Lime debuts new scooter

Lime, one of the three big name scooter startups temporarily banned from operating in San Francisco, debuted its latest e-scooter, the Gen3.

Some of the two-wheeled device’s new features include larger wheels (now measuring 10 inches), two-sided front wheel suspension, and three forms of braking. The scooter frame is also now more durable and reportedly able to travel longer distances. And an extended battery capacity bumps up the range of the scooter by 20 percent.

The Gen3 also comes equipped with a new 2.8-inch color screen display that, according to a company press release, “will allow Lime to better communicate safe riding tips and proper parking etiquette to encourage Lime riders to ride safely, abide by city laws, and park responsibly.”

The new scooters come on the heels of reports that some of the company’s older scooters malfunctioned, which prompted a recall. In November, Lime issued a global recall of its old scooters sometimes fell apart “when subjected to repeated abuse.”

Lime’s latest e-scooter iteration can be found and used in the East Bay and other cities. The company’s devices are, at least for now, verboten on San Francisco streets. SFMTA handed down the ban (by way of not allowing the company to participate in the first half of the city’s scooter pilot program) in 2018, punishing Lime, Bird, and Spin of operating in the city without permission. The city selected lesser known scooter companies Scoot and Skip as the beneficiaries of the pilot program.

Which isn’t to say Lime e-scooters are never seen in the city these days. Scooters from Oakland, which are not rentable once they enter SF, end up in SF from time to time. If discovered on SF soil, Lime’s operation team is immediately dispatched to retrieve them once the company is notified.