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After Math: All the stuff that happened while we were at CES
Oh man, what a week it's been. Over the course of seven days (and nearly 80,000 steps by this reporter alone), the Engadget staff descended upon CES 2020 to bring you the biggest, best, weirdest and wildest trends in consumer electronics. But the rest of the world doesn't revolve around CES and plenty of news happened while we were scouring the show floor. Here are some of the top stories of the week from everywhere that isn't Las Vegas.
Lime exits 12 cities and lays off 100 employees in search of profit
In its ongoing quest to become profitable, Lime says it will exit 12 markets across the globe. In the US, the company will shutter operations in four cities: Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego and San Antonio. It will also leave Linz, Austria, as well as Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Lima, Puerto Vallarta, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in Latin America.
Lime launches a weekly subscription for scooters and e-bikes
Frequent scooter riders now have an option for a more convenient rental system, with the launch of Lime's LimePass subscription service. Starting today, Lime riders in the US, Australia and New Zealand will be able to sign up for unlimited scooter and e-bike rides without paying the unlock fee.
Florida man arrested for cutting the brake lines of over 100 e-scooters
E-scooters are convenient for tourists and commuters who want to get around a city. They're equally inconvenient for drivers and pedestrians who have to keep out of the way of scooter traffic. (And that's not to mention the risks they pose during a hurricane.) Florida man Randall Thomas Williams certainly isn't a fan of the on-demand vehicles. According to NBC Miami, police apprehended the man on September 29th for resisting arrest, prowling and a 3rd degree felony count of criminal mischief.
San Francisco grants Jump, Lime, Scoot and Spin e-scooter licenses
The relationship between San Franscico and sharable electric scooter programs has been contentious, with city authorities stepping in last year to regulate the services. Following the latest round of permit applications, the city has announced that four companies will be allowed to operate electric scooter programs for the next year: Jump, Lime, Scoot and Spin.
Lime will shut down its car-sharing service in December
Lime is shutting down the car-sharing service it launched in Seattle last year and will start pulling vehicles from the city's streets next month. It'll stop accepting new user sign-ups on October 14th and will close LimePod completely on December 31st, according to GeekWire. The company, which is mostly known for bike and scooter rentals, launched LimePod as a pilot last year to test the economics of car-sharing. Its plan was to run the pilot until December and then do a full launch with a fleet of electric vehicles.
Lime makes group scooter rides available in the US
It's not always easy to ride with others using scooter services. Even if there are enough scooters available, asking everyone to pull out their phones (and pay for a trip) can be a bit much. It should be much easier to travel as a pack going forward, at least. Lime is bringing its Group Ride feature to the US and Canada, letting one person unlock as many as five scooters from a single account. You just have to tap a "Group Ride" button and pick the scooters you want. If someone has an early stop, the host can end their ride at any time.
Miami’s gathering electric scooters before Dorian sends them airborne
With the help of hurricane-force winds, dockless electric scooters could soon start terrorizing more than mere city streets. The City of Miami has asked electric scooter companies to collect their fleets out of fear the vehicles could become flying projectiles once Hurricane Dorian makes landfall this weekend, reports CNBC. The municipal government issued a noon Friday deadline to all six of the companies that operate scooters in the city -- including Bird, Lime and Uber -- to pick up their respective fleets.
Google Maps gives you more ways to find Lime scooters
Google Maps is making it easier to find a Lime bike or scooter on your own terms. As of today, the Android version of Google's app (iOS is due in the "coming weeks") can help you find Lime rides in the cycling and walking tabs, not just transit -- helpful if your leisurely stroll to work suddenly becomes much more urgent. You'll get detailed info like the time to walk to a scooter, the estimated ride cost, battery range and the all-important ETA. On-foot travelers will receive suggestions for Lime rides as an alternative when it's viable.
Lime expands scooter reservations to the US
Scooter services have their share of issues, but Lime will at least make sure there's a scooter to use in the first place. In the wake of a limited release in three countries, Lime has made scooter reservations available in the US ahead of an international rollout later in the week. If you know you'll need a two-wheeler in the next 15 minutes, you can book one through the app instead of hoping that it'll still be around when you're ready to ride. You can still grab another scooter if it's more convenient, of course -- it'll just release the scooter you'd reserved.
Google Maps can find you Lime scooters in more than 80 cities
Starting this week, you'll be able to use Google Maps to locate Lime scooters, bikes and e-bikes in more than 80 cities. In a trial-run that began last December, the app gave transit users a Lime option, but it was limited to 13 cities. By the looks of this expansion, the test-run went well.
Lime says it has fixed a dangerous scooter braking glitch
Lime is aware of the braking glitch that has thrown some scooter riders to the ground, and it's addressing that issue more directly. The transportation service is rolling out a "final" firmware update for its scooters to tackle the problem after releasing a series of patches. It should reach all of the vehicles "shortly," the company said, although it suggested that travelers use "extra caution" when riding in the next few days.
Electric scooters were to blame for at least 1,500 US injuries last year
Ever wondered how many e-scooter riders have gotten injured after one zooms past you with no helmet on? A new Consumer Reports investigation might give you an idea: the publication has confirmed that at least 1,545 patients were treated for scooter-involved injuries across the US over the past year. They aren't just scrapes, either. They include multiple concussions, nasal fractures, various broken bones, blunt head trauma and even brain injuries.
Lime halts service in Switzerland over possibly dangerous glitch
Don't expect to travel around Zurich on an electric two-wheeler in the near future. Lime has halted services in Switzerland following reports of its scooters abruptly halting in mid-ride, throwing (and sometimes injuring) riders. In a message to customers, Lime said the move was temporary and that it was performing a "thorough security and quality check" on the scooters to ensure this didn't happen again. It promised 15 minutes of free ride time as compensation when service returned, although it didn't say when that would happen.
Lime's Emily Warren on rapid expansion and regulatory struggles
Lime is arguably the biggest player in inner-city electric bike and scooter rentals. Despite having only existed for around 18 months, the company now operates in over 100 cities across the world. On Engadget's CES stage, I sat down with the Lime's Senior Director of Policy and Public Affairs Emily Warren, to recap the company's explosive growth and global expansion. We also discuss the controversy surrounding this new rental model, Lime's next-generation scooter, regulatory challenges and how the company hopes saturation is the biggest problem it faces as it looks towards the new year.
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.
Lime will take on London's Boris Bikes with e-bike launch
US dockless e-scooter and e-bike service Lime is bringing its electric-assisted bicycles to London, following their launch in Milton Keynes just over a week earlier. A fleet of 1,000 bright green e-bikes -- equipped with a 250-watt motor boasting a maximum assisted speed of 14.8 miles per hour -- will be available in the London boroughs of Brent and Ealing initially, starting tomorrow. The dockless bikes cost £1 ($1.30) to unlock and an additional 15 pence (19 cents) per minute of riding time.
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.
Unagi's high-end electric scooter is a mix of design and power
I place one foot onto the narrow deck and briskly push with the other. As I press a lever with my right thumb, the handlebars I'm gripping jolt forward. Fortunately, the handlebars aren't attached to a speedboat -- they're part of the Unagi scooter I have just tried for the first time. At 15.5 mph, it's not the fastest scooter (some can reach nearly double that), but it's likely one of the most capable at hills (more on this later). Potentially a big selling point here in The Bay Area with its notorious inclines.
Lime begins its UK push with dockless e-bikes
While dockless bike and scooter startups tussle with state regulators here in the US, they're making inroads overseas. So it goes with Lime, which just launched in the UK by bringing a fleet of its electric-assisted bicycles to Milton Keynes: a city located in South-East England that's proving itself somewhat of a tech hotbed with autonomous car trials and AI-controlled traffic lights. That may have made the region more welcoming to Lime than, say, London -- which fellow scooter startup Bird described as "the most highly regulated and restrictive market for this kind of product, globally."