Ebikes!

[dasgeh]

@Dewey 190099 wrote:

Regarding the decision to temporarily withdraw CaBi+ ebikes this article in the Post makes depressing reading: that there isn’t safety oversight or a channel for communicating safety data between electric bikeshare operating companies. Uber/Jump reportedly fixed the problem in their bikes, Shimano said the Inter-M roller brake requires a wheel hub incorporating power modulators so Uber must have found a way to retrofit the power modulators into the motor hub – that they failed to share with Lyft/Motivate either the existence of the problem or their technical solution demonstrates a need for better regulatory oversight. Hope they do the right thing by anyone injured, and they fix the problem toot sweet so they can get CaBi+ back on the streets.

Sounds like adding a requirement that operators share safety information would be an improvement to dockless policies.

[RayRayBike]

@dasgeh 190101 wrote:

Sounds like adding a requirement that operators share safety information would be an improvement to dockless policies.

Dasgeh, why dockless? Should be safety (and safety fix) info should be required for all companies operating rental bikes (and scooters), both docked and dockless. At any rate, I miss the electric bikes, they were a great addition to the annual membership. Even though they were often out of juice or otherwise out of service!

[Dewey]

BRAIN article reporting CitiBike (and CaBi+) pedelecs won’t return to the active fleet until this fall.

[dasgeh]

@RayRayBike 190572 wrote:

Dasgeh, why dockless? Should be safety (and safety fix) info should be required for all companies operating rental bikes (and scooters), both docked and dockless. At any rate, I miss the electric bikes, they were a great addition to the annual membership. Even though they were often out of juice or otherwise out of service!

The dockless policy governs the various private operators in Arlington, that otherwise have no relationship with the County. Arlington has a direct relationship with Motivate for the docked bikes, and thus can directly get safety information. If that’s not already part of the contract, it should be. But that’s separate from the dockless policy.

[Dewey]

This is why we need CaBi ebikes : 1 month after $8bn IPO Uber announce 67% price increase on JUMP ebikeshare rides https://denver.streetsblog.org/2019/06/13/1-month-after-i-p-o-a-big-jump-in-prices-at-ubers-bike-share-service/

[ChristoB50]

@Dewey 191633 wrote:

This is why we need CaBi ebikes : 1 month after $8bn IPO Uber announce 67% price increase on JUMP ebikeshare rides https://denver.streetsblog.org/2019/06/13/1-month-after-i-p-o-a-big-jump-in-prices-at-ubers-bike-share-service/

Wow! At 25 cents per minute on JUMP, the total riding I’ve done on my own ebike would’ve cost me $2,500 MORE than my ebike’s purchase price!

[Dewey]

Yeah I can’t figure it out, one commenter said it now costs the same as using Uber pool for a 15 minute ride?!

[sjclaeys]

Rode a Jump Bike for the first time to go from K St NW to Adams Morgan. Have to admit that it did not suck and cheaper than any other option (other than walking). What did suck is the Uber app not working when I wanted to ride one back to K St.

[Dewey]

BRAIN are reporting Lyft have specced Tektro mechanical front disk brake while keeping the Shimano Inter-M for the rear brake (hopefully retrofitted with the necessary power modulators), for their bikeshare ebikes. Uber now use Tektro hydraulic disk brake on the front of their 2nd gen JUMP bikeshare bikes. Hopefully now Lyft corporate have made a decision Motivate can get on with refitting and rolling out the CaBi+ pedelecs.

[Dewey]

Lyft are in the news again for an ebike safety issue. After relaunching their e-bikeshare service in San Francisco when Ford GoBike was rebranded as Bay Wheels, after two separate battery fires yesterday Lyft pulled all 1,000 ebikes from the streets just two weeks after they were deployed. Chris Nolte who owns ebike shops in New York and California commented on an article in the San Francisco Examiner one problem is there is no requirement for e-bikeshare operating companies to have their batteries tested to Underwriters Laboratory standards.

[Dewey]

WTOP are reporting Lyft will go ahead with returning CaBi+ Pedelecs to the streets this fall.

[Dewey]

San Francisco is running out of patience with Lyft/Motivate and has warned Lyft the city will revoke their ebikeshare operating permit if they do not provide SFMTA with an explanation for the battery fires in July or return Bay Wheels ebikes to service by October 15.

[n18]

@Dewey 192503 wrote:

WTOP are reporting Lyft will go ahead with returning CaBi+ Pedelecs to the streets this fall.

So did CaBi put their E-Bikes back in operation? I tried this link that Judd posted, but I don’t see any after clicking on few stations.

[Dewey]

@n18 194207 wrote:

So did CaBi put their E-Bikes back in operation?

Mark Sussman thinks February https://twitter.com/msussmania/status/1187863710905393152

Might be delayed if there is any difficulty meeting San Francisco’s demand on Lyft to add a further 4,000 ebikes to the Bay Wheels fleet by April, and Lyft are changing their battery supplier (as well as fixing the brake issue that caused the CaBi+ withdrawal) https://www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2019/11/11/lyft-bike-sharing-service-will-return-sf-battery-fire-cause-found-not

[Riley Casey]

As much as I liked the Jump bikes ( before Uber bought them ) I suspect that the viability of rental E bikes is limited. The bikes require too much hands on care in charging and maintenance to be sustainable. Even worse in the long run is that someone will sooner or later realize that the external plastic battery packs are worth about $500 and vandalism / theft will likely go much higher than the kids hot-wiring a couple of scooters phenomena. This grousing is more about seeing CaBi put more resources in to filling in the blanks in their current dock locations. Large parts of the city and close in burbs are underserved by CaBi as it is.

[Author]

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