The new green and white e-bike features significant upgrades that immediately make it one of the best shared e-bikes available globally. The most significant advancement is the swappable, interchangeable battery, that is shared with Lime’s Gen4 e-scooters. Lime expects this will significantly enhance the efficiency and sustainability of our operations, while improving vehicle availability for riders.
The Gen4 e-bikes officially launched for the first time in Washington DC this week, following small-scale pilots in several cities in 2021, and will arrive in more cities around the world this spring including Atlanta and Charleston.
“The launch of our Gen4 e-bike is an important step toward achieving our mission of building a future where transportation is shared, affordable and carbon-free,” said Wayne Ting, CEO of Lime. “Standardizing our swappable batteries across modes is a leap forward for Lime and the broader micromobility industry, making operations more efficient and sustainable, while improving reliability for riders.”
With a standardized swappable battery between vehicle types, Lime operations teams are able to simply replace dead batteries on any e-bike or e-scooter, reducing van trips and saving the energy otherwise required for transporting heavy vehicles. The swappable battery also improves vehicle availability for riders and reduces the number of uncharged, unusable vehicles on sidewalks.
As Lime scales interchangeable batteries and Gen4 vehicles globally, the company anticipates reduced operational costs, fewer vehicle miles traveled from our operation vans and a greater reduction in carbon emissions from our service.
Additional upgrades to the e-bike include:
- Increased motor power to help riders easily climb hills;
- A phone holder, allowing riders to easily navigate and follow directions without having to stop and look at their phones;
- A new handlebar display mirroring the one on Lime’s scooters for a standardized display across vehicle types;
- An automatic two-speed transmission that eliminates the prior generation’s gears for easier acceleration and smoother ride;
- A modular design, extending the usable life to five years.
Last year, Lime announced a $50 million investment in the Gen4 e-bike, which is supporting the launch and scaling of the new hardware. Lime expanded e-bike service to 50 cities globally using existing e-bikes last year. Over time, Lime plans upgrade e-bikes in these cities to the Gen4, in addition to expanding to new cities in 2022.
“In 2021, we saw massive jumps in Lime e-bike use in cities, helping to fuel a welcome e-bike boom globally,” said Wayne. “We’re excited for city residents around the world to try the Gen4 as a great way to leave the car behind.”