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Lime Expands Fleet With New E-Bike That Uses the Same Battery Pack as Its Scooters

Image for article titled Lime Expands Fleet With New E-Bike That Uses the Same Battery Pack as Its Scooters
Image: Lime

The middle of a pandemic might not seem like a great time to expand a fleet of shared transportation gadgets, but Lime is pushing ahead anyway with a new e-bike that runs on the same battery packs used in its scooters.

As part of a $50 million plan to build out its bike-sharing service, Lime is looking to use its sixth-gen e-bike to expand its market to 25 new cities in 2021 across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America. By the end of the year, Lime is hoping to have operations running in a total of 50 cities across the world.

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Building off its previous e-bike, made by Jump (which was acquired by Lime from Uber last year), the battery pack in Lime’s new e-bike features a 25-mile range and uses swappable batteries that can also be used in Lime’s scooters. This makes it easier for Lime to produce and maintain the power packs for its growing stable of gadgets.

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Image for article titled Lime Expands Fleet With New E-Bike That Uses the Same Battery Pack as Its Scooters
Image: Lime
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But that isn’t the only upgrade, as Lime’s sixth-gen e-bike also comes with some modern upgrades including a built-in phone holder, a new onboard display, and an integrated electric lock. And to help make climbing hills easier, Lime also added a more powerful two-speed motor.

While Lime may have had a rocky start that saw some of its scooters get hacked to display racist messages or get tossed in the ocean by angry locals, Lime raked in its first-ever profitable quarter in 2020, and thanks to a $170 million investment round led by Uber, Lime now stands as the largest micromobility company in the world focusing on “last-mile” transportation.

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So between its new e-bike and statements from Lime CEO Wayne Ting claiming “COVID has turned from a headwind into a tailwind” with users preferring to ride open-air scooters instead of taking public transportation, Lime seems poised to carry its late 2020 momentum throughout the rest of the year.