e-scooters

04 March 2024: They're now a legal obligation in villas - but which smoke detectors are compliant with UAE rules?

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Major worry about pedestrian safety as 'over-powered' e-scooters hit the streets.

RNZ reports scooters under 300 watts with a top speed of 35 kilometres an hour qualify as low-powered vehicles, and don’t have to be registered or licensed.

Higher-wattage versions that go nearly 100km an hour require registration, but it isn't happening.

Living Streets Aotearoa President Tim Jones says better rules are needed.

"It's bad enough that a pedestrian is hit by an existing e-scooter. If a pedestrian is hit by one of these things, we're talking death or serious injury."

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Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

Luxon and Hipkins went head to head in their second leaders debate last night - who do you think won? Do you think debates convince any voters or are they for entertainment only?

Winston Peters is gaining momentum in the polls- will National need to rely on the extra boost from NZ First?

Protesters flooded Parliament grounds today to protest a bunch of Brian Tamaki affiliated issues. Police were geared up for a big event and closed loads of roads around the place and workers were told to stay home. The protest was a peaceful event - so did the police overreact?

E-scooters are here to stay after Waka Kotahi gave them the green light for 5 more years- is this a good idea?

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Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

Luxon and Hipkins went head to head in their second leaders debate last night - who do you think won? Do you think debates convince any voters or are they for entertainment only?

Winston Peters is gaining momentum in the polls- will National need to rely on the extra boost from NZ First?

Protesters flooded Parliament grounds today to protest a bunch of Brian Tamaki affiliated issues. Police were geared up for a big event and closed loads of roads around the place and workers were told to stay home. The protest was a peaceful event - so did the police overreact?

E-scooters are here to stay after Waka Kotahi gave them the green light for 5 more years- is this a good idea?

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Waka Kotahi has given e-scooters another legal exemption for five years.

It allows them to be used without being classified as motor vehicles- meaning no need to meet vehicle standards, be registered, or have number plates.

Riders don't need driver's licenses and they can be used on footpaths.

Living Streets President Tim Jones says he's gutted.

"We think that the profit of these e-scooter companies has pushed the rights of pedestrians aside. Having this thing renewed is the worst possible outcome for pedestrians."

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Here's what Mary Ann, Alex and Kirsten got into:

• More layoffs at Divvy Homes: More cuts at a company that was once richly valued and heavily venture-backed. Rising interest rates are having a ripple effect across startup-land.
• Databricks is big, and now richer: With $500 million in a new Series I, Databricks is now worth more money and has fresh capital to continue working on AI.
• Lime, just go public already: What is profitable and private and a tease? Lime. Well, that last bit is a stretch, but really you can only ring us up and tout profits and growth so many times before we expect an S-1.
• More data is good: Venture capital firms, however, seem to disagree.
• If you want groceries in 15 minutes, here's where to live: Brazil, for one. Or India. Differing labor costs around the world appear to be the axis around which quick deliveries are feasible, or a financial mess.

We are back next week for a busy run at Disrupt! We'll see you there!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders and more!

Credits: Equity is hosted by TechCrunch's Alex Wilhelm and Mary Ann Azevedo. We are produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

FENZ have issued a warning regarding the dangers of lithium-ion batteries days after a harmful explosion.

On Saturday, an e-scooter charging in a central Wellington apartment exploded- leaving a person critically injured.

Fire and Emergency NZ risk reduction and investigations manager Pete Gallagher says it's important to be careful when charging lithium-ion batteries- and avoid doing it overnight.

"One of the problems with lithium-ion batteries is they don't like being over-charged as much as they like being run totally flat and recharged from 0. Once the battery's full of charge, that's when you take it off."

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New Zealand would have to be the undisputed health and safety champion of the world.

Which is why I’ve always found it weird that we’re quite happy for any Tom, Dick or Harry with a smartphone to jump on one of those rental e-scooters and go for it.

Lime Scooters. Flamingo scooters. You know the ones I’m talking about.

Right now, you can find one of those things, get your phone out, scan the code on the scooter, and you’re away laughing.

No previous experience required. No helmet required. There’s not even a speed limit enforced. And you can ride anywhere - on the road, on footpaths. Anywhere and everywhere.

The reason you can do that is that is because you don’t have to have a licence to use one of these things. They also don’t have to be registered to anyone. Which is why they don’t have number plates.

But that could be all about to change because Waka Kotahi needs to decide in the next month or so whether to keep things operating like this or not.

At the moment, these e-scooters aren’t subject to certain road rules. That’s because, in 2018, there was a declaration made or given to enable companies like Lime and Flamingo and all the others to set-up shop here in New Zealand.

If someone needed a licence, for example, it would defeat the purpose of these things - which is to provide a means of transport pretty much for anyone who can keep their balance.

If you start requiring people to have licences and things - well, forget it.

But, five years down the track, Waka Kotahi now needs to decide if it’s going to renew that exemption declaration or not. And, if it doesn’t, then we can effectively kiss goodbye to anywhere, anytime rental e-scooters in New Zealand.

When these things first arrived on the scene, I thought they were great because they gave the feel of being a modern, 21st-century outfit didn’t they? Well, that’s how I felt about them at the time.

There was certainly something cool about them. But I think the novelty has worn-off. That could be because more of us seem to be open to using  public transport like buses. Or maybe it’s because Uber is much more mainstream now than it was even just five years ago.

The other thing too, is that most of us have probably felt a bit at-risk from some of the idiots who use these Lime Scooters and Flamingo Scooters.

Most likely, night-time is the most risky time. But I could walk out of our building at lunchtime today and there’d be someone screaming down the street on the footpath. Not giving two hoots about me or anyone else out on the street.

Or it might not even be just one person. You see two people on the same scooter, don’t you? And they’re actually the ones I’m most weary of because it’s not like you’ve got two sets of eyes looking out for you.

No. They’re focussed on having a laugh. Until it goes all pear-shaped.

Which has well-and-truly happened since these things came to New Zealand. It’s been reported that thousands of people are injured every year using these things. Tragically, there have been deaths, as well.

Here are some numbers for you. Between October 2018 and October last year, there was $30 million worth of ACC claims for e-scooter injuries. These included rental scooters and privately-owned scooters. The number of claims was just over 10,500.

And, in the first year since e-scooters were exempt from some of the road rules that apply to other vehicles, surgeons in Auckland operated on more e-scooter riders than motorbike riders.

And the e-scooter riders they were treating were turning up with the types of traumatic injuries you’d normally see in people involved in car crashes. Chances are things have improved a bit on that front. But who knows.

Either way, Waka Kotahi has a decision to make. And needs to make it pretty soon. Because, come the end of September, if the road rules exemption continues then so will the Lime Scooters. But, if it decides not to extend the exemption, then the scooters will be gone.

And I wouldn’t be upset about that. Because, as I said before, the novelty has gone for me and I think they’ve had their day.   

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Alex is back with the first episode of our Q2 run. Welcome to the new tranch of 2023!

• On the show today we riffed through the stock market and crypto sector. The gist? Shares are mixed here in the United States while major crypto tokens are not doing too much.
• In startup news, Paris is cracking down on e-scooters after a vote, Zamp Finance raised nearly $22 million for a neat way to keep startup cash safe and yield-friendly, and Fourthline reminded us that applied AI is a sentence that we are going to say again and again this year.
• Tesla's Q1 delivery and production numbers are out, and while the beat certain expectations the results come after price cuts. It will be curious to see what the new figures translate to in financial terms when we get the company's financial results.
• And then this a16z-Saudi Arabia thing that was a bit weird to chat about, but we took a stab at regardless.

The show is back Wednesday and Friday, we'll see you then!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website. 

Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Credits: Equity is hosted by TechCrunch's Alex Wilhelm and Mary Ann Azevedo. We are produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

Electric scooters are becoming an increasingly popular form of transport, but there is a confusing mosaic of laws that regulate their use across Australia. So, when accidents happen – who should be held legally liable? 

Taxpayers have forked out 30 million dollars worth of ACC claims for e-scooter related injuries since 2018.

The more than 10 thousand claims have an average cost of nearly 3000 dollars.

Advocacy group Living Streets Aotearoa says they are dangerous and put people off walking on footpaths.

President Tim Jones told Tim Beveridge that the law allowing them onto footpaths is set for review in September next year.

He says the e-scooters can go way too fast on footpaths.

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Electric scooters are becoming an increasingly popular form of transport, but there is a confusing mosaic of laws that regulate their use across Australia. So, when accidents happen – who should be held legally liable?

GUESTS: Hrag Sarkissian, eSkootr Championship (eSC) and Nicola Scimeca, YCOM

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

This year will see the birth of an all-new racing series for an all-new sport, when the eSkootr Championship kicks off at London's Printwork's  on 13 and 14 May 2022.

The first ever micromobility racing series will feature 30 male and female riders competing in mixed heats on the the S1-X eSkootr, designed by YCOM. Using F1 technology, the S1-X has a Williams Advanced Engineering battery and two 6kW motors, enabling speeds of over 100 kph (62mph) and sharp cornering, thanks to its 55-degree-plus lean capability.

Shortly before the official launch of the race series, Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast spoke to Hrag Sarkissian, the founder and CEO of eSkootr Championship (eSC), and Nicola Scimeca, founder and Chief Business Development Officer of YCOM, about the all-new eSkootr Championship, its role in raising awareness of micromobility, and the importance of sustainability not only in the race series, but in future mobility in general.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Hrag Sarkissian, co-founder and CEO of eSkootr Championship (eSC). Born in New York, Lebanese-Armernian Hrag has successfully grown an extensive portfolio of innovation-led businesses. His experience in motorsport and tech helps him to leverage the benefits of sustainable technology and micromobility.

Connect with Hrag on LinkedIn

Nicola Scimeca is the founder and Chief Business Development Officer at YCOM. He founded YCOM in 2008 to develop and manufacture the most extreme cars in the world.

Connect with Nicola on LinkedIn

FURTHER READING

After the inaugural race in London, the races will head to Switzerland., France, Italy, Spain, and the USA. Learn more about eSkootr Championship at https://official.esc.live

You can subscribe to Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Feel free to share it, like it, give it a rating, sign up to the Ride LinkedIn page, and check out our website, ridemobilitypodcast.com.

About this episode

Urban mobility is changing – fast. From new technologies and new business models, to increasing environmental and regulatory pressure, changing commuter trends, and fast-moving consumer expectations, major issues are influencing the way we get around. 

Connectivity, automation, and electrification are driving innovation, and shared mobility brings new business models, but we can expect a complete transformation of urban mobility, from what we ride on or in, to where we ride to, why we’re riding at all, and how far we need to ride to do whatever it is we’re going to do.

In this episode, Martin and Jonny talk to two experts in urban mobility about what they see as the key changes changing the shape of urban mobility as we know it.

 
About the guests

Lukas Neckermann is Chief Operating Officer of Splyt (https://splyt.com/en/) and Managing Director of Neckermann Strategic Advisors (https://www.neckermann.net). He has over 20 years of leadership experience in automotive, media, and financial services; he’s authored three books on the mobility revolution; and he advises companies of all sizes in the fields of smart cities and smart mobility.

Malte Ackermann’s career in urban mobility has included work as a start-up consultant and product owner, and time spent at Daimler’s Moovel/car2go unit, and Daimler Financial Services. Malte is a Professor in Automotive Management: Mobility-as-a-Service at Nürtingen-Geislingen University, and has just published a book on the subject, titled: “Mobility-as-a-Service - The Convergence of Automotive and Mobility Industries.” (https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030755898) 

You can subscribe to Ride: The Urban Mobility Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Feel free to share it, like it, give it a rating, sign up to the Ride LinkedIn page, and check out our website, ridemobilitypodcast.com.

Ray asks whether e-scooters belong on the road or on the pavement. Technical road safety expert Phil Clarke shares his thoughts on the issue. Plus:
Fix It or Flip It: Car guru Matthew Davidson tells us what we should know before buying a used car. 
Damien talks us through the biggest car stories of the week, including surprising Q1 sales.

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How can local governments deal with new (technological) innovations? Karen Vancluysen (Secretary General of Polis Network) speaks with Geert Kloppenburg about the Governance of Innovation. They discuss how the Polis Network helps to share cities best practices, the Mobility as a Service practice of Ghent and how Covid-19 has created a momentum for change.

Luke Mackey is the Country Manager of Bolt, Europe’s largest mobility company. Bolt now has more than 30 million users across 40 countries and is valued at around $1.9 billion. Bolt has launched in Dublin with more than 1,000 taxi drivers and recently raised $182 million to expand its on demand transportation network in Europe and Africa. 

Previously to joining Bolt, Luke was CEO of Bamboo, the Irish mobile ordering marketplace he co-founded in 2017 while in university. The idea for Bamboo began when Luke identified a change in consumer behaviour for on-demand services. 

Our conversation focused on how Luke identified a gap in the market and how he has taken these learning outcomes into his new role at Bolt. We go into detail on the strategy behind Bolt, competition in the market and the opportunities to improve the taxi-hailing industry.

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This episode is affiliated with Gary Melican Web Design, providing specialized web design, analytics, SEO, email marketing and conversion. Knowing how to build websites allows you to explore business ideas quickly and without the need to find and hire someone else. Move faster by learning to build your own website. This course is for exiting business owners, people with business ideas and people with a growth mindset. The common underlying trait between all these people is that they recognize a website is an essential piece of any business these days.

What you will learn in Gary’s intense 30-hour coursework includes; website set up, GDPR basics, creating web pages, Google Analytics and mobile optimization. For more information check out my episode with Gary Melican. 

Episode 302: Chuck talks with Indiana University’s Fred Glass about how his insurance background made him uniquely qualified for his current role as university athletics director. Plus, New Jersey's Insurance Fair Conduct Act dies on the final day of the 2018-2019 legislative session.  And what you need to know about compliance issues for insurance companies since the California Consumer Privacy Act went into effect this month.

Intro Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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This week the Koch team talk about the e-Scooter hysteria in Calgary, Alberta, the future of mobility, electric vehicles, and why the next generation is choosing not to drive. We explore ideas of what transportation may look like in 20 years, and why Gen Z is becoming the "Key-Cutting" generation.

We are always looking for talented people to join our team, apply to Koch here:
Indeed: https://ca.indeed.com/cmp/Koch-Ford-Lincoln

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