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Lime is to launch its latest generation of e-bikes to the streets of London this summer.
With significant technology upgrades, the new white and green Gen4 e-bike will replace Lime’s current red e-bikes. The company recently celebrated 5 million e-bike rides in the capital and has announced a major £20million investment in London over the next 18 months.
Alan Clarke, senior director of policy for Lime UK&I, said: “The upcoming launch of Lime’s Gen4 e-bikes in London will be a vital step towards achieving our mission of building a future where transport is shared, sustainable and affordable. Innovation is at the forefront in everything we do and we pride ourselves on being the only micromobility provider to design both our software and hardware in-house.
“With our e-bikes’ popularity now significantly superseding pre-Covid levels, it’s clear that what we’re seeing is just the start of an exciting behaviour change in London as we look to reduce carbon emissions and live our lives more sustainably. Being able to standardise our swappable batteries across both e-scooters and e-bikes is not only a leap forward for Lime, but also the broader micromobility industry.”
The upgrades include an interchangeable swappable battery – meaning batteries will now be shared and swappable between Lime’s Gen4 e-bike and Gen4.1 e-scooter. The Lime team will now be able to quickly swap any dead batteries, reducing van trips and saving energy, while improving vehicle availability and service reliability for riders. Previously, the vehicles had two different battery systems.
Other key features of the newest generation of Lime 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 standardised 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
The launch of the Gen4 e-bike is part of Lime’s recent commitment to invest £20million in London over the next 18 months, which has already seen it launch its latest Gen4.1 e-scooters under the Government-backed trial with TfL over the Christmas period. Additional funds have also been used for the launch of Lime’s new South London Warehouse and onboarding new logistical partners.
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The rollout of the new e-bikes is also part of Lime’s wider global launch. The Gen4 e-bike has already hit the streets of Washington DC, Charleston and Atlanta, USA, following small scale pilots during 2021.
