Lime Piloting New Electric Motorbike in Long Beach

Lime is piloting a new electric motorbike in Long Beach.

The San Francisco-based micromobility company is testing its latest lightweight electric vehicle, known as the Citra, on the streets of Long Beach, The Verge reported Tuesday. Lime plans to pilot several hundred of the motorbikes throughout the city and could potentially roll out up to 500 of the vehicles if rider demand is strong, a spokesperson told the tech news outlet.

The Citra, which is designed and built by Lime’s existing manufacturing partners, can hit a top speed of 20 miles per hour and travel up to 30 miles on a single charge. Its swappable batteries are interchangeable with the rest of Lime’s fleet of electric scooters and e-bikes, which will make the motorbikes easier to service while also saving the company on maintenance costs. The vehicle, which features large padded seats, can carry a maximum payload of 330 pounds.

The Citra will only be available in Long Beach for the time being, as Lime has no currently plans to deploy the vehicle in other markets, the company told The Verge. The new product arrives as Lime and other micromobility providers are betting that soaring gas prices drive more riders away from cars and toward their shared electric vehicles.

Lime debuted its new, more eco-friendly Gen4 e-scooter in Los Angeles this spring, with plans to replace its entire L.A. fleet with the new model. The company also quietly raised the costs of its low-income rider program in the city, as dot.LA reported in May, catching local community advocates off-guard.

Last week saw Santa Monica-based Bird, one of Lime’s primary micromobility competitors, lay off nearly a quarter of its staff in an effort to cut costs.