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Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

nytimes.com

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Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#191

Post by wpietri »

abawany wrote: post #176
splurge100 wrote: post #92

All of the commenters saying e-scooters shouldn't be allowed on sidewalks are right. Sidewalks in most densely populated US cities are too narrow and busy to safely allow a human gliding along at 15 mph within ~2 ft of a doorway where another human may be exiting, or past blind corners. The bigger issue is that e-scooter parking is fundamentally broken right now. Despite being told not to, users still park them in th…

Agree on the sidewalk clutter - they are starting to turn into a nuisance in Austin downtown. I had to move two, parked side by side, on a sidewalk. My attempt to move them resulted in them squealing, causing me to feel like a thief for just trying to make room on the sidewalk to keep walking.

Agreed. I have never seen an actual scooter owner park badly. It's always a rental scooter company. I object entirely to them just seizing the public sidewalks as the parking lot for their private businesses. And then I object again at the tragedy-of-the-commons effect when scooter renters feel entitled to drop it wherever they're done with it.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#192

Post by danans »

dawhizkid wrote: post #143

I talked to a self-driving PM recently and he said that self-driving cars are a extremely expensive and complex way to reduce cost per mile urban transit/taxis and admitted scooters might be a much cheaper way to accomplish the same thing.

Except during bad weather, or when you need to carry more than yourself and a backpack. For those scenarios, a vehicle sealed from the elements is important. It doesn't need to be a full sized car, but it does need some more amenities and space than a scooter.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#193

Post by madeuptempacct »

androidgirl wrote: post #184

Are any of these electric scooters worthwhile for hilly commutes? I live about a mile from the closest train stop, and currently I walk to and from because the entire way is steep coming back, at 10% grade. My gut tells me a scooter would need to be unreasonably powerful to work in this area.

"Scoot" is absolutely fine on hills. Drove it from Pier 1 to Golden Gate park on California and back with zero problems on hills. Of course, BMWs will make it a point to shoot by you to show their superiority, but you won't be holding up traffic up hills.

I do wonder what would have happened if my phone died before I parked the Scoot. Seems like it would be a pain in the ass.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#194

Post by rootsudo »

mjg59 wrote: post #180

Of the scooter companies that have launched in the Bay area, Spin were by far the least technically advanced - the scooters were basically unmodified Xiaomis, to the extent of still having power buttons. Rather than an integrated location and management system, location data came from a off-the-shelf GPS tracker spliced off the battery lines. Since the scooter control board had no cellular link, there was no mechanis…

Is the unlock code unique, or the same for that specific bluetooth serial number?

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#195

Post by wpietri »

randyrand wrote: post #19
danans wrote: post #2

These e-scooters could be a really great way for many cities to decrease short-haul car dependency, but they really need to be off the sidewalks. A motor-propelled machine going 15 mph doesn't belong on the same surface as a baby stroller, a senior citizen, or a person with a disability. They belong in the bike lane (which should exist in the first place), and their speed should be capped in areas of dense foot traff…

I've owned both a scooter and skateboard for 7 months. I disagree, you can ride a scooter on a sidewalk safely and I need to do it from time to time. Of course, I don't prefer it. But it's pretty easy to do safely and it shouldn't bother anyone if done correctly. The rules I follow: 1. Go much much slower. 2. Stay far away from other people and blind corners. 3. Always assume a person is about to make an erratic move…

It's not impossible, but it's unrealistic to expect that everybody who can poke their finger on an app button will do this.

If scooters require knowledge, thought, and skill to ride well on a sidewalk, then the two obvious answers are a) require training and a road test, or b) ban them on sidewalks. I don't much care which we go with, but having recently almost gotten flattened by some rental e-scooter idiot on the sidewalk, I think we need to pick one.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#196

Post by velobro »

androidgirl wrote: post #184

Are any of these electric scooters worthwhile for hilly commutes? I live about a mile from the closest train stop, and currently I walk to and from because the entire way is steep coming back, at 10% grade. My gut tells me a scooter would need to be unreasonably powerful to work in this area.

10%? I don't think any scooter (via a share company) will have the torque needed to get up at a reasonable speed.

It appears the Xiomi M365 had a rated motor of 250W with a max of 500W.

I cycle with a power meter, and going up a 10% grade requires 300 or so watts. Bear in mind the bike has gears that allow going up hills with lower torque. The scooters have a single ratio.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#197

Post by imgabe »

refurb wrote: post #158
imgabe wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also knew someone who was very successful and died too young leaving behind 3 kids, a beautiful wife, amazing house etc. (I'm not being flip, this is true). He died in a car accident. I'll take the relatively small risk of being hit while biking in exchange for the 100% chance of the very positive benefits (free exercise, no traffic, free parking). Driving has about the same risk of killing you and 100% chance of m…

You are 15 times more likely to be killed on Britain's roads if you ride a bike than if you drive a car. [1] If you look at total deaths they may seem comparable to driving, but way more people drive than cycle. Good on you for dedicating yourself to cycling, but you shouldn't ignore the increase in risk. [1] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cycle-safety...

You'd also have to take into account the reduction in life expectancy from the stress of driving and additional time being sedentary.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#198

Post by Balgair »

dangwu wrote: post #167
andrewljohnson wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Theoretically.

Legally. And the app makes you take a screenshot of your license

I've not tried it, but how easy is it to fake the ID? Like, does the photo feed to a person that OKs the ID manually, or does it just look for some vaguely rectangulary shaped object?

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#199

Post by nonatribusernm »

Own a Segway/Ninebot ES2 w/ the extended battery pack. Top speed 20mph. Have clocked over 300 miles on it. I live in Boston, Bird tried to launch this summer and Cambridge/Somerville local gov freaked out (rightfully so). I use my scooter for 10 mile rides on the bike path, communing and short haul trips. It gets locked up in my apartment when I’m done with it.

I honestly don’t know if I’d trust public scooters, purely for safety reasons. (I use Zipcar which is a hit or miss most of the time, some of the cars are really filthy and broken since you can use it at 18) How often are they inspected? Do the scooter companies keep maintenance logs? Who fixes them? Do they use contractors or have in-house staff? Where are they souring the parts? These things are used way more than mine. I’ve fallen off my scooter twice and really fucked myself up and I always wear a helmet. One fall I hit the back of my head behind my right ear on the pavement first. You can easily kill or cripple yourself or someone else. An adult at 165lbs going 19mph packs a punch. They are not toys. There’s huge liability here.

This feels like when Uber rolled out. Nobody trusted them and it took time for regulators to catch up. These tiny electric vehicles are awesome and represent way more to come. I just hope nobody gets seriously hurt in the process.

Re: Ford Buying San Francisco-Area E-Scooter Startup Spin

#200

Post by m4x »

splurge100 wrote: post #92

All of the commenters saying e-scooters shouldn't be allowed on sidewalks are right. Sidewalks in most densely populated US cities are too narrow and busy to safely allow a human gliding along at 15 mph within ~2 ft of a doorway where another human may be exiting, or past blind corners. The bigger issue is that e-scooter parking is fundamentally broken right now. Despite being told not to, users still park them in th…

Scooters seem unnecessary in densely populated cities. Most high-density areas have good public transport within a few minutes walk of your destination, and the footpaths are too busy to ride a scooter on anyway.

They are much more useful in medium-density cities and suburbs where the roads and footpaths are less busy and public transport is not as effective.

I love using my scooter for commuting and errands in my low-density city, but I can't imagine riding it through a busy CBD - not on the road or the footpath. And yet that seems to be where most of these scooter rental companies are deploying. It seems crazy.

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