

Get in the KNOW
on LA Startups & Tech
X
Image courtesy of Lime
Lime Is Bringing Its New, More Eco-Friendly Scooters to LA
Maylin Tu
Maylin Tu is a freelance writer who lives in L.A. She writes about scooters, bikes and micro-mobility. Find her hovering by the cheese at your next local tech mixer.
The first Lime electric scooters hit the streets of Los Angeles in June 2018, some nine months after rival e-scooter startup Bird first took flight in Santa Monica. In the years since, Lime has battled Bird and a wave of other micromobility operators for market dominance—seeking to transform the urban transportation landscape while facing losses, regulatory backlash and even destructive anti-scooter sentiment.
Now, Lime is upping the ante in the great e-scooter wars once again by bringing its latest e-scooter model—the Lime Gen4—to the streets of Los Angeles, with the goal of replacing all 7,000-plus vehicles in its L.A. fleet by this summer. Lime has already rolled out the Gen4 globally in markets from Denver to London.
The San Francisco-based company told dot.LA that it designed the Gen4 to be more eco- and user-friendly—with a swappable battery, bigger wheels, a lower center of gravity and swept-back handlebars akin to a bicycle.
“As of [the week of April 17], you'll start to see them in Hollywood, West Hollywood and in some of the Hills area,” said Alyssa Edelen, Lime’s general manager for the southwest region.
Lime's new Gen4 e-scooter features a swappable battery, bigger wheels, a lower center of gravity and swept-back handlebars.Image courtesy of Lime
The Next Generation
Originally a bike-sharing company, Lime launched its e-scooter fleet in 2017 with the Segway Ninebot, a popular choice for operators at the time. However, early e-scooters were not built for the harsh conditions of shared use. One 2018 study by Quartz of Bird scooters in Louisville, Ky., found that the vehicles lasted less than 29 days on average before breaking down or falling prey to vandalism or theft.
The next Lime generation to hit L.A. streets in 2018 was the Gen2.5, a hardier model built to last 18-to-24 months. Then last year, the company swapped out the Gen2.5 for Okai scooters inherited through its 2020 acquisition of Uber’s micromobility business, Jump. Instead of recycling the Jump scooters, Lime wanted to deploy them in select markets.
Now, Lime says that its latest model—designed and manufactured completely in-house—is built to last for up to five years. In comparison, competitor Bird’s latest model, the Bird Three, has an estimated shelf life of two years.
Lime didn’t share details on how much the company invested in R&D for the Gen4. The scooter was initially developed by Jump, with Lime continuing the work after acquiring the former Uber subsidiary.
How Eco-Friendly Are E-Scooters?
The lifespan of an e-scooter doesn’t only affect a company’s bottom line—it also has a significant impact on sustainability.
In a 2019 study conducted at North Carolina State University, researchers calculated the life-cycle emissions of shared e-scooters. The study found that although riding one was better for the environment than driving a car, it was not as green as riding an electric bike or even taking a gasoline-powered bus.
And that’s not just because of the energy required to charge e-scooters, which represented only 5% of their total emissions. According to the study, most of the greenhouse gas emissions from shared micromobility comes from manufacturing a device’s parts, as well as the logistics of collecting and charging the vehicles. In other words: the longer a scooter’s lifespan and the easier it is to charge it, the lower its carbon footprint will be
To address the environmental impact of charging scooters and returning them to the streets, Lime and other micromobility operators are now embracing models that feature swappable batteries. According to Lime, the Gen4’s swappable battery makes the charging process more streamlined and energy-efficient; vehicles no longer need to be transported to a warehouse for charging. Lime’s new Gen4 e-bike model is also using the same swappable battery.
While some competitors, like Bird and Superpedestrian, have called into question the environmental benefits of swappable batteries, the industry at large seems to be trending in their favor. Veo CEO Candice Xie told dot.LA earlier this year that the micromobility firm is using its Cosmo seated scooter to tow trailers filled with batteries that are swapped into its vehicles in Santa Monica.
“We don't need to collect all the devices back to the warehouse to charge and then roll [them] out again,” Xie said. “All we need to do is swap the battery on site, and that increases our efficiency and reduces our operations by 40-to-50% compared to other vendors.”
West Hollywood-based Wheels is testing out a similar strategy in Austin, Texas, where it’s using its own electric seated scooter to swap batteries and service its vehicles, with plans to implement this method in L.A. Meanwhile, a Lyft spokesperson said many of the company’s maintenance teams are using electric golf carts and e-cargo tricycles to swap batteries on its own micromobility vehicles.
Lime has yet to use electric vehicles in L.A. for charging and maintenance operations, but said it’s in the process of acquiring and implementing them.
Lime says the Gen4’s swappable battery makes the process of recharging its e-scooters more streamlined and energy-efficient.Image courtesy of Lime
The Adoption Issue
Lime’s more eco-friendly approach comes as Angelenos are increasingly turning to shared transit options to avoid record-high gas prices. As of mid-April, Lime had seen its ridership in L.A. grow “about 35%” in the preceding two-to-three weeks, Edelen said. The company’s Lime Access equity program, which provides discounted rides to underserved Angelenos, logged 12,000 rides in March, the highest number since its inception.
But despite the lofty environmental goals of micromobility companies—Lime is aiming to have a zero-emissions operations fleet by 2030—some experts note that their impact on the greater transportation sector is limited.
In a study released in February, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University examined the environmental impact of replacing short car trips with micromobility vehicles during peak travel hours. For context, in the U.S., almost 50% of car rides are three miles or less—a sweet spot for bicycles, e-bikes and scooters. Using the city of Seattle as a model and factoring in weather conditions, trip type and user demographics, the study found that only 18% of short car trips could be replaced, leading to just a 2% reduction in overall emissions.
Carnegie Mellon assistant professor Corey Harper, a co-author of the study, noted that most carbon emissions come from long-distance travel. “We have a lot more work to do if you really want to reduce emissions in our transportation sector,” Harper told dot.LA. “Because even if we were able to fulfill every single trip that could be done by bike or scooter, 98% of emissions would still be there.”
The study suggests that e-scooters have the most impact when combined with public transit as a first- and last-mile option. Choosing to take an e-scooter instead of driving a car has other benefits as well, such as reducing traffic congestion. Ultimately, Harper believes that for people to choose more eco-friendly transportation options, companies and cities have to make those modes more appealing to riders.
Lime is gambling that its redesigned e-scooter—with its bigger wheels, swept-back handlebars and improved suspension—will attract even more riders, and not just because it’s the more eco-friendly option.
In a promising sign, Edelen said that L.A. users are riding the Gen4 longer and rating it higher compared to the previous model.
“Ridership is up compared to last year and previous years,” she noted. “Comparing this model to our Okai, we are seeing close to double the utilization.”
From Your Site Articles
- Can WeHo-Based Wheels Get More Underserved Angelenos to ... ›
- Move Slow and Fix Things: E-Scooter Startup Superpedestrian ... ›
- Here's How Bird Laid Off 406 People in Two Minutes - dot.LA ›
- Lime Piloting New Motorbike - dot.LA ›
- Veo Expands Into the City of LA - dot.LA ›
- LA’s E-Scooter Winners Now Clear as Cities Ratchet Up Regulations - dot.LA ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Maylin Tu
Maylin Tu is a freelance writer who lives in L.A. She writes about scooters, bikes and micro-mobility. Find her hovering by the cheese at your next local tech mixer.
LA Tech ‘Moves’: MeWe Taps Apple Co-founder, Aspiration Swipes Tesla Director
12:00 PM | August 05, 2022
Photo by James Opas | Modified by Joshua Letona
“Moves,” our roundup of job changes in L.A. tech, is presented by Interchange.LA, dot.LA's recruiting and career platform connecting Southern California's most exciting companies with top tech talent. Create a free Interchange.LA profile here—and if you're looking for ways to supercharge your recruiting efforts, find out more about Interchange.LA's white-glove recruiting service by emailing Sharmineh O’Farrill Lewis (sharmineh@dot.la). Please send job changes and personnel moves to moves@dot.la.
***
Aspiration, a sustainable financial services company, appointed former Tesla director Tim Newell as its first chief innovation officer. Prior to leading teams at Tesla, Newell also worked under the Clinton Administration as a deputy director for policy in the White House office of science and technology.
All-electric vehicle manufacturing company Phoenix Motorcars hired industry veterans Lewis Liu as senior vice president of program management office and business development. Phoenix also hired Mark Hastings as senior vice president of corporate development and strategy and head of investor relations.
Counterpart, a management liability platform, welcomed Claudette Kellner as insurance product lead and Eric Marler as head of claims. Kellner served at Berkley Management Protection as vice president, while Marler previously served as an assistant vice president at the Hanover Insurance Group.
Legal tech and eDiscovery veteran Mark Wentworth joined compliance software company X1 as external vice president of sales and business development.
Sameday Health, a testing and healthcare provider, named Sarah Thomas as general counsel. Thomas previously served at digital health company Favor.
MeWe, an ad-free and privacy-first social network, tapped the co-founder of Apple Steve Wozniak to its advisory board, and co-founder of Harvard Connection Divya Narendra to its board of directors.
Internet marketplace Ad.net, welcomed former Interpublic CEO David Bell to its board of directors.
Science and technology company GATC Health, appointed addiction specialist Jayson A. Hymes as a new advisory board member.
AltaSea, a non-profit organization that aims to accelerate scientific collaboration, added South Bay philanthropist Melanie Lundquist to its board of trustees.
Correction:An earlier version stated Divya Narendra was added to MeWe's advisory board.
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Read moreShow less
Decerry Donato
Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.
This Week in LA: Robotaxis, Reels & a $100K Challenge
10:03 AM | April 18, 2025
🔦 Spotlight
Happy Friday, LA,
It’s Coachella Weekend 2, which means fewer cars on the road, easier restaurant reservations, and just enough quiet to hear the next wave of innovation humming through the city. This week, we’re watching more driverless cars roll in, Instagram remix your Reels feed, and a $100K climate challenge call for startups. Let’s get into it.
🚕 Zoox Is Bringing Its Robotaxis to LA
Image Source: Zoox
Amazon-owned Zoox just announced that its futuristic, steering wheel–less robotaxis are heading to Los Angeles. The company has begun mapping the city as it gears up to launch a fully autonomous ride-hailing service. These aren’t retrofitted Teslas; they’re bidirectional vehicles built specifically for autonomy, with no front, no back, and no driver seat.
It’s Zoox’s first major push beyond Northern California and Las Vegas, and it's a signal that LA is being positioned as a proving ground for next-gen transportation. As the city preps for the 2028 Olympics, Zoox is hoping to help LA reimagine what mobility looks like without a human behind the wheel.
👀 More on that here:Zoox’s LA Expansion
💬 Instagram’s New “Blend” Feature
Image Source: Instagram
Instagram just announced “Blend,” a new feature that creates a private Reels feed curated for you and a friend based on your shared interests. It’s like a personalized explore page, but just for two. Think Spotify Blend, but with more memes and fewer breakup ballads.
It’s currently in testing, but if rolled out broadly, Blend could change how creators build community and how content spreads in smaller, more intimate algorithmic circles.
🔥 LACI Launches the LA Resilient Rebuilding Cup
100 days after the Palisades and Eaton fires swept through parts of LA, the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) is launching a new initiative: the LA Resilient Rebuilding Cup. It’s a pitch competition aimed at finding startup solutions to help LA rebuild stronger and greener.
Up to $100,000 in prizes and piloting funds are up for grabs. Finalists will pitch live on July 10 in Downtown LA, and selected winners will get the opportunity to bring their technologies to fire-affected communities. Focus areas include fire detection, renewable energy, air quality, mental health tools, resilient construction, and more.
Startups have until May 30 to apply.
📍 Apply here
🤝 Venture Deals
LA Companies
- Parallel Systems, a Los Angeles-based company developing autonomous battery-electric railcars, has raised $38M in a Series B funding round led by Anthos Capital, with participation from Riot Ventures and others. The funding will support the commercialization of its technology, including the launch of its first commercial pilot in Georgia. This pilot, approved by the Federal Railroad Administration, will test self-propelled intermodal flatcars over a 160-mile stretch, aiming to offer a more efficient and sustainable alternative to short-haul trucking. Parallel Systems plans to use the funds to scale production of its Generation 3 vehicles and expand operations in the U.S. and Australia. - learn more
LA Venture Funds
- Bonfire Ventures led a $7.5M seed funding round for 1Fort, a New York-based startup that automates commercial insurance workflows for brokers using AI. Village Global and others participated in the round. 1Fort's platform streamlines the insurance process by automating tasks such as application completion, quote retrieval, and policy binding, helping brokers secure better coverage for clients more efficiently. The funds will be used to enhance the platform's AI capabilities, expand the team, and grow partnerships with carriers and brokers across the U.S. - learn more
- Strong Ventures led an ₩800 million pre-Series A funding round for LunchLab, a Seoul-based B2B startup offering corporate lunch subscription services. LunchLab provides daily lunchbox deliveries and post-meal dish collection for companies, streamlining office meal logistics. The funds will be used to expand production capacity, enhance delivery operations across Seoul, and improve their proprietary ordering app. - learn more
- CIV participated in Crux's recent $50M Series B funding round, supporting the company's mission to streamline financing for clean energy and manufacturing projects. Crux, based in New York, operates a capital markets platform that facilitates transactions such as transferable tax credits and debt financing, aiming to enhance liquidity and efficiency in the clean economy sector. The newly acquired funds will be utilized to expand Crux's network of market participants, enhance its software infrastructure, and scale its operations to meet the growing demand for clean energy financing solutions. - learn more
- Finality Capital Partners participated in the $11M seed funding round for Optimum, a startup incubated at MIT and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Optimum is developing a decentralized memory layer for Web3, utilizing Random Linear Network Coding (RLNC) to enhance data storage and propagation across blockchain networks. The funds will be used to advance Optimum's technology and expand its team to address scalability challenges in decentralized systems. - learn more
- TIME BioVentures participated in Phantom Neuro's recent $19M Series A funding round. Based in Austin, Texas, Phantom Neuro is developing a minimally invasive neural interface called Phantom X, designed to enable intuitive control of prosthetic limbs and robotic exoskeletons. The new funding will support the company's first human trials, preclinical testing, regulatory submissions, and expanded research and development for broader applications of its technology beyond prosthetic limbs. - learn more
- Veridical Ventures participated in a $2M seed funding round for SlashExperts, a San Francisco-based B2B platform that connects prospective buyers with existing customers to facilitate authentic peer conversations. This approach aims to build trust and expedite sales processes. The funds will be used to enhance the platform's features, ensuring seamless and effective connections between buyers and users. - learn more
- F4 Fund participated in Boby.ai's $1.25M seed funding round, supporting the Istanbul-based startup's mission to develop AI-powered mobile applications. Boby.ai, founded by Gökçe Nur Oğuz, Onur Olgun, and Berat Oğuz, focuses on creating user-friendly AI tools for end-users, such as their flagship app Mozart.ai, which enables users to generate personalized music using AI. The funding will be used to expand the team and develop new AI-based mobile products. - learn more
- Riot Ventures and Impatient Ventures participated in Blue Water Autonomy's recent $14M seed funding round. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Blue Water Autonomy is developing fully autonomous, unmanned ships designed to operate on the open ocean for extended periods. The company plans to use the funds to expand its engineering team, accelerate ship testing, and integrate various payloads onto its platform. - learn more
- Aliavia Ventures led a $1M pre-seed funding round for InsightWise, an AI-powered platform based in Sydney, Australia, designed to streamline the consulting process by automating tasks such as proposal development and strategy creation. The funding will be used to enhance the platform's capabilities and support expansion into the U.S. market. - learn more
LA Exits
- Pex, a leading provider of digital rights technology, has been acquired by Vobile, a global leader in digital content protection and transaction services. This acquisition enhances Vobile's services for the music industry and strengthens its position as a global solution provider for digital audio content. - learn more
Read moreShow less
RELATEDTRENDING
LA TECH JOBS