Insights and news from the ATOM Mobility team

At ATOM Mobility, we know there is a lot to consider when starting a mobility company. To help make the process easier, we’ve put together a breakdown of some most frequently recommended manufacturers and vehicle models on the market that are currently integrated with ATOM Mobility. Contact us in case you need a guidance or more information.

What are the most reliable vehicles that are available right now on the market?

Scooters

Acton

Acton specializes in electronic scooters specifically designed for fleet operations. The company currently offers two different e-scooter models, as well as one e-bike model.

The Acton M Pro robust design includes industry-leading strength ratings, heavy duty welds, and proprietary aluminum extrusions.

Top speed: 18.6 MPH / 30.9 KMPH

Range: 30 miles / 48 km

Charge: 6 hours

Price: Contact us or ACTON directly

The Acton Topswap is e-scooter designed to include a patented battery swap system (on the same Acton M Pro model basis)

Top speed: 18.6 MPH / 30.9 KMPH

Range: 30 miles / 48 km

Charge: 6 hours

Price: Contact us or ACTON directly

FitRider

Located in Hangzhou of China. Fitrider is an innovative high-tech company with variety of products: escooters, ebikes, swappable battery solutions, IoT/GPS, smart locks and docking/charging stations.

FitRider Scooter T2S with swappable battery design, 10’inch wheels, solid tyres and drum/disc brakes.

Top speed: 15.5MPH / 25 KMPH

Range: 20 miles / 35 km

Charge: 4-5 hours

Price: Contact us

Freego

Freego is the largest manufacturer and the first exporter of self balancing scooters from South China. 

Top speed: 15.5MPH / 25 KMPH

Range: 30 miles / 48 km

Charge: 3-5 hours

Price: 600 USD / 556 EUR

Okai

Zhejiang Okai Vehicle Co., Ltd. produces professional high quality scooters, both electric and gasoline. Scooters of this company is widely used by largest scooter sharing companies in Europe.

The ES400 model is specifically designed for highly efficient sharing platforms. Swappable battery, very durable and fully hidden cables.

Top speed: 18.6 MPH / 29.9 KMPH

Range: 16Ah = approx. 32 miles / 51.5 km, 9.6Ah = approx. 24 miles / 39 km

Charge: 3-4 hours

Price: ES400 - 700 USD / 650 EUR, ES200 (non swappable battery) - 595 USD / 550 EUR

Segway

Segway Inc. is the worldwide leader in personal electric transportation. Almost all major sharing companies using or used scooter manufactured by Segway.

The Segway Ninebot ES4 model was the first model widely used for sharing. It comes with a dual-battery offering and solid design. However, the durability of this model is low comparing to other vehicles in this review.

Top speed: 18.6 MPH / 29.9 KMPH

Range: 28 miles / 45 km

Charge: 6-7 hours

Price: 300-400 USD / 250-350 EUR

The 10-inch pneumatic tires on the Kickscooter MAX can climb slopes that have a 20% incline. Special cable protection. Durable model with option to upgrade to PRO with swappable battery function.

Top speed: 18.6 MPH / 29.9 KMPH

Range: Approx. 23 miles / 37 km

Charge: 6-7 hours

Price: 480 - 580 USD / 440 - 540 EUR

Superpedestrian

Superpedestrian offers the first micro mobility platform built on intelligent electric vehicles and cloud tools.

The Superdestrian model by US based mobility company of the same name offers a 12+ months vehicle lifetime, real-time safety checks, active protection systems and a robust design offering.

Top speed: 15.5 MPH / 25 KMPH

Range: 56 miles / 90 km

Charge: 7 hours

Price: -

Electric Bikes / Mopeds

Acton Nexus E-Bike

Designed specifically for shared fleet services, this electronic bike model will launch in spring 2020 with fully integrated IoT.

Top speed: 21.75 MPH / 35 KMPH

Range: 35 miles / 56 km

Charge: 6 hours

Price: Contact us or ACTON directly

Niu

NIU delivers electric vehicle in the two-wheel class powered by a Bosch Electric Motor and Panasonic Lithium Battery.

Designed specifically for shared fleet services, this electronic bike model will launch in spring 2020 with fully integrated IoT.

Top speed: 28 MPH / 45 KMPH

Range: 35-45 miles / 50-70 km

Charge: 6 hours

Price: 2593 USD / 2400 EUR

Gonbike

The Gonbike Pab model is a fully integrated e-bike, with native IoT integration and high battery capacity up to 49.7 m / 80 km. 

Top speed: 15.5 MPH / 25 KMPH

Range: 50 miles / 80 km

Charge: 6 hours

Price: 995 USD / 930 EUR

FitRider M2 ebike

Swappable battery design, 14 or 16 ’inch wheels, strong frame, drum brake and build-in IoT/GPS.

Top speed: 15.5 MPH / 25 KMPH

Range: 45 miles / 70 km

Charge: 3-5 hours

Price: Contact us

This is the first part of hardware overview. In next blog post we will cover IoT/GPS devices and then smart locks. Contact ATOM Mobility for any additional questions or inquiries you may have about available products and suppliers. 

ATOM Mobility - We empower entrepreneurs to launch vehicle sharing platforms.

The mobile sharing industry is projected to grow at a rapid rate over the next several years. The economic shift towards micro mobility has shown that bike and scooter use is going to grow from USD $2.5 billion in 2019 to USD $10.1 billion by 2027. With an increasing demand for affordable mobility services, industry leaders are making adjustments to their financial models to accommodate changing regulations, as well as, growing production costs.

We put together a breakdown of the expenses that are currently going in to establishing a profitable MaaS company along with some other considerations to keep in mind.

What are the current pricing levels for leaders in Scooter and Bike Sharing?

The pricing levels for different services being offered around the world vary based upon initial upfront costs, cost per allotted time and total ride duration. These prices are also subject to change depending on the regulatory requirements of each location.

Scooter sharing:

Bike sharing:

At ATOM Mobility we have a specific calculation to determine the total income a scooter or bike sharing service makes based on ride time and pricing fees. This allows adjustments to be made for the different price levels each company offers.

Income Equation: (Unlock Fee + (Average Ride Time X Minutes)) = x

x = Average Price per Ride

How does vehicle ridership impact the financial model?

Ridership is impacted by a multitude of factors, including availability to travel lanes, density of charging/docking stations, level of integration within the overall transportation network, along with the extent of rider outreach and vendor education. Vehicle use rates tend to increase based on volume of available scooters/bikes and ease of access to stations. The systems with larger fleets, as well as wider spread sharing infrastructure tend to experience higher ridership.

According to research conducted by the National Association of City Transportation Officials, scooters are making up to two times more rides per vehicle per day compared to bikes. Bike services complete anywhere from 0.5 to 2.5 rides per day at an average of 1, with trends showing a shift away from traditional pedal bicycles as the interest in e-vehicles continues to grow.

Image source: nacto.org

The region where services are being offered can also influence ridership. Across our partners at ATOM Mobility for scooters, we are seeing from 1.8 to even 5 rides per vehicle per day, with even higher rates in colder regions where the proper infrastructure is in place.

Image source: City of Chicago, E-scooter Pilot Evaluation 

An evaluation of the City of Chicago’s E-scooter pilot program found that over time the number of trips per day decreased from an average of 3.7 to 2.5. This aligns with the seasonality of mobility vehicles, which has been proven to impact ridership. Our research found that there can be decreases between 30 to 50 percent during the off-season.

The average rides per day you can count on for bike sharing services is 0.5 to 2.5, and 1.8 to 5 for scooter sharing services.

What additional factors need to be taken into consideration?

Once we have determined how many rides are being taken and the average price, we can calculate the average income per vehicle per month and outline cost positions. To begin growing revenue, mobility companies need to determine ways to extend the lifespan of their vehicles or off-set the costs once the limit is met. These factors are a major component in developing a successful financial model. In addition, it’s important to review the other expenses that impact vehicle maintenance and usage when constructing an accurate forecast.

Seasonality

Seasonality refers to the time of year a service operates as a result of environmental or weather factors. For mobility services, the usage season usually begins when the average temperature in a month is +10 Celsius or more.

Rides Per Vehicle Per Day

The number of rides each vehicle is taking in a day will impact both revenue but also maintenance and lifespan costs.

Rides

The rate for each ride will need to be considered when developing an overall financial plan for a company.

Maintenance Costs (ex. 13 percent of cost per ride)

Maintenance of the vehicle fleets is required and may vary depending on usage, as well as vehicle model.

Charging Costs (ex. 21 percent of cost per ride)

Whether the fleet uses docking stations or offers free floating services, the cost of charging the vehicles is necessary for continued use.

Bank Commission (ex. 3 percent cost per ride)

This includes any of the banking fees that are acquired.

Marketing (ex. 4 percent cost per ride)

Promoting the services being offered is an essential expense for business growth and expansion within the market.

Customer Support (ex. 5 percent cost per ride)

Most mobility services are offered through mobile apps that require regular support from customer service representatives to resolve customer inquiries and help with reputation management for the company.

IT System Support (ex. 5 percent cost per ride)

These services include IoT systems, sim cards, data, software and other technological requirements needed for the vehicles to operate.

Additional Costs (ex. 3 percent cost per ride)

Mobility companies like any other vehicle service are subject to additional costs such as insurance, city permits and/or other resources.

Our Excel-based Model

To help determine the overall impact of fluctuating costs for scooter and bike services, we developed a financial model that breaks down costs based on a percentage. Through this Excel-based Model we are able to maintain a proportionate evaluation of the expenses for each service.

source: ATOM Mobility

To make calculations we assume an average ride time of 20 minutes then apply that to our Excel-based Model. Costs are shown as a percent from the ride price. Since cost and prices differ country by country, this model allows for the proportions to remain the same. For accurate forecast planning, we recommend using the average of two to four rides per vehicle per day on a period of wholesale. To learn more about our model, please email us.

Where do we go from here?

Mobility as a service is expected to continue growing as additional opportunities for expansion and profitability open in the market. At ATOM Mobility, we want to help your business thrive in the exciting new world of transportation services. There has not been a better time to join other industry leaders than right now. Reach out to us today so we can start building for the future, starting with our scooter sharing software.

The mobility industry is growing at a rapid rate, with innovations happening across cars, bikes and scooter sharing alike. This article explores the most recent advancements in the market and how industry leaders are finding new ways to compete. Learn about the different models for Mobility as a Service and what it means for the future of transportation.

Car Sharing Services

According to research by the Internet of Things, the number of carsharing service users across the world is expected to grow from 50.4 million people in 2018 to 227.1 million in 2023. The number of cars used for car sharing services is also forecasted to increase from 332,000 at the end of 2018 to 1.2 million by 2023. The rising demand for these services has driven more companies towards developing methods of sharing that go beyond traditional single use cars.   

Image source: Internet of Things

Free Floating

A new model of car sharing that has recently grown in popularity is free floating carsharing, which allows users to pick up a car in one location and return it anywhere within a predefined Home Zone. Challenging the idea of ownership, this service currently has 3 million users worldwide, with over 30 thousand vehicles available across more than 50 cities. 

there are currently over 30 thousand vehicles equipped with this service across more than 50 cities worldwide

Dailmer and BMW became a leader in the free floating industry when they merged their two car sharing services, Car2Go and DriveNow, in February 2019 to form SHARE NOW. With over four million members, the free floating car rental service is available in 18 major cities across Europe with a fleet of 20,500 vehicles to choose from. Members register through a mobile app, gaining access to the services for the cost of $0.32 per minute. The company covers the fixed costs of car loans, car insurance and car maintenance so users are able to enjoy the freedom of driving without the responsibility of ownership. 

The largest benefit of free float car sharing is the higher demand that can be met on average per ride and car each day. However, this model still includes a lot of operational day-to-day tasks such as maintenance, relocating, fueling/charging that can require a larger team.

Station Based

The traditional model of car sharing services is station based, where users can pick-up vehicles from a fixed rental station after filling out paperwork in person or through a mobile app. After signing an agreement, the renter is able to drive the car wherever they would like. The lease ends once the car is returned to a designated rental station that has been approved by the provider. This model does not provide the same flexibility to users that newer offerings have, however, it remains one of the best ways for providers to track the vehicles without developing complex systems. 

Enterprise CarShare is an example of traditional station based car sharing services. Offering users three membership levels to choose from, the pricing varies based on hourly, daily and overnight rates as well as kilometers driven. Depending on the membership, hourly rates are around $8, daily rates $75 and overnight rates start at $29. The vehicles are available for pick-up at designated stations or lots and can be returned at the discretion of the user to any Enterprise location at the end of their trip. 

Compared to free float services, station based car sharing has lower operational costs since only a few fixed stations need to be monitored and checked each day. Right now this model is most profitable in the market, once free float operators enter on a wider scale it will be harder to keep up with the high demand.

Peer-to-Peer

Peer-to-peer car sharing services have experienced large growth in the past few years. Research found that by 2017, more than 2.9 million people in North America were using these services renting over 131,336 vehicles. Peer-based car-sharing fleets expanded by 80 percent between 2016 and 2017 and memberships doubled. 

The peer-to-peer car sharing model allows users to list their own vehicles on a sharing platform, connecting hosts to guests looking to rent. This style of sharing allows users to set their own rental rates, while giving members who are looking to rent a wider selection of vehicles to choose from. 

Turo is a leader in the peer-to-peer sharing industry, serving as a marketplace where guests can book any car they want from hosts across the US, Canada, the UK and Germany. The guests are able to choose from a unique selection of cars within their area, while allowing the hosts an opportunity to earn extra money to offset the costs of ownership. The company currently has over 10 million users, with more than 350,000 vehicles listed for rent.

Image source: cnet

The rates for Turo are charged by the hour and are subject to adjustments made either by the company’s own algorithm or the specific daily rates charged by each host. 

In this model, the operator acts as an aggregator without ownership over the vehicles, which makes it easier to scale the business without the need for huge capital investments. However, it becomes more difficult to control the quality of the experience since every car cannot be checked on a regular basis. It is important to establish a strong customer support team to help resolve any issues that occur.

Autonomous

The future of car sharing is focused on eliminating the driver all together. Autonomous vehicles are beginning to make their way into the marketplace, with the hope being that fleets of self-driving cars will be able to pick-up users at any given location and return to the designated charging area all on their own. 

A leader in this next step of mobility is Waymo, a company that emerged from Google’s self-driving car project. The company launched their first commercial self-driving-car service in December 2018, in Phoenix. The self-driving cars operate in an approximately 100-square-mile radius, serving the towns of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Tempe. Available to a select few pre-approved riders, the hope is that driverless vehicles will be a main part of transportation in the future. There are currently around 1,500 monthly active users helping with the testing program.

In theory, the economics of this model should be great as there is no driver costs or relocating costs, keeping operational requirements to a minimum. These vehicles will however be heavily regulated, with limited access in the near future.

Bike Sharing Services

The demand for accessible transportation in cities has expanded beyond traditional motor vehicles. Across the world, urban areas are beginning to adapt bike sharing programs that allow citizens to use both standard bicycles and e-bikes as a form of travel. The bikes are usually selected from one docking station, and later returned to another across the city. There is currently believed to be nearly 900 bike-sharing systems available globally, with continuous advancements being made each year. 

The bike sharing market is expected to grow from a $2.7 billion dollar industry to $5 billion by 2025, according to a report by Research and Markets. That in mind, bike sharing companies across the world should approach expansion with caution to avoid over extending their services. In 2018, Chinese bike sharing start-up Ofo experienced financial decline due to their costly global expansion that was not supported by commercial success. The company was unable to maintain the accessibility of its competitors who partnered with mobile app providers, offering them a wider reach for their services. Without support from an investment partner, Ofo could no longer sustain the maintenance of its bike sharing fleets, let alone compete in the market. 

We believe you can build a successful bike share company once you have the right strategy in place. It is important to be operationally efficient when starting out, initially launching a smaller fleet and growing organically with the demand. If you start by scaling wide without having the matching demand, your resources will be spread too thin. The most successful bike share programs work with the local municipalities and cities to determine revenue streams and find the best options to connect with riders.

Dockless Bike Sharing

The dockless bike sharing model offers users access to bicycles that do not require a docking station. Dockless systems allow the bikes to be located and unlocked through a mobile app then returned to a designated district at a bike rack or along the sidewalk. This model is designed for short term use, ideal when travelling or visiting somewhere as a tourist. Most dockless sharing services offer single rides for $1 or monthly fees for continuous use.

Lime was one of the first companies to offer dockless bike services. Users access the bikes at designated areas through the company’s mobile app, initially they are charged a fixed rate to unlock the vehicle and then per minute for the duration of their trip. The rates and promotions available vary based on location and time. Program packages are also offered for users who wish to make monthly payments or have the services available to their employees on a regular basis. 

This model of bike sharing is ideal for users because it is easily accessible and convenient to employ every day. There are high operational costs that come with this type of service, as well as a larger risk for vandalism or damage to the bikes. 

Station Based

Traditional bike share programs include docking stations where the bicycles are locked until a user purchases a ride. The user pays at a nearby pay station before unlocking the vehicle for a short term trip, later returning it to any available docking station when finished. There are typically two types of payment options available, a flat membership fee or pass that allows access to the bikes for a certain period of time and then a usage fee that charges for the amount of time you spend riding. 

San Francisco is one of the first cities to create a regulatory and permitting framework around the trend of bike-sharing. In December 2019, 4,000 e-bikes were launched as part of the Bay Area bike sharing program, designed to make mobility easily accessible to citizens. The program provides rides with the option to purchase a single ride, starting at $2, through Lyft’s mobile ride-sharing app. There are over 300 docking stations available throughout the city, allowing users to travel across the Bay Area more efficiently. 

The Capital Bikeshare, in Washington D.C. has a membership fee of $85 annually offering lower usage charges throughout the year. For the first 30 minutes a ride, members aren’t charged, they then receive a rate of $1.50 for the next 30, $3 for the third and finally an additional $6 for every other 30 minute period. For non-members, the first 30 minutes also has no charge but they experience higher fees for every 30 minutes after that. The higher usage fees are balanced out by lower costs at the start -- a daily Capital Bikeshare pass is only $8 and a monthly pass comes to $28.

Station based bike sharing can help bring a stable ROI for every bike since operational costs are low, and there is a minimal need for maintenance, relocation or charging. As dockless bikes continue to expand in the market, this model risks losing loyal users in the long-run.

Sponsored by Corporate

Some bike share programs operate in partnership with corporations who sponsor the vehicles. Operating like a standard bike share program, these vehicles operate in conjunction with the local municipalities. 

In London, the city offers a public bicycle hire scheme funded by Santander UK. With more than 750 docking stations and 11,500 bikes available for hire around the city, users have easy access to the vehicles. The program operates 24 hours a day, year-round with an initial cost of 2 Euros for a daily trip, charging an additional 2 Euros per half hour after the first 30 minutes. Users have the option to hire a bike using their bank card at the docking station, or through the official mobile app. 

This model is great for any operator that can find a reliable partner who is interested in establishing this type of deal, however, you still run the risk of losing that partner later on.

Scooter Sharing Services

The fastest growing trend in mobility is the advent of e-scooters. They are inexpensive, accessible through mobile apps similar to bike sharing and available in over 100 cities worldwide. According to the US National Association of City Transportation Officials, riders took 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters in 2018 compared to the 36.5 million trips on docked bikes. The Boston Consulting Group estimates that the global e-scooter market will grow to US$50 billion by 2025, with approximately 50% of the users being located in Europe and the USA. Micro-mobility is quickly becoming the preferred method for short term travel and companies have already begun to emerge as leaders in the market.

Image source: nacto.org

Station Based

Similar to station based bikes, some e-scooter providers offer docking stations where the scooters can be unlocked through a mobile app and then returned later to any available docking station. 

DASH Scooters operates out of Nashville, TN, offering docked e-scooters styled like vespas that can be rented at set rates through their mobile app. Starting at $40 for two hours, the rates increase based on time travelled and day of the week. The brand launched after the emergence of other leaders such as Bird, Lime and Spin, who have set the bar for innovation in e-scooters. Their app allows users to locate nearby docking stations where the scooters can be returned to at the end of a trip. 

The best way for operators to get a high return on their business is to have a combination of station based and dockless scooters. This will help maintain growth over time, while keeping up the high demand. 

Dockless Scooters

Leaders in the mobility industry have begun to focus on the possibilities of dockless scooters. This model involves e-scooters that do not require a docking stations, but instead can be rented from a designated location and then returned anywhere in another.

Spin operates in 62 cities and 20 campuses across the United States, offering fleets of electric scooters for easy, short term travel. Users are able to unlock the scooters through their mobile app, once the ride is complete they can leave the scooter at any designated location and the cost will appear on the app. Charges vary depending on the length of the ride.

This model is currently experiencing high demand due to its convenience and ease of access for users. There are a large amount of maintenance and operational costs required, similar to other dockless mobility services, as well as increasing regulations across cities.  

Hotel Services

While the future of e-scooters in cities is an on-going process, the services have begun to expand into the tourism sector. Hotels and resorts have begun to offer scooter sharing services to allow guests to easily travel throughout the location, or explore local surroundings. The options vary between station based and dockless scooters, with pricing packages being dependent on the destination.

Rentskoot is a start-up in Finland that offers small fleets of electric scooters to hotels. Guests are then able to rent the scooters from the hotel premises as a unique way to experience the local neighbourhoods. The company provides operational training to staff, free maintenance and the ability to advertise the hotel’s logo on the scooters. Travelling at a maximum speed of 25 km/h, the compact size and battery life makes this service ideal for short term use within cities. 

By focusing on hotels, this model allows businesses to be more innovative with their designs while keeping a consistent demand amongst the growing market. An agreement will need to be made with the hotel in advance regarding guidelines for use and overall costs distribution. 

What does this mean for the future of mobility?

The car sharing industry is projected to reach a 16.5 billion USD revenue by 2024, with an annual increase of 34.8% every year. A trend towards electric vehicles is also predicted as the demand for lithium-ion batteries has been predicted to increase by 380% by 2025. In addition, the bike and scooter rental market is expected to grow from USD $2.5 billion in 2019 to USD $10.1 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 18.9 percent. Dockless systems will most likely continue to dominate the market, as their flexibility and ease has historically made them the more popular option for riders. 

Every sector of MaaS has one thing in common: the desire to make transportation easier for riders. Ultimately each service compliments the other by providing different options for mobility that can each work together to get a user from point A to point B and back. If someone arrives in the city by train, they could then travel to work using an e-bike or e-scooter to avoid traffic. When returning home late at night a car sharing service could be used to get them there in one trip. The hope is that the future of mobility will consist of a connected network designed for safe, efficient and easily accessible travel. 

With this quickly growing market on the rise, there hasn’t been a better time to become a leader in mobility. Start your journey in 20 days with ATOM!

Technology is helping transform the future of urban transportation by influencing what mobility will look like, and how it will impact the modern city-scape. A recent article by Forbes Technology Council explained that there is a shared consensus around the four key features of future mobility: shared, hybrid, autonomous and electric. The next question becomes, what will mobility services will be available in the coming years? We have done some research to help breakdown the different perspectives on shared mobility as a mode of transportation in the future. 

Why electric?

By 2040, electric cars will outsell gasoline-powered cars

Recently consumers have shifted their interest towards electric vehicles as a more sustainable and environmentally conscious option for long-distance travel. Predictions expect electric vehicles to surpass traditional combustion cars within the next 20 years, with 57% of passenger vehicles and more than 30% of global passenger vehicle fleet sales being electric by 2040. With this growth also comes a need for additional charging infrastructure to allow the vehicles to travel further over long distances. Currently there are about 13,000 electric vehicle fast charging stations across the US, compared to roughly 332,000 gas stations. Companies such as Volkswagon, GM and Tesla, have announced they are working on creating charging that will help drive sales in the future. Successful expansion into the market will require cities to develop smart plans that accommodate the needs of electric mobility. 

Why shared?

Shared mobility has grown extensively since Uber (2009) and Lyft (2012) first entered the market. More and more operators continue to emerge worldwide, offering at least one ridesharing service to people in over 700 cities. These services are expected to expand even further in the future as a result of increased urbanization, as well as growing concerns around sustainability, economic stability and emissions. A report by the Internet of Things’ analyst firm, Berg Insights, found the number of car-sharing service users will grow from 50.4 million people in 2018 to 227.1 million people in 2023. Offering mobility as a service is helping reduce the number of single-use vehicles on the road, lending itself to a more functional form of travel.

Why autonomous?

A major challenge facing urban drivers is the issue of congestion and traffic jams. In some metropolitan cities, such as London, the problem lead to the enforcement of congestion charges in their most heavily populated neighbourhoods. In effect since 2003, these charges have helped reduce traffic by 30%, will simultaneously generating funds for the city. But is that enough? Autonomous vehicles are believed to be the next step in reducing congestion. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge found that when a fleet of autonomous vehicles are effectively communicating, keeping traffic moving smoothly, congestion rates could be reduced by 35%.

Why hybrid?

Micro-mobility is the use of small mobility devices, designed to carry one or two people, or ‘last-mile’ deliveries. This goes hand-in-hand with the rising interest in e-scooters and e-bikes that have seen exceptional sales growth in recent years. The combination of electric with single-use, lightweight vehicles is expected to surpass traditional modes of transportation. In their annual technology, media and telecommunications predictions, Deloitte predicted more than 130 million e-bikes will be sold between 2020 and 2023. Compared to the 1.8 million sold in Europe and 185,000 in the US during 2013, this significant increase suggests that e-bikes and other technology like it are the future of mobility.

How are city’s supporting?

Cities across the world have begun adapting strategies to assist with the future of urban mobility. Being the leader in reducing traffic, Singapore introduced Area licencing Scheme in 1975, enforcing a daily toll charge of $3 or $60 monthly for cars entering a central zone area during peak hours. The city experienced success resulting in fewer cars entering the zone during peak hours, a 35 percent increase in carpools and a minimum of $500 million saved by the city that could be used towards infrastructure improvements. The system has since been updated to an Electrical Road Pricing system in order to match the changing demands of the city’s core.

San Francisco has yet to enforce congestion pricing for its traffic heavy neighbourhoods, however, research is being conducted to determine the best solutions for the city. The Emerging Mobility Evaluation Report by the San Francisco Transportation Authority found 90 percent of all motor vehicle collisions are caused by human error, with approximately 80 percent involving some level of inattention. This has lead to a shift towards alternative modes of mobility and potential pilot projects within the city core. San Francisco has become known for its low income bike share programs. Launching in 2013 the Bay Area Bike Share Pilot requires at least 20% of stations be located in low-income communities, with an estimated 320 stations and 4,500 in 2017. Data collected by the Bike-sharing Blog estimates there are twice as many bike-sharing programs in the world as there were in 2014, with nearly 20 times more bikes available for public use.

The doors have opened for industry leaders to start making innovations within auto-mobility, influencing the modern city-scape. In addition to placing restrictions on heavily congested areas, the city of Helsinki has focused its efforts on improving the existing infrastructure and transportation options to encourage people to utilize other modes of mobility. A leader in mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) platforms, the city plans to replace 2.3 billion urban private car journeys annually by 2023. One of the ways it’s begun to accomplish this is through the app Whim. An app developed specifically for Helsinki, Whim provides access to all of the city’s mobility options through a monthly subscription. The future of mobility is at people’s fingertips.

What’s next?

Cities around the world are beginning to explore the possibilities of e-scooters as a means to travel short distances too far to comfortably walk, as well as a potential solution towards reducing the reliance on cars. The city of Tallahassee launched a pilot program in partnership with five major e-scooter companies: Bird, Lime, VeoRide, Spin and Gotch. The purpose is to determine solutions for the major problems being faced, but to also help develop good ridership habits. The companies deployed 200 e-scooters, each capable of travelling 15 mph, under new legislation that allows them to be treated the same as bicycles. With the success of programs such as this, and companies making pledging to maintain social responsibility for user safety, e-scooters as a primary mode of mobility are on the rise. 

Nuro, a self-driving start-up, is one of the few companies to currently have a fleet of fully driverless vehicles operating on public roads. In February 2019, the company secured roughly $1 billion in additional funding from SoftBank allowing them to partner with the grocery-store chain Kroeger’s for a pilot project. The pilot service has been delivering groceries in Houston, Texas since March 2019, with expansions to include other goods like Domino's Pizza and Walmart products. As of right now the fleet stands at about 75 vehicles, with plans to go public in 2020. By introducing fully automated vehicles into the market, the number of people on the road will be reduced, optimizing efficiency and offering greater protection from potential collisions or incidents. 

Nuro self-driving vehicle

In addition to reducing traffic in major cities, mobility companies are also focusing their resources on addressing concerns of energy consumption and emissions. The smart scooter mobility company, Gogoro, aims to leverage the power of technology in order to change the way technology is consumed and transform how cities operate to improve sustainability. Their first fleet of smart scooters launched in 2015, delivering a high performance electric riding experience to uses in Taiwan. The company also established a network known as the Gogoro Energy Network in Taipei offers more than 1,581 battery swap stations and supports over 199,478 battery exchanges every day. In Europe, a fleet of 3,500 emissionless smart scooters were released across three major countries in 2018, helping reduce CO2 emissions by 123,655 tons and displacing more than 58,731,863 liters of gasoline. By leveraging technological progress and innovations in modern infrastructure, Gogoro is becoming a leader in transportation solutions. 

Electric scooter Gogoro with swappable batteries

Companies, like Tortoise, are looking to expand the capabilities of scooters even further by introducing fleets that can move autonomously across a city and reposition themselves, without a rider. The goal is to tackle the biggest challenge currently facing operators: relocating scooters. Tortoise plans to use autonomous technology combined with teleoperation to reposition and rebalance dockless, shared e-scooters in cities. The initial deployment will include between 50 to 100 scooters per operator in each market with the intention to equip every fleet with the ability to autonomously reposition themselves. Autonomous micro-mobility like e-scooters and e-bikes are believed to be the start for creating smarter, more technologically advanced cities.

How can we help?

As both industry leaders and cities around the world are finding new ways to support the rising trend of micro-mobility, we at ATOM Mobility want to help entrepreneurs looking to enter the market. We believe that shared mobility is the future of transportation, offering assistance with integrating industry-leading vehicles ready for shared mobility, including kick scooters, scooters, bikes, mopeds, cars and more. Our customers have an excellent grasp on the current needs of local markets, and we allow them to focus on marketing and operations, while taking care of the technology. 

Sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33183031
https://www.corporateknights.com/channels/transportation/sharing-road-canadian-cities-driving-progress-shared-mobility-15593076/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/11/22/four-keys-to-future-mobility-shared-hybrid-integrated-and-electric/#3feea979339d
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/18/cars/electric-car-market-sales/index.html
https://about.bnef.com/electric-vehicle-outlook/
https://www.businessinsider.com/ubers-history#june-2016-kalanick-proclaims-that-uber-was-profitable-in-hundreds-of-cities-globally-but-that-the-money-was-being-reinvested-in-its-war-against-chinese-rival-didi-the-company-said-at-the-time-that-it-was-losing-1-billion-each-year-in-its-fight-against-didi-34
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/08/top-ride-sharing-apps-in-europe-asia-south-america-africa-and-usa.html
https://iotbusinessnews.com/2019/11/14/60333-the-public-carsharing-fleet-reached-332000-vehicles-worldwide-in-2018/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47874725
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190519191641.htm
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/846593/future-of-mobility-strategy.pdf
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/us/articles/722835_tmt-predictions-2020/DI_TMT-Prediction-2020.pdf
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_777_2004-12-13.html
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_832__2009-01-05.html
http://sfcta.org/sites/default/files/2019-03/Emerging%20Mobility%20Studies_11.pdf
https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/bike/bike-share
https://www.businessinsider.com/bike-sharing-programs-doubled-since-2014-public-bikes-charts-2018-7?IR=T
https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/news/news/helsinki-leads-in-mobility-as-a-service-3308
https://whimapp.com/
https://eu.tallahassee.com/story/news/2019/07/15/electric-scooters-tallahassee-florida-bird-scooters-rental-gotcha-lime-spin-veoride-escooters/1708270001/
https://www.wctv.tv/content/news/Five-companies-launch-e-scooters-in-Tallahassee-during-pilot-program-512748851.html
https://nuro.ai/product
https://www.wired.com/story/softbank-nuro-self-driving-investment/
https://qz.com/1644476/nuro-will-deliver-dominos-pizza-with-its-robots-in-houston/
https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/10/21004678/nuros-driverless-delivery-robots-walmart-houston
https://medium.com/nuro/new-rules-of-the-road-for-california-and-autonomous-vehicles-2fa26a1159cb
https://www.gogoro.com/about/
https://www.tortoise.dev/
https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/15/20910083/tortoise-autonomous-electric-scooters-self-driving-robotics
https://www.fastcompany.com/90417611/it-was-inevitable-the-scooters-are-now-driving-themselves