Lime listens to women’s needs for new e-bike and e-scooter designs

Lime, the world’s largest shared electric vehicle company, recently unveiled its newest electric bikes and scooters. The LimeGlider and LimeBike, as the two latest models are called, were designed using feedback from groups traditionally underrepresented in Lime’s active riders, including women and older riders, to make the new models more inclusive and easier to operate.

The new shared, affordable, emission-free vehicles are designed to make sustainable transportation more accessible and appealing to a wider range of riders. They also aim to accelerate a shift from car use in cities by appealing to diverse groups, including those with varying abilities, while retaining fun, convenience, and reliability.

Footrests instead of pedals

The green-and-black LimeGlider is the brand’s newest innovation. The vehicle combines a bike’s seated comfort with a scooter’s effortlessness. It is equipped with footrests instead of pedals, allowing riders to simply get on and go.

The smaller diameter and wider tires and the larger padded seat, positioned lower to the ground, provide a lower center of gravity and improved stability and maneuverability. The LimeGlider uses a throttle similar to electric scooters, letting riders glide around the city effortlessly. The step-through frame makes it easier to mount, dismount, and ride the bike – especially when wearing a skirt.

Deep step-through frame

The green-and-white LimeBike is the company’s latest e-bike design. Its adjustable seat features a new ergonomic clamp design that makes it easier for riders to change seat heights.

The new LimeBike also adopts wider 20-inch (50 cm) wheels but returns to a more traditional bicycle-style setup, including functional pedals. The vehicle also features a throttle on the handlebars, providing riders the option to either pedal with electric assist or push down on the throttle to get moving. Here, too, Lime also opted for a deep step-through frame that is easier to mount and ride than a higher-top tube bike.

Safety first

Both models feature ergonomic hand grips and sliding phone holders, allowing riders to keep their navigation apps or music front and center on their phones. The front baskets on each vehicle are wider, designed to accommodate larger items when shopping, while the lower positioning of the baskets on the front tube makes turning easier when they are full.

Both models were designed with safety in mind. The vehicles feature 2.5-inch tires (6.35 cm) for strong traction, particularly in wet conditions. The LimeGlider and LimeBike use swappable batteries.

Shared, affordable, and emission-free transport

“The LimeGlider and LimeBike offer a glimpse at the future of micromobility, designed with a wider rider audience in mind to help us draw closer to our mission of building a future where transportation is shared, affordable, and carbon-free,” said Lime CEO Wayne Ting at the launch.