Lime is reportedly preparing to upgrade from Lime bikes and scooters to small Lime electric cars, with tests planned soon in Seattle. The move would put them in increasingly direct competition with ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft.
Lime electric cars
According to a report from The Information, Lime has already filed paperwork in Seattle to institute a ride-sharing pilot with Lime electric cars.
The program would work similarly to the scooter sharing and bike sharing networks Lime already operates. However, instead of hopping on an electric scooter or bike, you’d hop in a little Lime electric car.
The cars could be parked around the city similar to Lime’s dockless electric bicycles and scooters. Riders would not need to search for a designated Lime parking spot, but could instead park Lime electric cars anywhere car parking is allowed.
The pilot program looks like it will involve 500 cars initially. So far, the mini electric cars are reported to be Fiat 500e and Renault Twizy vehicles.
The Twizy is no stranger to electric car sharing programs, and is already in use as part of similar electric vehicle sharing programs.
Seattle would not be new territory for Lime. The company already operates a large fleet of electric bicycles in the city. Lime’s scooters are not legal in Seattle though, as the city has not yet permitted scooter sharing companies to operate there. There is no word yet on if the city has approved Lime’s application for their electric car sharing plan.
Lime’s new car sharing service would compete not just with Uber and Lyft, but also with other companies already operating in Seattle such as Car2Go and ReachNow.
This news comes on the heels of a number of recent announcements by Lime. The company just unveiled their new model of electric scooter and instituted a carbon neutral program.
