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Futuristic forecasters will tell you that we are at the dawn of a micromobility revolution, a wave of new electric vehicles appearing on city streets in the coming years, as people search for practical alternatives to the automobile.
Many of these same experts think that 2018 was the year of the electric scooter. Will 2019 be the year of a new vehicle called Bird Crusier?
This week, the e-scooter giant, present in more than 100 cities around the world, has unveiled the latest addition to its growing park: a seated electric vehicle that can accommodate up to two adults , which will be launched in some cities from now on. summer, according to the company.
"The introduction of electronic scooters shared by Bird has led to a worldwide phenomenon and a change in the car's fashion," said Travis VanderZanden, founder and CEO of Bird, said in a statement posted online. "To further accelerate the progress of our mission to make cities more livable, we are offering other environmentally friendly alternatives for micromobility, including Bird Cruiser.
"Starting this summer, people will be able to move around their city and explore new neighborhoods together, without a car," the statement added, noting the vehicle was designed and manufactured in California.
[The Technology 202: States seek to curb chaos unleashed by electric scooter boom]
Resembling a hybrid between a heavy-duty dirt bike and a thin moped, the Bird Cruiser includes hydraulic disc brakes, a 52-volt battery, and an LCD matrix screen that will likely contain fuel consumption and speed information.
According to the company, the flat and rectangular seat of the vehicle will be padded and will include either a pedal assist system or a footrest, depending on the driver's preferences. The company did not reveal in which cities the vehicle would be released, how much would cost a trip or how fast it would be able to reach. The company's scooters can exceed 15 mph, but their speed is adapted to local guidelines.
Since its launch in late 2017, Bird has charged $ 1 for unlocking his scooter, plus 15 cents a minute, but this price has recently been raised to 33 cents per minute in some cities and reduced to 10 cents per minute. .
Bird is not the first transportation company at the cutting edge of technology to expand its portfolio of mobility options. Uber and Lyft offer users access to their vehicles, scooters and bicycles via their apps.
[E-scooter company Spin will place dozens of start-up’s solar-powered docking stations in two cities this summer]
While Bird was rapidly expanding across the country in 2018, its scooters – as well as those owned by several other companies – were linked to a dramatic increase in the number of serious injuries among cyclists, many of whom accused the company of being in danger. have poorly maintained his devices. The company relied on amateur mechanics trained in YouTube videos to manage their electric scooter fleets across the country last year, but did not reveal details of how the Bird Cruiser will be used. maintained and repaired.
This week, Consumer Reports confirmed that eight deaths and at least 1,500 injuries had been linked to electric scooters since the fall of 2017.
Dozens of state legislatures have introduced bills to regulate the industry for billions of dollars, but a recent Consumer Reports poll suggests that users still do not know which traffic laws to abide by.
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