Dive Brief:
- Dockless bike and scooter company Lime released more details about its new LimePod car-sharing service, set to hit Seattle next week.
- The LimePods will be available to unlock for $1 in the Lime app, with rides costing 40 cents per minute. Users must be 21 or older, hold a valid US driver’s license and have at least one year of driving history in order to operate a LimePod.
- The cars can hold up to four people, including a driver, and have a 300-mile range. They will be available to iOS users on Dec. 10, and to Android on Dec. 17.
Dive Insight:
The launch of LimePod heralds a new era for Lime, which, having established itself as a leader among dockless vehicle companies, is now branching out into other areas. The anticipation ratcheted up last month after Lime began limited testing of the cars. While Lime will roll out the service with a fleet of just 50 vehicles, it aims to expand to 500 vehicles by the end of the year. Its next goal — a fleet of 1,500 cars on the streets of Seattle by early 2019 — would establish Lime as a major player in the car-sharing business.
Cities have been looking to add car-sharing options as incentive for residents and visitors to shift away from personal vehicles; as a result, Lime, a dockless company, is entering the car-sharing business while ride-hailing companies such as Uber, Lyft and Via are getting into the dockless bike and scooter arena. While this convergence indicates that the shared mobility industry is on a path toward consolidation, it remains to be seen which mobility giant ends up on top.
Lime sees this new car-sharing service as offering a new option to its many users, stating in a blog post that “the LimePod is the perfect companion for running errands around the city, from picking up groceries to get-togethers with friends and family.”