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--- transportation:electric_standing_scooters [2023/07/22 07:29] – [Apollo] timb
+++ transportation:electric_standing_scooters [2026/01/16 21:47] (current) – [Äike] timb
@@ Line 394: / Line 394: @@
 https://sknzl.github.io/posts/tracking-electric-scooters-in-lisbon/
+== E-Scooters: First Thoughts ==
+Max Mautner - April 26, 2024
+I’m obsessed with technologies that improve my freedom of movement.
+Cars are incredible floating living rooms, bicycles make one feel like you can fly, and walking/running are the healthiest form of self-propelled movement imaginable.
+They all have tradeoffs though:
+    cost (fuel, storage/real estate, depreciation)
+    safety (both to the operator & those around them)
+    maximum speed
+    maxmium acceleration
+    ease of operation
+    comfort (sweating, protection from inclement weather)
+In spite of existing for many years now, I had not tried using an electric push scooter up until recently.
+My curiousity with these scooters converted to obsession when it was pointed out to me how similar e-bikes are to scooters.
+In fact scooters even have kits to install seatposts that make them look like e-bikes/mopeds.
+https://maxmautner.com/2024/04/26/electric-scooters.html
+== The e-scooter isn’t new – London was zooming around on Autopeds a century ago ==
+The e-scooters that clutter up pavements may seem like a new thing, but a hundred years ago, there were already people zooming around London on powered scooters
+th December 2025 - Ian Mansfield
+These were the Autoped, an American import that was once popular enough to regularly appear in the newspapers before vanishing seemingly without a trace.
+Invented in the USA in 1915, they first appeared in London in 1917, despite a ban on imports during WWI, and really took off when the import ban was lifted in 1919.
+By today’s standards, they look like a bargain, selling for just £36, although that’s actually about £1,600 in today’s money, so they were really aimed at the wealthy buyers.
+Gamage’s, the people’s emporium, described them as being made for everybody who feels the necessity of making the most of time, of conserving health and energy, and keeping travelling expenses down to the minimum.
+It was said to be able to reach speeds of 10mph, and unlike modern versions, the Autoped was powered by petrol.
+https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the-e-scooter-isnt-new-london-was-zooming-around-on-autopeds-a-century-ago-86263/
+===== Madrid Ban =====
+== Madrid Bans Hired E-scooters Over Safety Concerns ==
+Posted by msmash on Thursday September 05, 2024 09:07AM
+Madrid City Hall said on Thursday it would ban all rental e-scooters from October because of the risk they pose to pedestrians, the latest city to make the move. From a report:
+<blockquote>
+"We are withdrawing authorization for companies hiring out scooters on the city's streets," the Spanish capital's conservative mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida wrote on X. "Our priority is the... safety of the people of Madrid," he said, adding that the measure would "take full effect in October." The three companies currently with licenses to rent out e-scooters on the streets of Madrid -- Lime, Dott and Tier Mobility -- will now have to remove their devices. These firms "did not comply with the conditions we imposed to guarantee the safety of pedestrians, particularly the elderly," the mayor said. Madrid City Hall criticized the firms for not using technology to prevent e-scooters from driving or parking in prohibited areas and lacking the appropriate accident insurance.
+</blockquote>
+https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/09/05/1559249/madrid-bans-hired-e-scooters-over-safety-concerns
 ===== Paris Ban =====
@@ Line 458: / Line 522: @@
 https://gizmodo.com/e-scooter-electric-scooter-paris-lime-dott-tier-1850293357
+===== UK Ban =====
+== The UK needs to deal with its e-scooter problem ==
+It has bungled a key piece of green tech.
+Daniel Cooper - Mon, Jul 14, 2025, 6:30 AM PDT
+E-scooters could be a vital tool to eliminate unnecessary car journeys, cutting emissions and journey times. Unfortunately, the UK is the last major European nation to not allow them to be ridden on most public roads. They've proliferated illegally anyway, and are now an issue the country can no longer afford to drag its heels on.
+The benefits of e-scooters are obvious: They’re cheap to buy and maintain, cost very little to run and have a small physical and environmental footprint. In 2022, the Fraunhofer Institute found that e-scooters contributed to a drop in carbon emissions in several cities that embraced micromobility.The raw materials that go into making one EV could be used for more than one hundred e-scooters. Collective Mobility UK (CoMoUK), the body representing the shared transport industry, found that 21 percent of all shared e-scooter trips in the UK were made in place of using a car. Richard Dilks, CEO of CoMoUK said that e-scooters “plumb directly into so many policy goals that [the] government has,” most notably its need to reach net zero emissions by 2050: CoMoUK’s research indicates more than half of all car trips could be replaced by e-bikes or scooters, eliminating one megaton of CO2 emissions per year.
+Unfortunately, the UK does not have a vehicle class addressing personal transportation outside the realm of bikes, motorcycles and cars. E-scooters, Segways, “hoverboards,” gas-powered kick scooters, u-wheels (like the OneWheel) and electric unicycles are all in this gray zone. In the UK, they’re given the umbrella term of “Powered Transporters,” but have no strict legal definition. Consequently, they’re legally defined as motor vehicles, but because they lack most of the key features of a motor vehicle — which includes both a lack of safety equipment like seatbelts and airbags as well as the owner paying road tax, having insurance and being licensed to drive one — it’s illegal to use them on public roads and sidewalks. The absurdity of the situation is made worse given that e-bikes have fairly minimal regulations on speed and motor output power — and have consequently become ubiquitous.
+https://www.engadget.com/transportation/the-uk-needs-to-deal-with-its-e-scooter-problem-133056724.html
@@ Line 494: / Line 578: @@
 https://electrek.co/2022/10/19/high-tech-aike-t-electric-scooter-gets-worlds-first-proximity-unlocking-feature/
+== Bankrupt scooter startup left one private key to rule them all ==
+Owner reverse-engineered his ride, revealing authentication was never properly individualized
+Carly Page - Fri 16 Jan 2026 11:59 UTC
+An Estonian e-scooter owner locked out of his own ride after the manufacturer went bust did what any determined engineer might do. He reverse-engineered it, and claims he ended up discovering the master key that unlocks every scooter the company ever sold.
+The company in question, Äike, which filed for bankruptcy last year, built app-controlled electric scooters that rely on a phone and backend servers to do as basic a task as turning them on. That setup worked while the startup was still around. Once it wasn't, owners were left with pricey scooters that only unlocked when the cloud happened to answer.
+Some features limped along for a while, others stopped altogether. So rather than trust his commute to a bankrupt startup's servers, one owner, Rasmus Moorats, an Estonian security researcher and penetration tester, took matters into his own hands and started poking around to see how the scooter really worked.
+A closer look at the Android app and Bluetooth traffic showed that locking, unlocking, and basic status checks all occur locally over Bluetooth, with the cloud mostly along for the ride.
+Before accepting commands, the scooter runs a simple authentication check: it sends a short challenge, the app replies with a cryptographic response, and access is granted. It's designed to stop random passers-by from hopping on and riding off. In theory, at least.
+https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/16/bankrupt_scooter_startup_key/
@@ Line 593: / Line 693: @@
 https://www.rideapart.com/news/462016/aprilia-esr1-electric-kick-scooter-coming/amp/
+===== Beam Mobility =====
+== Beam Mobility secretly deployed ‘phantom’ e-scooters in Australia and NZ to dodge fees and boost profits ==
+Rebecca Bellan - 9:23 AM PDT August 26, 2024
+Shared e-scooter startup Beam Mobility has placed hundreds of extra “phantom” scooters on city streets in Australia and New Zealand to avoid paying vehicle registration fees to local governments, according to a two-part report from The Australian.
+Cities place caps on the number of vehicles operators can deploy to avoid saturating streets and sidewalks with scooters that could endanger pedestrians.
+The Australian’s scoop includes leaked Slack messages and other documents detailing how Beam provided false data to independent monitoring app Ride Report to understate the number of scooters in cities such as Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Auckland and Wellington.
+One document, which includes Beam co-founder Deb Gangopadhyay’s name, describes Beam’s plan to deploy an additional 1,000 scooters into the “best areas” of those cities, with the goal of generating an additional $150,000 profit.
+Beam last raised $135 million from high-profile investors, including Affirma Capital and Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia India and SEA).
+https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/26/beam-mobility-secretly-deployed-phantom-e-scooters-in-australia-and-nz-to-dodge-fees-and-boost-profits/
 ===== Bird =====
@@ Line 694: / Line 817: @@
+==== Company ====
+== Bird, once primed to be the Uber of electric scooters and valued at $2.5 billion, just filed for bankruptcy ==
+Tom Carter - Dec 20, 2023, 5:09 AM PST
+Electric scooter pioneer Bird, which once sought to become the Uber of electric scooters, just declared bankruptcy.
+The urban transport company said on Wednesday that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida, after several years of financial problems.
+Bird was one of the first companies to rent out electric scooters in city centers, and rode a Silicon Valley craze for micro-mobility to a $2.5 billion valuation in 2019.
+The company said Wednesday that its services would continue to operate as normal while bankruptcy proceedings, which do not include Bird's European and Canadian subsidiaries, are ongoing.
+https://www.businessinsider.com/bird-silicon-valley-electric-scooter-startup-files-for-bankruptcy-2023-12
+== Flightless Bird: E-Scooter Company Bird Declares Bankruptcy ==
+Bird is certainly no longer the word, but the micromobility company promised it's going to keep operating during its ‘restructuring.’
+Kyle Barr - 20 December 2023
+Electric scooter company Bird is flying south for the winter, and it might be a very different kind of fowl by the time it returns. The Miami, Florida-based micro-mobility company known for allowing rambunctious, helmetless e-scooterists to fly down city streets declared bankruptcy Wednesday, saying it was entering into a process of “financial restructuring” while still keeping its bikes and other scooters operational for now.
+The company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, often called “reorganization” bankruptcy, where it also plans to sell some of its existing assets to its existing lenders. The company was quick to mention it would be “maintaining the same service for its riders and upholding its commitments to partner cities,” meaning you’ll still likely see scooterists zipping around Miami and a few New York City boroughs, as well as Springfield, Missouri and the greater Toronto, Canada area.
+https://gizmodo.com/flightless-bird-e-scooter-company-bird-declares-bankru-1851114346
+== Electric scooter company Bird files for bankruptcy ==
+Paul Sawers - 19 December 2023
+Bird has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, capping off a turbulent year for the electric scooter company.
+In a press release today, Bird confirmed that it had entered into a “financial restructuring process aimed at strengthening its balance sheet,” with the company continuing to operate as normal in pursuit of “long-term, sustainable growth.”
+Founded in 2017 by former Lyft and Uber executive Travis VanderZanden, Bird is one of numerous startups to introduce dockless micromobility platforms around the world, allowing city-dwellers to pay for short-term access to electric scooters or bikes. The company went public in late 2021 via a SPAC merger, but in a crowded market built on questionable economics, its stock went into a perennial nosedive, with its market cap dropping from more than $2 billion at its New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) debut to just $70 million 12 months later. This decline led the NYSE to issue a warning that Bird’s share price was too low.
+https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/20/bird-bankruptcy/
+== Electric scooter rental company Bird files for bankruptcy two years after going public ==
+It will continue to operate as usual and pay 'city partners, suppliers, vendors and employees.'
+Steve Dent, Reporter - Wed, Dec 20, 2023, 1:29 AM PST
+After laying off nearly a quarter of its staff last year, e-scooter rental company Bird has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the company announced. Existing lenders have agreed to purchase the assets and the company is being kept afloat via a $25 million loan from Apollo Global Management (Yahoo and Engadget's owner) and second-lien lenders, according to The Wall Street Journal.
+The company will continue to operate as normal and "has sufficient liquidity to meet financial obligations to city partners, vendors, suppliers, and employees during and after the restructuring process, and will operate as usual," the company wrote. The filing doesn't affect Bird Canada or Bird Europe, which are separate organizations.
+Bird aims to sell off its assets for the highest possible price via a “stalking horse” agreement that will set in motion an auction of sorts. Its current lenders will designate a baseline bid before opening the proceedings to other bidders over the next few months.
+https://www.engadget.com/bird-files-for-bankruptcy-after-going-public-in-2021-092905867.html
+== Electric Scooter Rental Pioneer Bird Files for Bankruptcy ==
+Posted by msmash on Wednesday December 20, 2023 06:40AM
+Bird Global, the company that pioneered on-street electric scooter rentals, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection [Editor's note: the link is paywalled; alternative source] in Florida, five years after becoming the fastest start-up ever to reach a so-called "unicorn" valuation above $1bn. From a report:
+<blockquote>
+In September, the New York Stock Exchange suspended trading in Bird, which went public via a blank-cheque company in 2021, after its market capitalisation fell below a $15mn threshold. "We are making progress towards profitability and aim to accelerate that progress by right-sizing our capital structure through this restructuring," Bird interim chief executive Michael Washinushi said on Wednesday.
+</blockquote>
+https://slashdot.org/story/23/12/20/1226217/electric-scooter-rental-pioneer-bird-files-for-bankruptcy
 ===== Bo =====
@@ Line 713: / Line 899: @@
+==== Model M ====
+== This $30,000 Electric Scooter Is Gunning for a Bonneville Speed Record ==
+Believe it or not, there's more than one electric scooter that claims it can break triple-digit speeds.
+Andrew P. Collins - Jul 28, 2025 11:20 AM EDT
+A British outfit called Bo makes a sleek little electric scooter called the Model-M. The best variant claims a 22 mph top speed and a 40-mile range for $2,500. Sounds pricey but practical. The prototype Turbo model is another story—it’s gunning for triple-digit speeds at the Bonneville salt flats next month.
+Bo has been around since 2022, but seems to be on a bit of a marketing blitz—last week, it released a teaser video of somebody clad in full Moto GP-looking garb absolutely ripping through a tunnel on its Turbo model concept, and it seems to be loaning out the more socially acceptable Model M to journalists for test rides. My old buddy Matt Hardigree was recently test-riding one and seemed to dig it.
+https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-24000-watt-scooter-is-going-for-a-100-mph-speed-record-at-bonneville
+==== The Turbo ====
+== This is the daftest e-scooter in the world ==
+The Turbo could reach speeds of up to 100mph.
+Daniel Cooper - Fri, Jul 18, 2025, 6:13 AM PDT
+The minds behind Bo’s sublime e-scooter met each other while working for the advanced engineering arm at (F1 team) Williams. Their mission was to take their knowledge of designing and building some of the world’s fastest cars to build a better e-scooter. But while they no longer work for a Formula One team, they can’t quite shake that desire to build vehicles that travel at preposterously daft speed. Which is why the company has today unveiled The Turbo, a souped-up version of the standard Bo e-scooter with a potential top speed of more than 100 miles per hour and a range of up to 150 miles.
+The Turbo (surely, the Tur…Bo, non?) is equipped with a 24,000W dual-motor engine, and a 1,800Wh battery. Naturally, given Bo’s focus on safety and balance, the scooter has F1-style air intakes to keep both the electronics and brakes nicely cool. Given the scooter’s light weight, Bo claims it has a higher power to weight ratio than a hypercar like the Bugatti Veyron. It’s already been tested by former professional BMX rider Tre Whyte. Although he hasn’t quite yet been able to breach the 100mph barrier the company thinks that isn’t far off.
+https://www.engadget.com/transportation/this-is-the-daftest-e-scooter-in-the-world-131341641.html
+== This Bonkers 100 MPH E-Scooter Is a Ludicrous Safety Hazard ==
+Designed by former F1 engineers. Pure danger.
+Victor Tangermann - Jul 20, 9:45 AM EDT
+Turbo Mode
+A company made up of former F1 racing engineers has unveiled an outrageous e-scooter that can reach a top speed of north of 100 miles per hour — and covers a whopping 150 miles on a single charge.
+The bizarre contraption, dubbed The Turbo, was developed by UK-based e-scooter company Bo, whose existing lineup targets the more premium end of the last-mile — or last 150 miles, in this case — mobility market.
+The Turbo's specs are borderline hard to believe. The metal-clad and girthy two-wheeler features a 24,000-watt dual-motor engine and an enormous 1,800-watt-hour battery. Aerodynamic air intakes funnel wind to keep everything cool.
+But as anybody who's lived in a major city in recent years can attest, e-scooters are turning into a major plague — and a measurable threat to public safety. Emergency room care has spiked, with e-bike injuries nearly doubling every year between 2017 and 2022, according to a frequently cited study. (Given the wide proliferation of cheaper scooters, it's not a stretch to assume the trend has continued since then.)
+https://futurism.com/the-byte/100-mph-escooter-hazard
@@ Line 889: / Line 1124: @@
 https://www.forbes.com/sites/edgarsten/2023/05/16/chinese-e-scooter-to-offer-micromobility-at-maximum-speed/?sh=14d023fe6cae
+== Inmotion launches 50 MPH commuter electric scooter. Would you ride it? ==
+Micah Toll - Jul 21 2025 5:43 am PT
+Inmotion has unveiled its latest high-performance electric scooter, the Jet, and it’s shaping up to be a serious contender for riders who want both speed and commuter utility in one package. With a top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h) and dual 1,200W motors peaking at 2,300W, the Jet is one of the highest-performance electric scooters available in the ~$2k price range.
+Power is supplied to the dual motors by a built-in 72V 25Ah lithium-ion battery, offering up to a claimed 56 miles (90 km) of range on a single charge. That 1.8 kWh battery is quite large for an e-scooter, though the bigger the battery, the longer the charge time. In this case, the company says the scooter has a typical charge time of around 9 to 10 hours. While not the fastest-charging setup out there, it seems to offer plenty of juice for full-day riding if topped off overnight.
+The Jet also comes with serious stopping power, thanks to dual hydraulic disc brakes – a key feature for any fast and powerful scooter. Riding comfort is improved by an 11-inch tubeless tire setup and full suspension design. Up front, a swingarm suspension design smooths out potholes, while the rear features hydraulic shocks to keep the ride stable and responsive even at higher speeds. The rear shock can be quickly adjusted to change the ride style, allowing riders to dial in their handling for roads or trails.
+https://electrek.co/2025/07/21/inmotion-launches-50-mph-commuter-electric-scooter-would-you-ride-it/
@@ Line 907: / Line 1155: @@
 ===== Kugoo =====
+== Kugoo ES2: This is the Electric Scooter You've Been Looking For ==
+James Bruce - Dec 10, 2019
+Enjoy a smooth, safe, zero-emissions ride and without the feeling that you're riding a child's toy. But it's bulky and heavy, so give it a miss if you're going to be carrying it up and down stairs.
+I've never ridden a scooter before, much less an electric one that can hurtle along at 25km/h. So you can understand my trepidation going into this review. It turns out that I had nothing to worry about: the Kugoo ES2 is like the SUV of electric scooters. It handles itself admirably, weighs an absolute ton, and makes the rider feel as safe as humanly possible.
+https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/kugoo-es2/
 == Kugoo Kirin G3: This 1200W Off-Road eScooter is Insane ==
@@ Line 989: / Line 1247: @@
 https://hypebeast.com/2020/7/mercedes-amg-petronas-f1-xiaomi-mi-electric-scooter-pro-2
+===== Navee =====
+==== GT3 Max ====
+== Navee’s latest GT3 Max smart e-scooter at new $561 low, Tenways AGO X mid-drive e-bike bundle at $1,899 low, Segway E2 Plus II, more ==
+Reinette LeJeune - Aug 19 2025 11:00 am PT
+We have three different EVs leading our Green Deals today, with the first being Navee’s newest GT3 Max Smart Electric Scooter hitting a new $561 low during the brand’s ongoing Back to School Sale. Next, Tenways’ newly launched pre-semester sale has returned its AGO X All-Terrain Mid-Drive e-bike to its $1,899 low while also offering $307 in free gear, as well as a spotlight on Segway’s new E2 Plus II eKickScooter at $300. We also have others from EcoFlow, Greenworks, Aiper, and more waiting for you below. Plus, all the hangover savings are at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s Segway Upgrade Your Daily Grind sale offers, the final day of deals from EcoFlow’s 48-hour accessory flash sale, and more.
+Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.
+https://electrek.co/2025/08/19/navee-gt3-max-scooter-new-561-low-tenways-segway-more/
 ===== Ninebot =====
@@ Line 1242: / Line 1520: @@
 https://www.inputmag.com/design/splach-wants-to-suspend-your-e-scooter-your-disbelief/amp
+===== Superpedestrian =====
+== What the demise of Superpedestrian means for the e-scooter industry ==
+The disconnect between being VC-backed and a city partner was a common dynamic in micromobility
+Rebecca Bellan - 28 December 2023
+At an all-hands meeting just before Thanksgiving, Superpedestrian’s CEO Assaf Biderman told staff the electric scooter company was gearing up for fresh funding and a merger. Management would announce the news on January 1, but until then, Superpedestrian needed to go lean. A handful of people lost their jobs, including some executives in Europe. The rest were told to hold fast.
+Less than a month later, Superpedestrian would collapse.
+“And then, of course, we got the bad news [on December 15],” one former employee at Superpedestrian told TechCrunch in a phone interview. “Merger and funding didn’t go through. We have to close it all down. See you later.”
+Superpedestrian isn’t the only shared scooter business to falter or shut down this year. Bird, Micromobility.com, Tier and Spin are all an existential question at this point. While each of these companies had their own specific problems, a combination of similar factors led to their demise, including unfavorable city regulations, high operational costs and hiring bloat as a consequence of VC funding.
+https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/28/what-the-demise-of-superpedestrian-means-for-the-e-scooter-industry/
 ===== Taur =====
@@ Line 1403: / Line 1700: @@
 Varla Pegasus review: Flying at 28 mph on a full-suspension electric scooter
 Micah Toll - Jan. 27th 2022 4:50 am PT
 The Varla Pegasus is one of those rare electric scooters that strikes a nice balance between higher-than-average performance and a reasonable price tag. And having spent a couple weeks so far putting the scooter to the test, I can confirm that it has the right combination of performance and value to fit a wide range of riders.
@@ Line 1412: / Line 1709: @@
 https://electrek.co/2022/01/27/varla-pegasus-review-flying-at-28-mph-on-a-full-suspension-electric-scooter/
+== Varla Eagle One V2.0 electric scooter review: High-power full-suspension stand up ride! ==
+Micah Toll - Dec 28 2023 6:45 am PT
+The last time I was on a Varla electric scooter, it was a fun and recreational ride. Not a powerhouse, but an exhilarating ride, nonetheless. This time, they’ve stepped things up significantly with the new Varla Eagle One V2.0 electric scooter. With two powerful motors and dual suspension, this ride is seriously high-performance!
+https://electrek.co/2023/12/28/varla-eagle-one-v2-0-electric-scooter-review-high-power-full-suspension-stand-up-ride/
@@ Line 1479: / Line 1786: @@
 https://www.gizchina.com/2021/03/17/xiaomi-to-launch-improved-ninebot-electric-scooter-f25-in-three-days/
-====== Yadea ======
+===== Yadea =====
 Electric scooter giant Yadea remains largest two-wheel EV brand with 104% export volume surge
@@ Line 1495: / Line 1802: @@
 https://electrek.co/2022/09/01/electric-scooter-giant-yadea-remains-largest-two-wheel-ev-brand/
+== Yadea Elite Prime Review: Is An SUV-Style eScooter Something People Want? ==
+Explore urban mobility with Yadea Elite Prime, an SUV-inspired electric scooter offering smooth rides, dual suspension, and a reliable 40-mile range.
+Kris Wouk - 31 July 2023
+Electric scooters have a lot going for them, but often, looks aren’t one of their strengths. The Yadea Elite Prime aspires to be a classier type of scooter, with a Segway-inspired look and what the company refers to as an “SUV-like” design.
+The Elite Prime features dual suspension, relatively high clearance, and a triple-brake system, but Yadea advertises it toward commuters, not off-road enthusiasts. Does the Elite Prime deliver on its promise of “better urban mobility,” or should you look elsewhere for your daily commute?
+https://www.makeuseof.com/yadea-elite-prime-review/