micromobility technology

Micromobility technology is a category of light-weight transportation designed for individual use. Vendors in the micromobility market space tend to focus efforts on urban transportation that weigh less then 500kg or 1200lbs. Examples of micromobility technology include electronic scooters and ebikes, traditional bicycles and scooters, Segways, electric skateboards, electric water bikes and hoverboards, 

The main focus of this market space is personal transport for passenger trips that are less than five miles (8 kilometers). In addition to being a convenient means of travel in smart cities, micromobility transportation has other practical draws, including reduced space for parking and overnight storage. Shared micromobility tranportation can be rented quite easily because the lightweight vehicles do not require the user to be licensed or insured. 

City dwellers who want to use more ecological and economical means of travel have increasingly been drawn to micromobility technology and vendors are paying attention. Today, big tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Apple are jumping on the bandwagon by creating the software tools and cloud services required to support personal and shared micromobility start-ups. 

Uber, for example, is reported to be considering a micro-transport service and is testing the addition of autonomous ebikes and scooters to supplement its drive services. Other vendors in the micromobility space include:

• Grow Mobility
• Lime Micromobility
• Hellobike
• Bird
• Lyft

This video from the Micromobility Conference in 2019 provides examples of transportation in this rapidly-growing market space.