transportation

China’s Ninebot unveils scooters that drive themselves to charging stations

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Ninebot said Uber and Lyft, the ride-hailing giants that are expanding into scooter-sharing, would be among the customers for the new semi-autonomous vehicles that are expected to hit roads early next year. BEIJING/HONG KONG – Segway-Ninebot Group, a Beijing-based electric scooter maker, on Friday unveiled a scooter that can return itself to charging stations without a driver, a potential boon for the burgeoning scooter-sharing industry. Ninebot said Uber and Lyft, the ride-hailing giants that are expanding into scooter-sharing, would be among the customers for the new semi-autonomous vehicles that are expected to hit roads early next year. Gao Lufeng, Ninebot chairman and chief executive, told Reuters in an interview that AI-driven scooters, controlled remotely from the cloud, could radically improve the economics of scooter-sharing. “The pain point for scooter operators is to better maintain the scooters at a lower cost,” he said. Currently, operators of scooter sharing fleets have to collect the machines manually for re-charging. Formed by the 2015 combination of China’s Ninebot and U.S. transportation pioneer Segway, the company has quietly become the largest supplier for scooter-sharing companies such as Bird and Lime “I believe scooters will replace bicycles as the prime solution for micro-mobility,” Gao said. “It’s human nature to save energy when commuting.” The scooter-sharing fad was triggered two years ago with the launch of Bird in California. Venture-capital investors have since poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the sector, and fleets of electric-powered scooters now operate in cities across the U.S. and Europe. Segway-Ninebot Group has applied to list its shares on the China’s new Nasdaq-style board for homegrown tech firms, the STAR Market. The company sold 1.6 million scooters in 2018, according to a prospectus filed in April. Lyft and Uber did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. The new scooters […]

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Berlin to tighten rules for electric scooter users

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City transport officials said after a meeting with scooter providers that they’ll designate special on-street parking zones for the battery-powered vehicles BERLIN: Berlin plans to stop electric scooters from being left haphazardly on sidewalks and other anti-social behavior that’s drawn the ire of residents in the German capital since the vehicles were made legal two months ago. City transport officials said Wednesday after a meeting with scooter providers that they’ll designate special on-street parking zones for the battery-powered vehicles, which are popular among tourists and young people. Berlin police will also step up patrols to prevent illegal behavior such as doubling. Police say seven people have been seriously injured and 27 suffered minor injuries in scooter accidents since mid-June, saying most were due to riders behaving carelessly. In Paris, where about 20,000 scooters roam the streets , authorities recently proposed limiting speeds to 8 kilometers per hour (5 mph) in areas with heavy foot traffic.

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eRIDE CLUB – The Largest Light Electric Vehicle Portal Officially Launched

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — eRIDE CLUB, the largest light electric vehicle (LEV) portal, today announced the launch of its website (www.erideclub.com) and eRIDE CLUB mobile app. Following in the footsteps of other pioneering rental and sharing services, plans in hospitality (e.g., AirBnB), ride-sharing (e.g., Uber, Lyft), scooter and e-bike rentals (e.g., Bird, Lime, Jump, Motivate), eRIDE CLUB is the first entity to provide rentals of all types of electric vehicles including scooters, e-bikes, mobility scooters, ATVs and electric cars. “Our goal is to provide affordable and sustainable transportation options for everyone to get around,” stated Julian Brown, the president of eRIDE CLUB. “Do you want an e-bike on your next Caribbean trip? Or a mobility scooter for your visiting grandparents? Maybe a scooter in Rome? We can arrange it all,” continued Brown. The eRIDE CLUB app (iOS and Android) allows members to access a huge database of LEV’s for rent or sale according to their current location or travel destination. Customers can choose from unique products and compare prices, while businesses can showcase and profit from their idle showroom products. Suppliers benefit from new markets, increased visibility and rewards. “Suppliers can use the app to list products, prices, pictures, features and availability, all in real time,” said Brown. eRIDE CLUB has already signed over 190 points of rental/sales across the globe. Presently, eRIDE CLUB is moving into Phase II of its plan, which will encompass acquiring 100,000 members and doubling its points of supply within the next six months. eRIDE CLUB is actively pursuing strategic alliances and investors worldwide to accelerate its strategy plan. eRIDE CLUB has signed a letter of intent with 2050 Motors, Inc. for investment to accelerate faster. As part of the transaction, which is expected to go to Definitive Agreement and

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In the Cantina – Future of Automobile Conference

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All the Best Minds Met at the Petersen Museum and Discussed the Wrong Topics Recently the Petersen Museum proposed a symposium to study the future of Automobiles with leaders in the industry. I was dying to be there to listen to vehicle designers discuss the future of the automobile and travel. I’m going to post some of the YouTube links here to allow you to watch the findings. Below is the design and my take on this effort. The Future of the Automobile Conference, held at the Petersen Automotive Museum, brings together immersive and inspirational talks, demos, test drives and exhibitions to give a glimpse into the future of our mobility. The conference explores the brave new world of the personal transportation revolution that is set to transform every city in the world. READ THE REPORT by joining the Cantina – Click Here

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RIDING FREE FROM DC: Your Weekly Biker Bulletin from Inside the Beltway

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Your Motorcycle Riders Foundation team in Washington, D.C. is pleased to provide our members with the latest information and updates on issues that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. Count on your MRF to keep you informed about a range of matters that are critical to the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle. Published weekly when the U.S. Congress is in session. Capitol Hill Update Republicans Pressing Democrats With Democrats now the majority party in the House of Representatives, they control the committee chairmanships and thus control the agenda for each committee. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, who has jurisdiction over autonomous vehicle technology, is now chaired by Frank Pallone of New Jersey. This puts Republicans in a role they not been in since 2010, seeking the help of Democrats to tackle legislative priorities. Republican Greg Walden of Oregon, the previous chairman and now ranking member as well as Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers of Washington and Bob Latta of Ohio sent Chairman Pallone a letter regarding the need for Congress to act on autonomous vehicles legislation. “We write to urge the Energy and Commerce Committee to take up bipartisan self-driving vehicle legislation. Last Congress this Committee worked across party lines to draft H.R. 3388, the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research in Vehicle Evolution Act (SELF DRIVE Act). The SELF DRIVE Act was an example of this Committee at its very best: working together, across the aisle, to develop legislation that will advance lifesaving technology. As a result of our deliberative, transparent, and bipartisan process, the Committee voted unanimously, 54 yeas and 0 nays, to report the SELF-DRIVE Act to the House floor where it again passed unanimously. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to act on the bill,” Walden, Latta, and Rodgers wrote. The MRF has

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2019 federal spending package increases infrastructure funding

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It took a while, but a 2019 spending package was finally approved by Congress, signed by President Trump, and enacted February 15. In addition to the $1.375 billion for southwest border barriers, the package also includes full-year 2019 funding levels for important federal infrastructure programs, including the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Engineering News-Record reports. The 2019 package is the second year of a two-year, bipartisan House-Senate budget deal that included a pledge to raise overall federal infrastructure spending by $20 billion over 2017 levels. It sets the federal-aid highway obligation ceiling at $45.3 billion, up $1 billion, or 2 percent, from 2018 and equal to the amount authorized in the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), which comes from the Highway Trust Fund. The legislation also contains $3.25 billion more from the general fund for highways, up from $2.525 billion in 2018. A 2019 “bonus” amount includes $2.73 billion for states, up from $1.98 billion in 2018, and $475 million for bridge replacement and rehabilitation, more than double the 2018 amount. Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants received $900 million for 2019, down 40 percent from 2018, but it was not discontinued as President Trump suggested. The program was originally called Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER. The Federal Transit Administration will receive $13.4 billion for 2019, down $67 million from 2018, with transit formula grants getting $9.9 billion and capital investment grants receiving $2.5 billion, down from $2.6 billion in 2018. An additional $700 million, down from $834 million in 2018, goes for transit infrastructure grants, which include bus facilities and “state of good repair” projects. The Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program was frozen at 2018’s $3.35 billion, an amount that comes from the Airport and

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