Bird has already established itself as a big player in the escooter industry, and is now joining the bikesharing market with its specially made Bird Bike. It’s cool, it’s blue, and it can take you places.
Yesterday, the companyannouncedits “New Smart Bikeshare Program,” which it plans to roll out incities across North America and Europe.
Bird’s ebikecan hit a top speed of 25 kilometers per hour and has a range of up to 90km on a single charge. It also claims to be capable of a 20% climbing gradeto ensure an easy ride even when biking upslope. Other features include LED headlights and taillights, a handy storage basket in the front, digital display and voice prompts, and a neatstep-through design.
What makes it even cooler are its onboard diagnostics and Bird’s geofence tech. That way, the bike can automatically monitor its health, as well as stopping or slowing down the motor in designated areas.
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As with escooters, Bird’s network of fleet managers will handle operations for these vehicles and ensure the bike’s integration in each locale.
The company aims to team up with cities that don’t have scooter or bikesharing networks, or that wish to expand their micromobility infrastructure. To that end, Bird has already partnered with the Italian moped firms Zig Zag and Movi, and with theNorth American Bikeshare Association (NABSA).
The exact launch dates, locations, and prices are yet to be announced.
It’s a smart move for Bird to move into bikesharing and to aim for a piece of this lucrative market. To put itin numbers, the global bikeshaering market was worth $3.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $21.3 billion by 2030.
Regarding consumers on the other hand, now that the world is opening up again, it’s exciting to have more options for sustainable city commuting.
Do EVs exciteyour electrons? Do ebikes get your wheels spinning? Do self-driving cars get you all charged up?
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Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainabili(show all)Ioanna is a writer at TNW. She covers the full spectrum of the European tech ecosystem, with a particular interest in startups, sustainability, green tech, AI, and EU policy. With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
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