Lime is adding a power assist option to help with Newton’s hills. Here is the press release from Nicole Freedman, Newton’s Director of Transportation Planning:
More than 50 lithium battery powered Lime-E bikes with a boost of electricity to help power your ride will be here on Saturday. Try one out! You can take a spin on one using the same Lime app on your phone as you use to ride the regular pedal versions. (Download Lime for free from the App Store.) You’ll see a battery symbol next to the bike icons showing you where the Lime-E bikes are located. The bikes have a maximum speed of 14.8 miles per hour, and cost $4.50 for a half hour. The regular pedal bikes cost $1.00 for a half hour. As of yesterday, 2,881 riders have taken 6,671 rides in Newton and traveled 6,621 miles on standard pedal bikes. Wear a helmet and park the bikes correctly. Don’t block sidewalks, driveways, or crosswalks. If you see a bike parked in the wrong place, contact Lime directly, call Customer Service here at City Hall at 617-796-1000, or help us out if you can and reposition the bike yourself.
The revolution has begun.
I believe the pricing on these (confirmed by app) is $1 to unlock and $0.15/minute, which is $5.50 if you hold it for 30 min.
Is there a place to charge the batteries?
The app tells you the charge and range of bikes nearby. The company handles arranging for the recharging.
I’m really excited for this one. Can’t wait to try one out!
Verdict: thumbs up!
It was even simpler than I thought it would be. There are no settings, gears, or computer displays like e-bikes you’d buy at a store. Procedurally it’s exactly the same as using a regular Lime Bike. It does have a slightly ‘heftier’ feel when riding but the pedal-assist is immediate and responsive.
I unlocked one at the Auburndale Commuter Rail station this morning and had the perfect testing ground, the hill on Auburn Street from the bottom at Charles Street (where we live) up to and over the Woodland Road bridge over the MassPike. This is the biggest single psychological and physical barrier to my family (and me!) deciding to go for a bike ride. It is a quarter mile away from our home and a barrier to the village center and almost all of the rest of Newton & Boston. It’s our “heartbreak hill”, but at the start of a trip.
This ride has done nothing to change my prediction that e-bike share, e-bikes and personal e-mobility vehicles broadly will be the biggest single change to sustainable transportation in Newton in decades – if we develop safe streets for people to use them.
Just rode one, great fun, we have one bike in our family but this is a great way to rent a second for a little bit.
Seem less transaction, the handlebars were a tad out of center but otherwise easy to use and the e-assist was very nice. Left it on Beacon near Washington to delight someone walking into Waban from woodland T stop!
Ebikes = cheating!
I only use manual Lime bikes, and I often tie large objects (concrete masonry units, etc.) to the pedals and drag them behind me while riding up hills.
This article answers some questions about Limebike e-bike share (including Amy’s question about charging: they are picked up and recharged by Limebike, although some cities have experimental charging stations):
https://grist.org/article/this-electric-bike-experiment-could-change-how-we-design-cities/
Funny, I had wrongly assumed the bike batteries were solar powered…
Lauren, I was just thinking – they do let Limebike users serve as “juicers” – rounding up ebikes or escooters, recharging them at home and re-deploying them.
But what if Newton had a workout facility with stationary generator bikes (or even limebikes placed on a generator that feeds back into its battery) that would generate the electricity to charge the e-bikes? Folks could get a workout, make some money, and contribute to carbon-free mobility (even if they don’t choose that mode)!
I’ve tried both traditional and electric. Without assist the bikes are challenging on hills and it feels like the tires are underinflated. The assist makes a huge different and means hills are less of a problem and it’s far safer being able to go straight on the hill.