Ride AI

This week we chose to resyndicate a recent episode of a podcast called The Next Billion Seconds, for their series called The Next Billion Cars, where they look at the future of the transportation industry and how tech will help enable the next billion vehicles to get around. In this episode, Drew Smith interviews Horace, exploring the origins and future of micromobility. Per their description, “Horace offers a blistering critique of the failure of the automotive sector to embody the new design possibilities offered by micromobility: transportation choice in our urban centres, and a powerful framework to rethink our transportation networks and cities.” This was a great episode and many thanks to the Next Billion Seconds team for letting us resyndicate it here. From The Next Billion Seconds: What is ‘micromobility’? It’s a philosophy that emphasises choice and urban-centered design in our transportation networks and transport options. Drew Smith speaks with Horace Dediu, the ‘father’ of micromobility, about its origins, his critique of the new generation of EV companies, and the way things must change in order to provide a transport future that we can all enjoy. Mark looks at the ‘wheel’ of transportation that takes developing nations from bicycles to scooters to cars – and back to bikes again? Sally Dominguez makes a heartfelt and well-observed plea for micromobility solutions that don’t favour able-bodied young men by design. In the round-table, Mark, Sal and Drew analyse everything they’ve learned in this series: Are we any closer to autonomous vehicles? Pervasive electric vehicles? Commercial hydrogen vehicles? Micromobility solutions that work for everyone? A huge final for this series of THE NEXT BILLION CARS You can listen to The Next Billion Seconds and learn more 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 ⁠Micromobility Newsletter⁠ 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.

This week Oliver interviews Grace Rink, Chief Climate Officer for the City and County of Denver. Grace leads the Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency. She’s more well known in micromobility as the head of the Denver e-bike subsidy programme, which has captured the imagination of regulators all over the world with the latest program iterations selling out in mere minutes. Today we talk about how she ended up in Denver, why the programme was formed and it’s objectives and the implications of what they’re finding. This felt like an important interview. We think that subsidies and government support are something that micromobility has traditionally eschewed in favour of just doing it, but there are more and more cities, states, and countries around the world realising that the bang for the buck on these vehicles are substantially higher than they’d be for the other transport climate policies. They talk through the newly launched subsidy tracker that Micromobility Industries has just launched which tracks all subsidies for E-bikes, scooters and more globally. We’re very excited about it - and think that it’ll be an important tool going forward. Oliver and Grace also run through other schemes of government support for end consumers looking to use micromobility and how to make micromobility support non-partisan. If you’re a policymaker who is looking into this, welcome - We hope that you enjoy this, and that this conversation inspires you to push for a similar policy in your jurisdiction. If you have the desire to develop better materials for you on how to best do this and that we can host, please reach out to our team - we’d love to hear from you. Specifically they tackle: - How is the subsidy funded? - Why pick this? What are the motivation/outcome objectives? - “The city reported that the e-bikes purchased as part of the program were ridden 26 miles (42 km) per week on average, and replaced 3.4 car trips each week.” Does the city calculate trips? - How do you balance action and resiliency? - Which companies benefit the most from this? Connect with Grace on LinkedIn 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 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 Rickard Bröms from Sweden, who is the founder of Vässla, who won the Rider Choice Award at the recent 2023 Micromobility Riders Awards for best subscription company.  We’ve been following along with what they’ve been doing for a while and really love the new pedal Ebike that they are bringing out, along with the standard throttle bike and moped that they've been offering. They have really nailed the subscription services for micromobility, lowering the barriers to entry.  We really loved the conversation with Rickard - he’s very mission-driven. We're really looking forward to watching them in the future Specifically they talk about:  - The early origins of Vässla with e-moped and throttle bikes, and now their pedal e-bikes.  - How they’ve sold around 5000 mopeds - beating the global market leader NIU - in Sweden and sell them in Berlin too.  - How they’ve thought about Vässla Club, their subscription business - what was the insight, and what did it require from them to pivot into this - How they do their manufacturing - Their funding journey for early moped and into developing an ebike and subscription 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 we are releasing another talk from our recent Micromobility World  - this one with Matthew Yglesias, pioneering political blogger and self-described "ebike dad," on why electric bikes and other small vehicles offer a compelling alternative to the solve the urban mobility dilemma.  Matt has a wealth of knowledge about the interplay of politics, Transport and land use and Julia is an excellent host to ask him about it. This was a really compelling and interesting 50 minutes. We hope you enjoy it!  They dig into: - His journey to be an ‘e-bike dad’ - and a big proponent of electric bikes  - The intersection between transport and built urban form - and the overhang of cars.  - How people are now getting used to taking the vehicles that are appropriate to the trips  - The divide between privately owned and shared systems, and how land use rules interplay with those decisions.  - The regulatory drivers helping and hindering EVs and micromobility  - The subsidy question - needed or not?  - Why he thinks SoCal should be ground zero for a micromobility first city - The importance of making micromobility a positive, accessible brand rather than making it snobby or a ‘poverty option’ - The importance of allowing the built environment to innovate to new mobility options.  - What should micromobility advocates do to help drive change.  - Americans are typically pro-growth, opportunity and innovation. How can those attitudes be harnessed for micromobility, and transcend the left/right divide.  Follow Matthew on Twitter and on LinkedIn. And now, here is Matt and Julia. 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 on the podcast, we welcome back Horace for the first time in a while, to discuss the recent Mastodon storm on Apple's fabled car efforts and why they may fail, especially in the face of smaller, more modular vehicle solutions. We’ve linked to it below, but as quick context, the overall arc is that cars have a very long development and use lifespan, and that computers, the thing that Apple is best at, have far shorter timespans, and that there’s a mismatch there around how these two dynamics would interplay.  As we’ve talked about a lot here on the podcast, "the faster it goes, the slower it goes”.  In recent years, the trend towards micromobility has been exploding. Our thesis is that smaller electric vehicles, like electric bikes and scooters, are more adaptable and can be developed and evolved at a much faster pace than larger vehicles like cars. The shorter development timeframes and lifespans of micromobility vehicles means that they can be more quickly adapted to changing market trends and consumer preferences, and can stay ahead of the curve in terms of technological advancements. Specifically they tackle: -The potential of micromobility -The challenges facing Apple's car efforts -The role of smaller, more modular vehicle solutions in shaping the future of the automotive industry. And with that, here’s Horace! 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 Levi Conlow who is the founder of Lectric Ebikes. This really is one of the most incredible stories of Micromobility in the last few years. Back in 2019 when they were just starting out, they started with an Ebike that they struggled to sell and no-one wanted to buy. Last year they had the most popular model of a bike in America shipping over 150,000 units, all while being profitable.  It’s stories like this that we love from Micromobility – companies that have really just nailed the product market fit by focusing on the bits that people love - cost and convenience. We love this conversation – Levi is an incredibly impressive founder who is hyper focused on the job the customers are trying to do – in this case selling Ebikes to people with RV’s direct to consumers, and really just nailing that experience. We really hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.  Specifically they tackled: - The background to Levi's involvement in the industry including his first venture in electric skateboards  - The formation of Lectric including early funding and their failures  - The explosive growth through the pandemic  - The specific things that Levi focusses on for the customer that have been most valuable  - How they think of value engineering and quality - Their marketing strategy, including how powerful the You Tube influencers are in driving sales - The new bikes they have coming out, including the announcement of their insanely specced and priced new cargo bike, the XPedition.  - Tariffs and macro conditions and how they've navigated them  - What he's excited about in the future - Their D2C strategy and what that has enabled for them Check out the Lectric website right here And with that, here's Levi! 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 we are releasing another episode from the Micromobility world catalogue – this one is a conversation between Gabe Klein, the first person to head the newly formed Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, and Julia Thayne, our Micromobility world Cohost.  Gabes' job is to break down barriers to electrifying transportation. We’ve had him on the podcast before for episode 122 for what was one of the top episodes of the year. Before he took his current role, he has held a number of really interesting roles as a Zipcar exec and chief of the Washington DC and Chicago DOTs.  He joins Julia to discuss the role small electric vehicles can play in America’s EV transformation. He’s a self confessed ebike nut and it was awesome to have him join to talk micromobility.  Learn more about Gabe and what he does, via his website here In this episode they tackle: - The new role that Gabe has taken on and what it's scope is - How he thinks about micromobility in the overall scope of electrification of transport in the US and the role that it can play  - The lack of ebike subsidy that was in the IRA, and what other programmes are doing to support their adoption  - The role of government in rolling out electrification of transport And with that, here’s Gabe and Julia. 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, we are releasing one of the talks that we had at the recent Micromobility World event early this year .  A discussion between Horace, Julia Thayne, one of our co hosts and the famed journalist Kara Swisher, this was a particularly energising section, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Specifically they tackle: - The intersection of tech and transport - The micromobility thesis and is it correct or not? - Which cities are best for micromobility - What Elon got wrong With that, here’s Kara, Julia and Horace! 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 we're releasing another interview from Oliver's tour of micromobility companies in Southern California.  This episode is with LeGrand Crewse, founder of Super73, on the growth of his very distinctive brand. Ever since Oliver first saw the first image of the electrified mini taco bike, he thought that Super73 were on to something - they clearly understood what electrification buys you in terms of bike design, and they had focused on knobbly tyres, aesthetics and the likelihood that riders would end up using the throttle over really peddling to create something that was a substantial departure from anything we’d really seen in popular bike design before - most companies just electrified the existing form factors that they’d been making.  So, it was awesome to sit down with LeGrand and talk about the history and where things are going for the company, including its expansion into motorbikes.  Also, we didn’t really discuss it, but Oliver got to test ride their kids bike afterwards too, and that thing is going to sell like hotcakes. It’s built super tough and has an adult mode meaning that adults can ride it as well - check out Oliver's SoCal tour write up on Twitter for a video of him checking it out.   Specifically they tackle: - The history of Super73 - How the company has grown over time - Funding and how they have thought about it - Why they chose to raise less than their competitors - The new motorbikes and the impact that they will have on servicing and maintenance Take a closer look at Super73 on their website And with that, here’s LeGrand! 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.