EP45: The $78.7M startup changing the way we move in cities - Superpedestrian
Background
Diesel-powered vehicles are one of the leading sources of global emissions. It’s part of the reason we’ve seen an explosion of electric powered vehicles- from passenger cars and larger trucks to city-wide electric scooter fleets. The problem with the first wave of electric scooters, however, is they were built for personal use! Most of these scooters are purchased off the shelf and then re-branded, and as such, are not built with the safety features, lifetime durability, and intelligence required to serve commercial use.
Solution
Meet Superpedestrian’s electric scooter, featuring the most industry’s most durable hardware and a “Vehicle Intelligence” system that actively reports the scooter’s health to a cloud-based fleet monitoring system. Support tickets can be raised automatically when hardware fails, reducing the time it takes to get a scooter repaired, and the system is also capable of imposing parking or speed restrictions remotely, geofencing its restrictions to comply with evolving city regulations.
All this monitoring and analytics means that Superpedestrian estimates that the scooter should last for between nine and 18 months with commercial use, and has a 60-mile range that should mean it will last between three and seven days between charges.
Episode Brief
Adam Greenstein, Manager of Government Partnerships at Superpedestrian, joins us on this week’s episode to discuss:
What sets the company apart from existing scooter companies
Engineering the most hi-tech electric scooter
Working with cities to implement mobility programs
Defining success metrics for these programs
Helping small businesses reopen faster and cheaper
Credits
HOST
Peter Levin
PRODUCTION
Dan Mahoney
MUSIC
Eddie Knuckles