A New York debut for e-scooter sharing

A New York debut for e-scooter sharing A pilot program for e-scooter sharing has gone live in the East Bronx — offering New York City's streets for the first time to venture capital-backed scooter companies. Bird and Lime, two of the startups taking part in the pilot and some of the biggest competitors in the e-scooter marketplace, have raised more than $1.5 billion from investors collectively over the past half-decade, despite being locked out of the largest U.S. market. "What happens in New York reverberates globally," said Phil Jones, senior government relations director with Lime. "It's an amazing opportunity to serve New Yorkers and show what Lime can be." E-scooters became legal in New York state last year, and the city this year selected California companies Bird and Lime, as well as the Chicago-based Veo, to operate a scooter-sharing program in the Bronx, which kicked off on Tuesday. Lime and Bird scooters emerged in U.S. cities throughout 2017 and 2018 — providing a new way to get around, but also raising concerns about safety and how to park the scooters without blocking sidewalks. While privately owned scooters can roam the five boroughs, scooter-sharing is so far limited to the East Bronx. Lime, Bird and Veo can place up to 3,000 scooters over the next year in a radius that includes Eastchester, Co-op City and Morris Park. A second phase of the pilot program will launch in 2022, which could include up to 6,000 e-scooters and more neighborhoods in the southern end of the borough. — Crain's New York Business What you need to knowRam readies electric ProMaster van for 2023 Ram, responding to customer demand, said the ProMaster van will offer a battery-electric variant in 2023 as the brand prepares to adopt electrification across its lineup. An electric Ram 1500 pickup will follow in 2024 and square off against rivals such as the GMC Hummer EV pickup, Ford F-150 Lightning and electric Chevrolet Silverado. Stellantis said last month that it plans to invest more than $35 billion through 2025 in electrification and software. The automaker will have four electric vehicle platforms that achieve ranges from 300 to 500 miles. By 2025, 98 percent of Stellantis' models in Europe and North America will be electrified.

A New York debut for e-scooter sharing

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