Latest news with #micromobility
TechCrunch
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- TechCrunch
Jony Ive's LoveFrom helped design Rivian's first electric bike
Lovefrom, the creative firm founded by former Apple chief designer Jony Ive, played a role in the development of Rivian's first electric bike, according to multiple sources who spoke to TechCrunch. For about 18 months, a handful of LoveFrom staff worked alongside Rivian's design team and engineers within a skunkworks program led by Specialized's former chief product and technology officer Chris Yu. LoveFrom's work on the micromobility project ended in fall 2024, according to the sources. LoveFrom and Rivian declined to comment. Rivian's skunkworks program, which eventually grew to a team of about 70 people hailing from Apple, Google, Specialized, Tesla, REI Co-Op, spun out earlier this year with a new name and $105 million in funding from Eclipse Ventures. The micromobility startup, called Also, has yet to show off its first vehicle designs. In interviews with TechCrunch, Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe (who is on Also's board) and Yu were cagey about what the new company's first vehicle would look like. 'There's a seat, and there's two wheels, there's a screen, and there's a few computers and a battery,' Scaringe said in March. He has also said it will be 'bike-like,' a description confirmed by sources. But both Scaringe and Yu spoke of a much bigger vision for Also, one where it could theoretically tackle almost any imaginable micromobility form factor. The new company is supposed to reveal its first designs at an event later this year. An Also spokesperson declined to comment about its bike or any connection to LoveFrom. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW When the electric 'bike' is revealed, it's possible that Ive's fingerprints will be all over it. Ive is best-known for being the design force behind the iPhone and myriad other Apple products, and most recently, his work with Sam Altman and OpenAI. But his collaboration with Rivian is not his first foray into the transportation industry. The parent company of Ferrari announced in 2021 that Ive's firm would help develop the Italian supercar manufacturer's next-generation vehicles. Ive was also involved with Apple's secretive car project. He was reportedly one of the main proponents for centering Apple's long-running car project around autonomy, whereas other people inside the company pushed for a more traditional electric car. Apple abandoned that project early last year. Sources told TechCrunch that Ive's LoveFrom has acted as a consultant for Rivian in the past, including on the company's redesigned infotainment system and retail, among other areas, according to two former employees with knowledge of the relationship. But its involvement in what would become Also was a more structured and dedicated effort, another source familiar with the relationship said. The skunkworks program began taking shape in early 2022 with a directive to explore whether Rivian's EV technology could be condensed down into something smaller and more affordable than its electric vans, trucks, and SUVs. Initially, the small team worked with Rivian designers to develop a product that could scale to different types of vehicles. A key design challenge was how to make the bike-like product modular while still maintaining the elevated aesthetics Rivian has become known for. By the time LoveFrom got involved in the project in early 2023, a lot of work had been completed, according to sources who said they helped refine the prototypes. The relationship was described as a 'pretty tight' collaboration between the skunkworks team, LoveFrom's staff, and the industrial designers based out of Rivian's headquarters in Irvine. This group looked at everything including the user interface and UX for the bike. The industrial design team at LoveFrom, which has a lot of experience with thoughtful and clever packaging, was particularly involved, according to one source, who noted the team brought an interdisciplinary and international perspective to the project.
Times
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Times
‘We're bringing the e-scooter revolution to Britain. It will hurt'
For some, e-bikes and e-scooters are the transport mode of the future, giving users a cheap, convenient and environmentally friendly way to zip around. For others they are a dangerous menace, cluttering pavements and being an eyesore at tourist hotspots. Regardless of who is right, Britain will need to get used to seeing a lot more of them over the next few years, according to a senior boss at the UK's largest rental company. Christina Moe Gjerde, the vice-president for northern Europe at Voi Technology, has promised a UK 'revolution' in the technology — known as micromobility — and is prepared to take the backlash from any sceptics to make it happen. The company, which already operates in more than 100 towns and cities in Europe, including 17 in the UK, wants a minimum of 50,000 extra e-bikes and e-scooters on UK streets within five years, and cities such as Manchester, Edinburgh, Sheffield, Leeds and Brighton are its next targets. 'You [the UK] are sitting on a gold mine,' she said. 'Get it right and there's so much potential. You have other countries and cities in Europe where you want people to start biking or jump on a scooter but they're not. In the UK you have it.' Private e-scooters are illegal on English roads but a limited number of local authorities have been able to offer micromobility rental schemes from companies such as Voi, Lime or Dott on a rolling trial basis. The government's devolution plans are set to give local authorities the power to offer schemes to their residents, with many expected to take this up. It will also give authorities the power to regulate the service by putting in place parking street restrictions or speed limits. Alternatively they could also allow e-bikes but ban e-scooters, as Paris did in 2023. Moe Gjerde, 34, acknowledges that not everyone has been happy with the results so far. 'I understand they are angry. I understand they are frustrated,' she said. 'Parking clutter is a problem. No one wants that. Accidents are a problem. As long as there are accidents we are not happy. So everyone wants the same thing. 'The revolutionary in me says change is going to hurt no matter what, right? We've said for decades we need more people to bike, we need more people to go on public transport, we need to stop driving cars. The revolution will hurt a little, but it's necessary.' Moe Gjerde said that UK politicians should look at Oslo as a example of how a micromobility scheme could operate. This year, politicians in the city doubled their e-scooter fleet to 16,000 but with restrictions such as a ban on riding between 11pm and 5am, a cap on e-scooter numbers within certain zones and greater use of 'geofencing', which bans the scooters from popular pedestrian streets, parks or near schools. Users are required to take photos of how they have parked and can be fined if their scooter is left in a reckless manner. Licences were also given to three micromobility companies to encourage competition on price and safety standards. 'We haven't reached the point where we've created this sort of perfect balance between the benefits and the negative impacts of this technology,' Marit Kristine Vea, Oslo's vice-mayor for transport, said. 'But at least politically we've decided that Oslo is a good test hub to see if we can create this balance.' She said stricter regulation had 'calmed' things after a volatile few years but that not everyone was completely happy. 'This weekend I got a message from a 79-year-old. He said: 'I like your party but because of the e-scooters you destroyed everything.' 'But my advice mostly goes to politicians: pay attention to the sceptics as well and try to design regulations that protect them.' Moe Gjerde is ready for the backlash from the residents of new areas adopting the technology. 'I don't know how many hate groups I've had on Facebook. I've been in a storm. I got an award from a newspaper in Norway for [being] the most talked-about person. 'So I'm ready, but I'd say to the UK: just don't make the same mistakes that others have.'
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Rivian CEO Scaringe on China Tensions, Spinoff of Also
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe discusses the impact of the Trump administration's tariffs on the electric-vehicle industry and Rivian's spinoff of its micromobility business Also at the Bloomberg Tech Summit in San Francisco. (Source: Bloomberg)
ABC News
6 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
ACT to open market for e-scooter, e-bike companies, as government warned two-thirds of users break the law
Two-thirds of Canberrans are using e-scooters illegally, according to researchers, who are urging the ACT government to address the problem before considering adding another provider to the market. Canberrans may soon see more colours of e-scooter on their street corners, and possibly also e-bikes, when the ACT government reopens the micromobility permit market this month. However, a study into e-scooter user behaviour from the University of Canberra has found almost two-thirds of all riders are not wearing helmets, sparking calls for tighter regulation. For second-year Australian National University (ANU) student Jonathan De Kock, e-scooters are a practical and recreational form of transport he uses weekly. He considers helmets an optional choice. "I tend to use helmets fairly often, if they're available," he said. Many ANU students use e-scooters between the campus and the city. It's a route Mr De Kock believes is very safe, and he said none of his friends had received any meaningful injuries from riding e-scooters at night. "I don't think it's deeply unsafe," Mr De Kock said. Between January and May 2025, ACT Policing issued nine infringement notices and two cautions for people riding e-scooters without a helmet. No cautions were issued for riders using a mobile phone or riding with multiple people on board in that same time period. The fact he might get caught doing the wrong thing does not really affect Mr De Kock's e-scooter use. University of Canberra research assistant Anton Fichtenmaier, who contributed to the study, said e-scooters were often used for short distances. "People are often using these micromobility modes of transport to complete that last little bit of commute either from the bus stop, the light rail or where they parked to get to where they're working," he said. Study co-author and associate professor of psychology Amanda George said their report found 64 per cent of e-scooter users did not wear a helmet — which she said was linked to a perception that legal consequences and physical injury were unlikely. "It's not the done thing," she said. She said some users viewed wearing a helmet as "not cool". The University of Canberra research found e-scooter users also said they chose not to wear helmets because of concerns about hygiene and the helmets sometimes not being available. The report made recommendations to the government, including that it should prioritise helmet use by collaborating with e-scooter companies to enforce the rules. "A key recommendation we made was to engage in some further research, particularly in those late at night and early morning periods," Professor George said. The ACT government confirmed it was considering the report recommendations, but indicated late-night use was not a focus because e-scooter usage peaks between 4pm and 9pm. "Whilst late-night riding may attract some inappropriate use, e-scooters provide an important affordable, flexible and safe service for people who need to travel late at night," a government spokesperson said. Neuron Mobility is the sole shared e-scooter operator in the ACT, and the company has 1,075 of its orange scooters scattered throughout the territory. The company pays a daily permit fee of $1.04 per vehicle to the ACT government, but the permit expires in August. After an application process in June, the government will consider up to two providers to operate in the territory. Canberra previously had two operators — however in September 2024 Beam Mobility's 950 purple shared e-scooters disappeared off the streets, following findings the company had manipulated its fleet numbers. Introducing shared e-bikes has not been ruled out by the territory government, and neither has a possible return of Beam Mobility. "The renewal of permits provides an opportunity to refresh the program with new approaches, services and devices, including e-bikes which can be ridden greater distances," an ACT government spokesperson said. "Two operators would be considered where services complement each other either through competition on services and pricing or through the provision of services that meet different needs within the community."
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Edmonton to offer e-ride workshops this summer
Hundreds of e-scooters are hitting Edmonton's streets this week with launches from companies Lime and Bird Canada The City of Edmonton is holding a series of events to teach Edmontonians all about e-rides and active transportation. Street Sparks will encourage Edmontonians to embrace the future of micromobility, a range of small and lightweight vehicles, like e-scooters and e-bikes, designed to transport drivers short and medium distances to promote cleaner air, the City of Edmonton said on Monday. 'This is a fantastic opportunity for Edmontonians to experience the benefits of micromobility in an inclusive and safe environment,' said papastew Coun. Michael Janz. 'The Street Sparks events will provide valuable experience and education to help residents feel confident and make informed choices about sustainable transportation options.' At the event, people will get a free, hands-on experience with e-rides and learn from Edmonton's micromobility vendors Bird, Lime and Neuron. Street Sparks will include test rides, safety workshops and entertainment like games and food trucks. The events will take place on Saturday, July 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Booster Juice Recreation Centre and Saturday, July 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mayfield Park.
