Photo: Ford
A few days after rival General Motors announced the birth of a new brand within its ranks, dedicated to electric bikes, Ford made its move and announced it too will be taking a shot at the two-wheel mobility market.
Ford’s approach will, however, be different than that of GM, in the sense that the Blue Oval plans to use two-wheelers – electric scooters, in this case – to satisfy the ride-sharing craze that has engulfed the world.
Ford said it purchased for an undisclosed amount a San Francisco-based start-up called Spin. Spin is in the business of renting scooters as a first and last-mile transportation solution to people in nine cities across the U.S, according to the official website, or 13 cities, according to Ford’s statement.
The acquisition of Spin comes at the time when most global carmakers are making a push to enter this new mobility industry that works on the premise that renting a car, motorcycle or scooter by the minute or mile is far better than actually driving the personal car in the crowded confines of a major city.
In this particular case, using a Spin scooter costs $1 to rent and 15 cents per minute, which is not particularly expensive, given the fact that the things are meant to be used for short distances.
Ford did not say exactly how its purchase of Spin will change the company’s business style, or how exactly Spin will shape the future of Ford’s mobility goals in this segment.
But given the fact that Ford says that about half the trips made in the U.S. are 3 miles or less in length, a lot of money will likely come to Dearborn as a result of this purchase.
The study cited by Ford has been conducted by Populus, is called The Micro-Mobility Revolution and can be found at this link.
Ford said it purchased for an undisclosed amount a San Francisco-based start-up called Spin. Spin is in the business of renting scooters as a first and last-mile transportation solution to people in nine cities across the U.S, according to the official website, or 13 cities, according to Ford’s statement.
The acquisition of Spin comes at the time when most global carmakers are making a push to enter this new mobility industry that works on the premise that renting a car, motorcycle or scooter by the minute or mile is far better than actually driving the personal car in the crowded confines of a major city.
In this particular case, using a Spin scooter costs $1 to rent and 15 cents per minute, which is not particularly expensive, given the fact that the things are meant to be used for short distances.
Ford did not say exactly how its purchase of Spin will change the company’s business style, or how exactly Spin will shape the future of Ford’s mobility goals in this segment.
But given the fact that Ford says that about half the trips made in the U.S. are 3 miles or less in length, a lot of money will likely come to Dearborn as a result of this purchase.
The study cited by Ford has been conducted by Populus, is called The Micro-Mobility Revolution and can be found at this link.
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