If you thought Bird was just an electric scooter-sharing company, then think again. Today the company unveiled a new electric bike, the Bird Bike, designed to add a whole new level of micromobility to its shared vehicle platform.
Much like Bird’s electric scooter fleet, the new Bird Bike is a smart connected device that is loaded with sensors to communicate back to Bird’s headquarters.
The bike features self-automating onboard diagnostics, geo-speed technology to limit the scooter’s speed according to local regulations, and multi-mode geolocation to ensure compliant operations in cities and towns of all sizes.
The 75 lb (34 kg) e-bike features a step-through design for easy mounting and is slightly heavier than most consumer-level e-bikes, but it also comes with a much more ruggedized design to survive on the harsh streets.
The bike includes low-maintenance drum brakes, a rigid front basket, and mag wheels that remove the maintenance hassle of spokes.
Bird is now hoping to capitalize on its success with shared electric scooters by introducing a new mode of micromobility under the Bird brand.
The move also comes when e-bikes are seeing soaring popularity.
As Bird CEO Travis VanderZanden explained:
“Shared e-scooters catapulted shared micromobility to the center stage of eco-friendly transportation in cities by providing more than 150 million zero-emission trips globally. We are launching our shared Bird Bike and Smart Bikeshare platform to meet fast-growing demand from cities and riders for more sustainable transportation options while expanding our serviceable addressable market by five billion trips per year.”
Interestingly though, Bird isn’t only going it alone. The company is offering to partner with existing local and municipal-owned bike sharing programs.
Something similar happened in Italy where Bird partnered with local company Zig Zag to incorporate the company’s vehicles into Bird’s App.
As VanderZanden continued:
“Cities and riders are best served by efficient, collaborative and non-monopolized transportation networks. Our vision of smart, responsible bike sharing is to provide the best shared bikes and operations when cities need them, and having the foresight to offer the best support and multimodal integrations when they don’t. Cities, people and the planet win when there is greater access to eco-friendly transportation.”
For those hoping to experience the new Bird Bike soon, you may be in luck.
Bird is bringing its latest electric two-wheeler to select cities in North America, Italy, Spain, Germany, Ireland, and France later this year.
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Author: Micah Toll
Source: Electrek
