead this. - How implausible the rise of social media influencers seemed when looking at phones in the early 2000’s, and why and how micromobility could also drive such a change - The potential and risks that we have of ‘squandering abundance’ when the cost of movement trends towards zero - How movement towards a transport ‘experience’ requires multiple layers of integrations, and what those will need to be - Why just winning the ‘utility’ argument isn’t enough for Horace It’s a great conceptual episode and follow up to how Horace’s thinking is evolving.

Today on the podcast, Oliver interviews William Henderson, CEO of Ride Report about micromobility data and mobility-as-a-service systems. Ride Report is the reporting dashboard for over 50 cities globally for their dockless shared micromobility operations, and William's team work very closely with regulators and operators globally to build trust among all the different parties. William also has a great historical context for urban transportation and what has/hasn't worked in the past. It's a great conversation! Specifically we dig into: - William's background at Square and how that skillset led him to start Ride Report. - The role of data in building trust among operators and regulators, and why that needs to sit with a third party - A run through of the Mobility Data Specification - an introduction for those unfamiliar, why it works and is problematic and why Uber is suing LADOT. - The necessity of good quality data in building open mobility systems, and which cities are doing it well. - The history of how bike share and public transport emerged and developed and the parallels to micromobility systems today. - Which cities are adopting best practice for regulating shared scooters/bikes around the world, which ones are not doing it well and why. - Why scooter/micromobility parking on street corners is a smart idea that serves multiple purposes. - The parallels between payments systems vs. the interoperable mobility-as-a-service ecosystem. Things referenced in the discussion: - LA Department of Transport - https://ladot.io) - Mobility Data Specification - https://ladot.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/What-is-MDS-Cities.pdf - Open Mobility Foundation -https://www.openmobilityfoundation.org Thanks also to this week’s sponsor Twilio IoT. Shared micromobiltiy is a deceptively hard business. Keep losing your connections to those vehicles and soon you’ll be out of business. That’s where Twilio IoT comes in - providing SIMs and a cellular connectivity platform to seamlessly connect in 180+ countries. Twilio helps companies like Lime, Skip, Spin and Beam to cost effectively scale faster, deploy further, and optimize their supply chain. Twilio is also the leader for SMS and phone verification APIs to reduce fraud and improve user experience. Are you looking for the right global cellular connectivity partner to scale with? Twilio is offering free SIMs and test credit to Micromobility Podcast listeners for a limited time. Visit here to find out more (https://bit.ly/2XPctKC)

Today, Horace and Oliver talk about the newly released SAE Micromobility Standards, the Cybertruck announcement and Horace’s latest thoughts on the boondoggle of autonomy. Specifically, they dig into: - Why the new SAE Micromobility standards matter, what they’re competing against and why definitions like this default to lowest common denominators. - The Cybertruck announcement, including discussion about what appears to be a new type of body manufacturing, and the implications of the radical design. Plus, Horace admits to liking it, even if he doesn’t think that the entire category of trucks should exist. - We dig into why Horace believes that autonomy for cars is such a boondoggle, and the implications for wider mobility technology investment and talent. If you’re interested in hearing Horace and Oliver talk in more detail about these issues on exclusive calls plus get discounts on the Micromobility Conference, swag and more, sign up to Triple M here: https://micromobility.io/triple-m Show notes: - SAE Micromobility Standards [https://www.sae.org/news/press-room/2019/11/sae-international-publishes-industry’s-first-standard-for-classification-and-definition-of-powered-micromobility-vehicles] - Cybertruck Coefficient of Drag modelling [https://electrek.co/2019/11/25/tesla-cybertruck-aerodynamics-cfd-rendering/] - Scooter supply chains with Michal Naka and Stephen Lambe [https://medium.com/mimomusings/on-the-origin-of-scooters-76f6a28d49d] Thanks also to this week’s sponsor Twilio IoT. Shared micromobility is a deceptively hard business. Keep losing your connections to those vehicles and soon you’ll be out of business. That’s where Twilio IoT comes in - providing SIMs and a cellular connectivity platform to seamlessly connect in 180+ countries. Twilio helps companies like Lime, Skip, Spin and Beam to cost effectively scale faster, deploy further, and optimize their supply chain. Twilio is also the leader for SMS and phone verification APIs to reduce fraud and improve user experience.  Are you looking for the right global cellular connectivity partner to scale with? Twilio is offering free SIMs and test credit to Micromobility Podcast listeners for a limited time. Visit here to find out more - https://bit.ly/2XPctKC.

On today’s podcast, Oliver interviews Sam Baker, COO of Wunder Mobility, about their software platform that underpins a number of carshare, carpool, Micromobility and other services players in Europe, and is about to expand to the US. Specifically we dig into: - Wunder’s early success in carpooling, and how their strategy differed from Oliver’s experience watching commuting products being built at Uber. - Sam’s thesis around ‘digitizing the 99%’ of transport operators, so that they can connect in to the forthcoming Mobility As a Service platforms - Why Sam disagrees that there will be ‘one app to rule them all’, and instead that the future of Mobility As A Service will involve lots of interoperable components. - What traditional fleet operators can bring to the new world of venture capital funded mobility - His take on data standardisation for mobility operators - The potential for examples of full end to end Mobility as a Service platform such as the one that Sixt has rolled out in Europe to replace car ownership. I found this a great interview - Wunder hadn’t been on my radar, but they are now.

On today’s podcast, Oliver interviews Bharath Devanathan, SVP, Growth at Bounce Mobility, about their moped sharing business in India. They recently raised a $150m round to expand their operations across India. It’s an amazing conversation - one of the best so far about the potential of shared micromobility to change transport systems for good in fast growing and highly constrained urban environments in the developing world. Specifically we dig into: - The history of how Bharath came to Bounce, and the story of how it morphed into moped sharing. - The biggest operational challenges that they have in Bangalore and other cities they operate in - How the governments in the cities they operate in India regulate and view them, including incredible statistics about how much they’re contributing to first/last mile connections in Bangalore - The rise of Micromobility in the context of the overburdened transport systems in Indian metropolises that need to more 10m+ people a day - Their plans for growth across India - We dig into their KPI’s and how the perform relative to international benchmarks for moped sharing - Their expansion into electric moped sharing and the unique challenges that they’ve faced in user education I found this an amazing interview, that validated Horace’s thesis that the biggest growth in Micromobility will come in developing markets.

In today’s episode, Felix Jakobsen and Enrico Howe from Unu Motors join Oliver to talk about the Global Scooter Sharing Market Report (for clarity, we’re talking mopeds), a recent publication on the state of the shared moped market globally. It’s a great discussion about the expansion of a space that often gets overlooked compared to it’s more well funded kick scooter cousin. Specifically, we dig into: * The history of Unu Motors, and how they came to be tracking the shared moped market.
 * The crazy + 164% in moped numbers over the last year, where that growth has taken place, and where they see it coming from in the future.
 * The Indian micromobility market, and why it’s uniquely different compared to other markets.
 * The KPI’s that they track (fleet utilisation, usage duration, fleet availability)
 * How they see business models evolving, and what are the adjacent verticals that could potentially get into this space
 * The regulatory approaches that they see around the world, and what that implies for users, operators and regulators.
 * The funding environment and why they think there is still far more capital to be deployed in this space
 * Why this sector is more capital efficient than other micromobility sectors
 If you’re interested in reading the report, please check it out here (share.unumotors.com)

In today’s episode, Taco Carlier, CEO of Vanmoof joins Oliver to talk about building beautiful e-bikes, the role of design and how to get the next billion people on bikes in our cities across the world. It’s a great discussion with someone who’s been in the space for a long time (Vanmoof was founded 10 years ago!). Taco is also the first Dutch guest we have had, and so we also dig into Amsterdam and it’s transport system. Specifically, we dig into: * Vanmoof’s story from the early stages through to today, including how being based in Amsterdam influenced the company. * The company's mission 'to build the next billion bikes' - how does this permeate the company and what they choose to focus on. * We run through their business operations - the design/sales/ops in Amsterdam, manufacturing in Taiwan, where they have their company stores and metrics from their business. * The move Vanmoof have made into micromobility/electrified and the lessons learnt there from a product/hardware experience. * We unpack how customers are using the vehicles, including this quote: "Normal bike commuters travel an average of 3km to work, but with an e-bike that figure jumps to 20km. It opens up biking to a much wider demographic of city-dwellers, creating an enormous new opportunity. Almost 70% of people who purchased the S2 & X2 are now using the Electrified as their primary mode of transport." * Taco’s design inspirations, why they only have two bike types, and who he considered competition. * How they protect themselves from the traditional ‘red ocean’ dynamics of the Bike hardware industry, with it’s low margins and barriers to entry. We explore what are the things that have kept them out of that trap. * We discuss the subscription model, and the postponed launch of the upcoming electric models on that business model, including why and how is it higher margin and what they think about the 'job to be done' in this business model? * We unpack the primary barriers to adoption of higher end e-bikes and why that underpinned their ‘Bike Hunters’ model. * Their experience with fundraising - why they chose to go for a crowdfunded round in the last raise, who they look to for funding, and why they’ve pursued a hybrid financing model. It’s a great interview!

In today’s episode Oliver interviews Assaf Biderman, CEO of [SuperPedestrian](https://superpedestrian.com/), about his background founding the MIT Senseable Cities Lab and then Superpedestrian. Assaf has been thinking about micromobility longer than most anyone we’ve had on the podcast - this was a fun and very illuminating interview. This conversation convinced Oliver that the ‘intelligence’ that can be infused into micromobility devices has far deeper implications than first thought, especially for driving down operational costs and improving vehicle longevity. Specifically we dig into: - The context for why micromobility is such a boon compared to the other transport options that cities can consider for moving people. - His history founding the Senseable Cities Lab and their early work - How that led to founding SuperPedestrian, and the early lessons with the amazing Copenhagen Wheel - The pivot they've made into scooters, the important variables for the next generation of scooter hardware and why they believe that these need - Why Assaf believes that Superpedestrian's intelligent 'nervous system' combines with mechanical improvements will drop operational costs by over 50% for operators. - The implications of their approach on thinking of their product as a 'computing platform' and why they see their model as a hardware + SaaS business. - Their supply chain structure and costs, and why their entirely proprietary approach can actually make componentry cheaper. - Their recent $20m raise, and what they're planning to do with the money. It's one of the densest and most interesting discussions to date - hope you enjoy!

This week, Oliver interviews Emily Castor Warren, one of the first employees at Lyft and then Lime in the policy space. We have an amazing conversation about the history of rideshare and micromobility, especially as it pertains to regulation, and where operators are getting it right and wrong. Emily is currently working with Fontinalis, a VC firm investing the future of mobility. She has some of the deepest experience in the weeds with regulating new mobility, and yet at the same time able to see the massive wider vision of possibility for this. It’s a great interview. Specifically we dig into: * Her experience as one of the first employees at Lyft, her interest in ride hailing and how she saw the conversation re: cities and technology shift over the 5.5 years she was at Lyft. * Her view on the quickly shifting regulatory landscape of micromobility, and what the likely predictable outcomes are 12-24 months from now re: particular business models. * Her post-Lime life working with VC at Fontinalis (the Ford Family Venture arm) and how they, and the wider industry, are thinking about the policy and regulatory implications of their investments. * What areas she’s excited to see technology disrupt in the transport/mobility space and why * Where the upcoming challenges for micromobility are coming from in the regulatory space including enforcement, new vehicle types, micromobility autonomy (she’s less bullish than Oliver!), speed of infrastructure adaptation and more. * What she’d recommend entrepreneurs think about when looking to build companies in the mobility/transport space.

This week, Oliver interviews Joe Kraus, President of Lime. Lime are the largest players in the shared micromobility space globally, and this episode has been a long time coming. It was awesome to get Joe on to talk about their history and plans, the state of the industry and business model, regulation, the challenge of climate change and where micromobility can assist. Joe is an awesome guest, and in a world of hype, keeps a very level head about the potential of this space. This episode is well suited to investors, operators and regulators interested in hearing about why the opportunity Lime/the wider industry offers is far more than just a few scooters on the street.  Specifically we dig into:  - Lime’s history coming out of 2016 Chinese bikeshare bubble, the move into scooters and rapid growth of that business.  - The Google Ventures investment and how Joe came to be involved. - Joe’s thoughts on business model evolution and how the market will shake out in the short/medium term, especially around a global player vs local competitors.  - We dig into regulation, and whether there are parallels to other global/local companies and traditional public transport funding/operation models.  - We discuss Lime's policy/operations challenges, using the example of Auckland, New Zealand, where wheel locking issue/death on a scooter lost them the licence in the following round. We talk about how the binary nature of the businesses ability to operate impacts the structure they have for operations/policy teams to ensure they have sufficient local agency to be responsive.  - We talk about the missing gap of a micromobility industry association in terms of advocacy, research and lobbying and what needs to happen to make this a reality. - We talk about how Lime is working to avoid the mistakes that Mobike and Ofo made in the Chinese bikeshare bubble, and Joe’s plans to ensure that Lime stays afloat and relevant for the long term. - We discuss the Call to the Industry that Joe made in Berlin regarding safety, climate and equity of access, and dig in on climate change, and what Lime can/is doing to help push that conversation forward. - We talk about Lime’s plans to reach the next few billion riders, especially in the developing world, and what is needed to make that a reality. It’s one of our best interviews to date - highly recommend checking it out.  Joe will also be speaking at the upcoming the Micromobility America summit coming up April 22-23 in Richmond in the Bay Area. It’ll be an amazing event - we will have industry leaders from all over the world there speaking about the best new ideas in this burgeoning industry. Check out the website (micromobility.io) to get tickets.

This week, Horace joins Oliver on the podcast to talk about hype cycles, capital formation and transport funding patterns historically, and what we can learn from them about the micromobility space now.  Specifically:  The parallels between the hype cycles for MP3 players, the internet and personal computers vs. micromobility. The perils of ‘being early’ in large scale technology adoptions.  The history of funding for the auto, railway and canal sectors transport systems, and parallels to micromobility and the infrastructure required. Why pioneers for traditional transport innovations largely end up with arrows in their back.  Why we’re unlikely to see large scale infrastructure deployments like we used to in democratic countries.

This week Oliver interviews Sanjay Dastoor, one of the founders of Boosted Boards and subsequently Skip, who operate a shared scooter service in DC. Sanjay has been around this space longer than pretty much anyone, and has a wealth of insight and experience that were a joy to unpack. Unfortunately, the audio cut a little for Sanjay right at the beginning but we kick off right where it picks up. Specifically we cover: - Sanjay's journey as a Micromobility OG starting Boosted Boards and then on to Skip - his original motivations, how your thinking has evolved, and lessons learned about what works and doesn’t. - How he's thinking about the current shared scooter space in terms of business models and regulatory response, as well as a discussion about Skip’s foray into subscription models - We dig into the challenges that Skip have faced in San Francisco and the bidding processes. We talk about what if anything could have improved it, and why Sanjay sympathizes with the city officials for the outcomes. - We talk about vehicle design, and the opportunities and challenges for shared vehicle design and what he thinks is coming - How Sanjay thinks through shared vs. leased vs. rented vehicles and reflects on what works and doesn't - We discuss where and why legacy regulations will result in highly specific solutions for different geographies. - We talk through capital efficiency in operations, why it’s important, and what creative destruction in this space looks like - Sanjay's thoughts/critiques on Horace’s thesis around micromobility, including the interplay between hardware and operating systems

This week, Oliver interviews Kevin Talbot (@Talbot), a General Partner at Relay Ventures, a VC firm based between the Bay Area and Toronto, who are investors in Bird, Populus and Bird Canada, among others. It is a great interview with Kevin about how they’re thinking about micromobility investments and the wider context of venture capital in this Softbank dominated world. Specifically, we dig into: - how you got into VC/joined Relay Ventures - His thesis at the firm and why they're interested in micromobility. - How they work with their portfolio companies, including former podcast guests Regina Clewlow from Populus. - How the landscape for micromobility has changed from the early days of their investment in Bird - including business models, regulatory landscapes and supply chains. - We talk about the Bird Canada venture - what it is, why it was formed, the market for micromobility in Canada and where they're seeing early traction. - How capital formation in the micromobility sector is interacting with cities, and whether he think this will ever be anything other than messy. - How their firm is thinking through owned vs. shared, and hardware vs. software investments. - What you'd recommend to entrepreneurs getting into the micromobility space - Bonus: his take on micromobility autonomy, and the promise and challenges in this space. It's a great interview!

This week we have a timely episode with Horace being interviewed by Katie Zandbergen on The Disruptive Voice - a podcast produced by The Forum for Growth & Innovation at Harvard business School a few days after the passing of Clay Christensen. Horace strikes a reflective tone - it’s a great episode that goes into the core of why micromobility is really disruptive assessed against the theory that Clay proposed. For those who are more into the theoretical, this is a wonderful episode. Specifically, they cover: - The impact that Clay had on how Horace viewed the world. - How Horace ended up finding micromobility through this efforts to study disruptive innovation in the auto sector by rethinking through the job that the car was hired to do into trips rather than vehicles, and how that need could be better served by the performance of smaller form factor vehicles. - Why micromobility lends itself to the benefits of software platforms allowing it to iterate faster vs incumbent producers of vehicles. - Horace runs through the paradox of mobility - we use overserving big vehicles for small trips. - Why Horace believes that this market will move towards a franchised model of shared systems, and how this market will develop as the technology and operations improve. - Why micromobility will serve as a bottom up disruption in the majority of the rapidly urbanising African and Indian cities. - Why parking and land use allocation in many cities will change away from parking to better, more economically valuable forms of transport with the rise of micromobility. - Why Horace is involved with Bond Mobility, and his rationale behind the premium end of Micromobility. - Why Horace dedicates all of his work in Micromobility to Clay’s influence. Also, for those of you who are fans of Clay, you’ll know that he holds a special place in our heart here. He’s obviously been a massive influence on Horace and Oliver and how they see the world. If you want to hear one of the best interviews Horace has ever done, we recommend going to check out the interview he did with Clayton on the Critical Path (episode 36) back in 2012, discussing the book ‘How Will You Measure Your Life’. It’s a poignant listen, and a beautiful embodiment of a teacher-student relationship.

This week Oliver interviews Colin Roche from Swiftmile. Shared scooters cluttering up the streets is one of these things that have largely been discounted in the hype of the recent explosion of these new vehicles. The Swiftmile team build scooter parking infrastructure and in this episode with Colin, Oliver’s initial skepticism is assuaged as he learns of the importance of the work that they’re doing in the ecosystem. This conversation really enlightening, and I really hope that you do to.  Specifically we dig into: - the history of Swiftmile and how they got into making ‘the gas stations of the future’ - How they pivoted after the initial scooter explosion - The benefits of agnostic charger infrastructure to both cities and operators - How and where this infrastructure is being deployed - Why scooter parking is an important part of the puzzle to social acceptance - How they’re monetizing their offerings Cheers!

This week Oliver interviews journalist David Zipper again (following his appearance on Episode 32) about the latest in the war over mobility data that is being played out between cities and shared micromobility operators. David Zipper is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government, where he examines the interplay between urban policy and new mobility technologies. From 2013 to 2017 David was the Managing Director for Smart Cities and Mobility at 1776, a global entrepreneurial hub with over 1,300 member startups and is still a Partner in the 1776 Seed Fund and consults with startups including Optibus, Tortoise, and TransitScreen to help shape their regulatory strategies. David has written a number of articles in Slate, CityLab, Fast Company and The Atlantic covering, among other things, the rise and ongoing saga of the Mobility Data Specification which we see as one of the building blocks to supercharge micromobility’s growth, and underpin the future operating systems for mobility in our cities. In this episode, we dig into: - A recap of the Mobility Data Specifications, and why it is significant to cities and why micromobility is really the thin edge of the wedge when it comes to important data from shared mobility operators. - The latest in the battle over real-time data requirements vs privacy advocates, and the players on each side. - More details on the Uber <> LADOT stoush. - The development of the Open Mobility Foundation in the last 6 months, how taking the standard out of the LADOT has impacted adoption/development and the politics of the board members. - The impact of Europe’s massive growth in micromobility, their pursuit of differing standards, and whether MDS has any value to add there. - Why the slow progress on these standards has created gaps that are being filled by startups, including Iomob and Token Transit. (Disclosure: Oliver and David advise them respectively)

This week Horace joins Oliver to riff on a recent mental model for thinking about the job to be done of micromobility, involving escalators, elevators and stairs. It’s Horace at his best - conceptual, funny, insightful as always.  Specifically we cover:  - Which customers pick escalators vs elevators vs stairs, and what insight that might provide to the job to be done of micromobility. - The importance of ‘earning’ an experience - Why Horace thinks that customers who climb escalators are the best customers. - The importance of escalators in the architecture that they enabled. - How the impact of regulation will impact on vehicle design. - The importance of design and brand in solving the job to be done beyond simply A to B travel. - Horace’s travel tip for Terminal 5 at Heathrow.

This week, Oliver interviews Michael Granoff, partner at Maniv Mobility, an early stage investment firm specialising in transport technologies including micromobility. Michael has been around the mobility space a long time, and we had a great discussion about the boom and bust nature of new transport tech. Specifically, we talk about:  - Michael’s background, his journey through energy security and getting into electrification of mobility, involvement with Better Place, and subsequent founding of Maniv Mobility - How his thesis has changed over time from electric, to autonomous to micromobility - Discussion about their existing investments, including Phantom Auto, Bolt Bikes and one of our most popular episodes to date: Revel, and what was compelling about each.  - How to accelerate the development of infrastructure suited to micromobility.  - What he agrees and disagrees about with Horace’s thesis.  - Which city is the leader for micromobility and why New York is still undoing the mess from Robert Moses, the Power Broker who ran infrastructure from the 1920s-1960s in the USA. Note that this was recorded pre-the COVID19 outbreak. I’m looking forward to having him back on at some point in the future to discuss the impacts.

This week, Horace joins Oliver for a discussion about the impact of COVID19 on the world of micromobility, as well as taking questions from Twitter. Specifically, we cover: - Horace discusses the work of Nassim Taleb on anti fragility and tail risks, and how that applies to micromobility’s low-end disruption - Why financial stress, shorter distances being travelled in quarantine areas and the low-cost nature of micromobility position it to do well in the face of this crisis. - Examining this pandemic in the face of historical challenges like WW2 and earlier pandemics - The impacts and opportunities faced by shared micromobility operators in the meantime. - How brands can be ‘made’ in moments of crisis. - Whether the early movement for ‘emergency bike lanes’ to facilitate physically isolated movement will take hold, and how that could spread around the globe. NOTE: Apologies in advance for the audio quality. Things are moving very quickly, and even though we recorded this on Saturday, lots has changed since then. It’s not quite up the standards that we’d normally want, but we prioritised shipping it out sooner given how fast everything is moving.

This week Oliver interviews Mina Nada, CEO of Bolt Bikes, about their business leasing ebikes to delivery gig workers like UberEATS/Deliveroo/DoorDash in the UK, US and Australia. Given everything happening right now with COVID19 and the explosion in delivery based meal consumptions, this is a great interview. Specifically, we dig into: - Mina’s background at Bain, Deliveroo and Mobike, and how that prepared him for Bolt Bikes.  - The unit economics of their business, including 6 month paybacks, 3 year cycles and 66% residual value for depreciated bikes.  - How most markets are still allowing takeaway and delivery during COVID19 lockdowns.  - How couriers calculate the costs and tradeoffs of leasing vs owning their own vehicles  (ie. bikes, ebikes vs mopeds) and why the end-to-end and flexible nature of access positions Bolt well to solve the job to be done.  - Their plans for expansion and vertical integration into their own Bolt hardware - A discussion about ebikes and the future of the fleet, including e-mopeds and the newly released Arcimoto delivery vehicle.  - Bolt’s ability to raise debt capital to fund expansion - Why they plan to double down on B2B rentals, and not focus at all on B2C.  It was a great discussion - well worth listening to!

This week Oliver interviews David Levinson, professor at the University of Sydney and popular blogger at transportist.org. David is not new to the world of talking about transport and disruptive innovation, having joined Horace on Asymcar many years ago. He brings a tempered view to the benefits and challenges of micromobility, including around infrastructure and the decision making timeframes that it typically has. Specifically, we dig into: - David’s background and research into toll roads, travel behaviour and urban form. - Whether David considers micromobilty a substantial new innovation in transport. - Constraints around deployment of larger vehicle fleets. - The challenges around parking, NIMBY-ism and political will in reallocating street space. - Comparable histories of new vehicle technologies making it into cities. - The intersection of political capital/structures and the likelihood of rollouts of specific transport infrastructure - The fundamental challenges with micromobility infrastructure - heft, vehicle density and decision-making timeframes - Examples of cities that have more proactively built infrastructure for micromobility, and historical examples of how companies have garnered community support to lobby for new infrastructure. It’s a great episode, if nothing else because it lays out the challenges/opportunities to widespread adoption of micromobility in sober terms.

This week Horace joins Oliver to talk about the work of Nassim Taleb - namely, antifragility and asymmetric risk - and what connections there are to disruptive innovation theory and Micromobility. Oliver has wanted to record this episode for a while and it doesn’t disappoint. Specifically we dig into: - Taleb’s work and background, explaining concepts such as Black Swans, antifragility, Fat Tony, Skin in the Game, Extremistan vs Mediocristan and intellectual-yet-idiots - The attraction and danger of polemical thinking - The importance of understanding if you’re dealing with bounded or unbounded risk probabilities - How traditional MBA education has increased fragility in enterprises, right at the same time that they’re increasingly trapped by the innovators dilemma, how these two concepts are tied and why Apple’s paranoia from it’s near death experience parallel the investment strategy outlined by Taleb. - The role of job-to-be-done and the anti-fragility of the restaurant space. - The connections between antifragility and disruptive innovation theory - How micromobility’s characteristics of having a clear and easy job-to-be-done, relative simplicity, light weight, low cost and flexible production make it suited to taking ‘hits’ to its business model and thus, more likely to be resilient as a phenomenon.

This week Oliver interviews Tony Ho, VP of Global Business Development for Segway/Ninebot. As the largest Micromobility hardware player globally across a whole heap of different verticals, Tony has a unique perspective on the space and how it’s developing. He’s a Clayton Christensen disciple as well - having studied at Harvard under him, so we get to unpack the theory against the practice of disruptive innovation and why Tony is excited about this space. It’s a great discussion. Specifically, we dig into: - Segway’s wide range of products, and how it conforms to our thesis that micromobility is not just scooters, but a whole range of sub-500kg vehicles. - We talk through how their operations have been affected by Coronavirus in the last 3 months - We talk about how the collapse of the international shared Micromobility industry has impacted the company strategy? - Why Tony sees micromobility as disruptive vs. other modes of transport, and how it conforms to disruptive innovation theory per Clay Christensen’s theory. - How does Segway of thinking of itself positioned alongside auto OEM's - How Segway is thinking about retail vs. shared - Where does Tony think the major growth potential is in terms of vehicle type and markets - We talk through robotics and what has become of the Loomo robot and T60 autonomous scooters - We talk about Segway's performance in the shared space, how they lost their early lead and how they’re responding to it. - How Tony thinks about Segways contribution to a possible Wall-e style dystopian future. - How does Segway think about infrastructure when developing new products, and does this nudge them towards advocacy for better/new bike lanes for your products - As the majority of the world doesn’t have much visibility over micromobility in China, Tony shares insights from there about vehicles, regulation etc - We talk about Segway’s plan to go public and how someone who is interested in getting a copy of their financials from their filing would go about that.

This week, Oliver interviews micromobility industry veteran Tarani Duncan about her journey and views on the development of the micromobility industry. She’s a fount of knowledge, and this was a really fun discussion on the history of the space. Specifically we dig into: - Her childhood and study in New Orleans, and how that led her to studying transport - Her early days in operations fixing the early NYC Citibike system - Joining the team at Social Bicycles, which became Jump, including a discussion about social incentives and the acquisition by Uber. - Her experience at Mapbox building routing software for some of the largest delivery companies in the world - Joining Shared as the first operations lead - A discussion about the wide range of companies she’s advising in the space, including OurStreets, Tortoise, Karmic and DataContours - Why she’s the first member of the Human Scooting Association - The low hanging fruit for the shared industry - Why micromobility matters to her, and why she’s still very bullish on the space.

On this episode of the Micromobility Podcast, we publish an episode from the recent Micromobility Membership call where we had Axios Reporter Felix Salmon interview Kara Swisher, Editor at Recode about her pledge to go car-free for a year, and her thoughts about the development of the micromobility space. It’s a great discussion. Specifically, they dig into: - Her choice to get rid of a car, and how that’s gone over the last year. - The challenges of using Micromobility with a young child, and what options she’s considering - ‘I like to write about directional stuff and I think car ownership is over eventually.’ And how she thinks about autonomy and micromobility in that context. - The inevitability of new urban transport modes as cities evolve and grow. - Why e-bikes are attractive in the suburbs. - In the discussion about COVID-induced changes to urban design how much does it happen at a local level vs. state vs. national? - The technology of security for bikes and other micromobility vehicles. - How Kara thinks about the rebound of transit and car use, and how it’ll accelerate trends that were already happening. - Why Uber and Lyft enable the convenience of a car without the headache. - How the modularity of Micromobility competes against the incumbent car manufacturers. - Urban form in the majority of the US isn’t like SF, NYC or DC, which were all designed pre-car. Where is the capitalist incentive to reengineer the the majority of the US (and world’s) cities away from the car? - Why Kara thinks cars aren’t actually as sticky as everything thinks they are. - How do cities work with micromobility operators and whether Kara thinks that cities will end up subsidising them. - Why Kara would start with a network of tunnels if she started to rebuild a city from scratch. - Why Kara doesn’t think that the speed of streetscape adaptation is actually that slow. - A discussion with Horace about the nature of software in both micromobility and automotive vehicles. - A discussion about universal basic mobility, and why Kara is for it. - Why Kara is pro congestion pricing. Transcript of the call is available here: https://micromobility.io/blog/2020/5/3/kara-swisher-felix-salmon-end-of-car-ownership If you like this discussion, you can get regular access to this by signing up to TripleM at micromobilio.io. For $100/year you get access to exclusive calls with Horace and guests, discounts on conference tickets and access to the Slack community building the future of micromobility. Get your first month free when you sign up now.

Horace and Oliver have a great discussion on the philosophical underpinnings of price signals going back to Freidrich Hayek and how price works to coordinate activity in society. They discuss how micromobility suffers from market manipulation for its infrastructure and manufacturing and how road space allocation is currently misaligned to how it’s valued as real estate. It’s Horace at his best - philosophical, paring theory to reality, and giving us all new frameworks to think about how the world works and will change. Specifically, they dig into: - The concept of using price signals to allocate resources in society proposed by Freidrich Hayek, where that came from as a concept, where it has been applied (free market vs. centrally planned economies), and why it’s interesting in the context of oil prices. - Why black/grey markets exist everywhere - Where it has and hasn’t used for road space allocation, and why that matters - What the impact on micromobility would be if road space could be more effectively priced. - Why minimum car parking is an unpriced externality, and how it came to be. - The geostrategic investment in the auto sector coming out of WW2, and why that has had an impact on city infrastructure - Sunk cost fallacies and the choice of what we continue to invest in in society. - Why clear price signals for real estate used for infrastructure would accelerate the adoption of micromobility. - A discussion about the use of economics in urban planning, including a short discussion of the excellent book Order without Design by Alain Bertaud. Thanks also to our sponsor for the episode, Populus.ai. Populus are building digital tools that assist government agencies to manage their curbs, streets and sidewalks with access to intelligent data and analytics tools. Last week, they announced their Open Streets Initiative to provide cities with digital solutions to identify and communicate slow and safe street policies. Oakland, California recently announced that 74 miles of streets would be closed to through vehicle traffic in order to make it safer for pedestrians, and small sustainable modes to travel for essential trips and create more room for social distancing. Populus works with cities around the world, from Buenos Aires to Baltimore - to help build trust between operators and regulators to see shared mobility become the big success that we think it can be. They run webinars and produce some of the best editorial content about the impact of micromobility on cities in the US that we’ve seen - if you’re looking to educate yourself better on the space, and/or are looking for tools to build trust with your local government to help take shared micromobility to the next level, check them out.

This week Oliver interviews Ben Bear, Chief Business Officer at Spin, the micromobility company backed by Ford and which operate in 65 markets across the US. They dig into their service and how they’re different from others in the industry. It’s a great discussion - Spin really come across as a the tortoise in an industry of hares. With micromobility adoption being a long term prospect their focus on sustainability for what will inevitably be a decades long play is an interesting counter to others in the industry. Specifically: * Spin’s approach in COVID-19 * The difference that Spin has in market, including: * Their use of Swiftmile charging stations (Swiftmile) from a tendering and business operations perspective. * the efforts to integrate into MaaS * Why being backed by Ford makes them more resilient and able to focus on longer-term planning and outcomes, and why this is attractive to cities. * How has he seen the regulatory environment change in the time that they’ve been operating. * How do they see the owned and leased micromobility business model competing in the ‘market for miles’, and whether they have plans to expand into these area leveraging Spin’s brand or Ford’s distribution. * Their efforts at lobbying for better street infrastructure in the cities that they operate.