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Lyft will add Segway scooters with swappable batteries 'soon'
Lyft is teaming up with Segway-Ninebot as it updates its shared scooter fleet, TechCrunch reports. Lyft's scooter service first launched last September in Denver and it now spans nine US cities. And though it first deployed Xiaomi-built scooters, the China-based company later sent Lyft a cease-and-desist letter, saying in October that it didn't "condone Lyft's unauthorized modification or retrofitting" or its electric scooters. With Segway-Ninebot as an official partner, however, Lyft can hopefully avoid that kind of conflict going forward.
Google Maps can find you a nearby Lime scooter or bike
Google Maps is always ready to help you get where you're going, and the latest addition to its list of features is a tie-in with one of those electric scooter companies that have left their machines laying all over. Now, if you've looked up a route on Google Maps and have decided that walking is too slow and other means of transportation won't work, it can direct you to nearby Lime scooters or bikes.
Uber may acquire Bird or Lime to accelerate its scooter plans
Uber might see its acquisition of Jump as just the start of its e-scooter ambitions. Sources speaking to The Information claim Uber has "recently" held talks to buy Bird and Lime, two of the biggest names in scooter sharing. The move would reportedly help Uber tackle scooter shortages that limit its growth, and would help it snap up vulnerable competitors who are still scrambling for funding.
Ford buys e-scooter sharing startup Spin
Turns out those rumours about Ford buying e-scooter startup Spin were true. The auto-maker has confirmed the purchase as it looks beyond car ownership to emerging modes of transport. Though it didn't disclose the financials behind the deal, sources previously told Axios that the agreement was around the $40 million mark.
Now Segway and Lime are sorting out blame for scooter battery issues
With electric scooters popping up in cities around the globe, people are wondering -- for many reasons -- if they're actually safe. Earlier this week Lime announced it had recalled Segway Ninebot scooters it operates, and restricted charging to only its own facilities because of a "potential issue" in "early versions of the scooter that could cause a fire risk. The only problem is that Segway released its own statement on Friday, suggesting that failure to properly monitor scooters for damage and properly maintain them could be the issue. Segway VP of global business development Tony Ho told the Washington Post that "We actually went to all of our shared scooter partners, and so far we've found that only the Lime operation has had fire incidents." In a statement (PDF), said that 80 percent of "shared scooters" in use came from one of its three Ninebot factories and suggested its own explanation for the discrepancy: " Considering the fact that the management and maintenance of shared scooters and the identification of damaged vehicles highly rely on the operators, we strongly recommend that operators strengthen their capability of fleet operation and maintenance to avoid potential safety problems caused by the improper use of damaged vehicles." Now the companies have said they're working "closely" to answer questions about any malfunctioning batteries.
Uber app tweak shows how you'll swap between calling a car and a scooter
Uber has stated its intentions to include scooters alongside in its retinue of transportation options, and last week, news emerged that they're planning on building their own models alongside bike and car rentals. How the company plans to integrate all those offerings has been unclear, and will likely be difficult. But today, Uber revealed how users of its app will toggle between all their offerings with a feature called Mode Switch.
Gogoro and Bosch launch electric scooter-sharing service in Paris
The Gogoro EV Smartscooter is headed to France. A fleet of 600 scooters will be available starting this summer for short-term rentals via Bosch's Coup Mobility service. This is the second city -- Berlin being the first -- that Coup and Gogoro have teamed up in.
