We're in the Nokia 3310 era of micromobility

While Reilly Brennan is looking for the Ford F150 of scooters, I think that's the wrong way to think about this.

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Micromobility vehicles are like phones on wheels.

At the moment, they're still largely dumb. The Xiaomi Mi365 was the best selling scooter of 2018. It has no locks, connectivity or intelligence.

It's the scooter equivalent of the Nokia 3310: cheap, robust, and easy to use.

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What will the iPhone of this space look like? How will we know when we see it?

My hunch is that it'll be:

  • Fun and Stylish: we like vehicles to be reflective of us. As such, we deny the importance of aesthetics and sex appeal at our peril. I love Bird's efforts in this area.

  • A computing platform: Autonomy, safety and social engagement will be apps.

  • Shared: While privately owned vehicles will be where the bulk of the micromobility sales happen, I think the ease of access of shared vehicles will supercharge their usage and see more trips.

Interested in learning more? Sign up below, check out the Micromobility Podcast with Horace Dediu and myself, or come and join us at Micromobility Europe in Berlin on October 1st.