Lime plans to phase out pedal bikes entirely by March

Lime currently operates a fleet of thousands of bikes in Seattle, and by mid-March, the company is aiming to phase out anything that doesn’t use electric assist.

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“Lime has begun pulling pedal bikes out of Seattle as part of a planned shift to 100 percent electric bikes in 2019. The fleet will be all electric by mid-March,” said Lime General Manager Isaac Gross in a recent statement.

Lime first introduced its electric assist bikes in Seattle in February 2018. The bikes have the ability to tackle hills up to a 30 percent grade, and have a top speed of 15 miles per hour. The company’s permit with the city allows them to operate up to 7,500 total bikes in Seattle.

While many will likely applaud the decision to go all electric, it also takes away the service’s cheaper option. Lime pedal bikes run riders just $1 to unlock, and then five cents per minute of riding, while electric assist cost the same to unlock, and then 15 cents per minute after that.

The change to phase out pedal bikes puts the company on par with JUMP, Uber’s bikeshare venture that operates its own fleet of exclusively electric assist bikes.

This news come as Lime launches its car sharing service in Seattle on Tuesday, the “first and only market” for the fledging service.

LimePod uses a Fiat 500. It’s a small two-door car, with a compact back seat area. The model was chosen partly for its fuel efficiency.

Lime’s team, which is based in Ballard, will run around town to refuel the cars, similar to how they replace batteries in their electric bikes. Lime has also calculated an estimated number of trips and has purchased carbon offsets for its cars, making them carbon neutral.

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