This week, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company announced plans to bring e-scooters with remote-operating features to cities in Europe and North America later this year. The announcement marks the first solid plans to introduce a new, three-wheeled scooter model. The remote-operating capabilities of the scooter are expected to promote safety and to decrease the number of injuries related to scooters left on sidewalks or on roadways.
A New Way Forward
Spin is the Ford subsidiary responsible for micro-mobility projects, including electric scooters and similar vehicles, and it was one of the three companies that provided e-scooters for the second iteration of the scooter test program in Chicago last year. The company said that it would be releasing the Spin S-200 model this year. In addition, Spin also indicated that its partnership with the software company Tortoise is giving the S-200 capabilities that no other widely-available scooters currently have—namely, the ability to be operated remotely.
According to the company’s announcement, the new Spin Valet software platform can use the built-in front- and rear-facing cameras on the scooter to allow a remote operations team to drive the scooter without being on it. The remote-operation feature will serve several purposes. First and foremost, the remote operations team will be able to find scooters that are left in the path of pedestrians and street traffic and move them at low speeds—3 miles per hour or less—to safer locations. The team will also use the feature to “deliver” scooters to those who request them using Spin’s scooter-hailing app. Eventually, the remote team will also direct scooters with depleted batteries to charging hubs.
The S-200 was developed by Spin in cooperation with Segway-Ninebot. Spin’s chief business officer Ben Bear said that the new model “could significantly improve unit economics, reducing carbon emissions and the operational work required to maintain and reposition fleets.” The company plans to launch up to 300 S-200 scooters for a pilot program in Boise, Idaho this spring. More cities in North America and Europe are expected to get the scooters as the year goes on.
Contact a Chicago E-Scooter Injury Attorney
Scooters that are left in roadways and on sidewalks present serious dangers for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and even other scooter riders. If you have suffered injuries in any type of e-scooter accident, contact a Chicago scooter accident injury lawyer at Livas Law Group, A Division of Kralovec, Jambois & Schwartz. We will investigate the details of your accident and help you secure the full compensation you deserve. Call 312-804-6102 to schedule your free consultation today.
Sources:
Ford’s Spin Partners to Bring Remote-control E-scooters to North America, Europe
https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/news/news/spin-to-bring-remotely-operated-e-scooters-to-cities-in-2021-6045