Bolt, the European micromobility firm, is rolling out its newest model of e-scooter with a longer lifecycle.
With increasing attention on e-scooter safety, the Estonian company said that the Bolt 6 is a more durable iteration of its e-scooter.
The company said that the Bolt 6 has an expected lifespan of eight years compared to five years with the predecessor model.
The vehicle is equipped with a wider floorboard, a larger 12” front wheel and swept handlebars with an underfloor electric battery for a lower center of gravity and more stability. The battery has a range of about 55 miles.
Bolt is deploying the first thousand Bolt 6 e-scooters in Lisbon, Riga and Tallinn before a wider rollout in other European markets. It operates in 260 cities.
“Our new Bolt 6 scooter was created by our team of engineers to address the needs of cities and riders. Designing a scooter in-house gives us full control of software and hardware, enabling us to continuously upgrade the safety features that we provide to riders and pedestrians,” Dmitri Pivovarov, VP for rentals at Bolt, said.
“Owning the full process of scooter development and production also means stricter quality control and higher safety standards. At the same time, we don’t overpay for supplier and manufacturer margins. This allows us to forward the cost savings to our customers through more affordable scooter rides.”
While Bolt has invested in new hardware, its fleet of e-scooters interacts with a suite of software tools to ensure safer riding and to cut down on reckless use. This includes controls on speed, typically capped at 25 km/hr or 15 mph but can vary depending on local regulations.
One of the scourges of the e-scooter rental industry – and a regular issue for city authorities – is dangerous parking. Often scooters can be discarded carelessly, causing obstructions on sidewalks.
According to the company, its in-built sensors can detect when a scooter has been incorrectly positioned and could fall over while it uses AI to verify photos of scooters to quickly find ones that have fallen over.
Another significant issue is people riding e-scooters on sidewalks or other surfaces where they should not. Bolt said that the Bolt 6 has a more advanced sensor and GPS system, compared to previous models, for analyzing a vehicle’s surroundings and detecting if the vehicle is being used on a sidewalk.
The previous fourth and fifth generation e-scooters will continue to operate alongside the latest model’s deployment until their lifecycle is reached.
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