The TechMobility Podcast
Welcome to The TechMobility Podcast, your ultimate source for authentic insights, news, and perspectives at the nexus of mobility and technology. We're all about REAL FACTS, REAL OPINIONS, and REAL TALK! From personal privacy to space hotels, if it moves or moves you, we're discussing it! Our weekly episodes venture beyond the conventional, offering a unique, unfiltered take on the topics that matter. We're not afraid to color outside the lines, and we believe you'll appreciate our bold approach!
The TechMobility Podcast
Cherokee Comeback, EV Rally in the Dirt, and Robotaxis Rise
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The automotive landscape is experiencing a seismic shift as traditional manufacturers pivot while new mobility solutions gain undeniable traction. At the forefront of this evolution stands Jeep's strategic revival of the Cherokee, a model whose absence devastated dealer profits and slashed Stellantis' market share from 12.5% to below 8%. Now returning as a hybrid, this "America's Original Influencer" aims to recapture the sweet spot in America's most popular vehicle segment – the midsize SUV market.
Meanwhile, Ford pushes electric performance boundaries with the Mustang Mach-E Rally, a groundbreaking combination of rally racing heritage and EV innovation. Featuring 480 horsepower, 700 foot-pounds of torque, and purpose-built rally capabilities, this vehicle is more than just another electric crossover. Ford engineers created a dedicated rally course at their Michigan proving grounds, testing prototypes over grueling 500-mile durability runs to ensure this EV provides authentic performance on loose surfaces. Despite range constraints and a $65,485 fully equipped price tag, the Mach-E Rally makes a strong case for the evolution of electric performance.
Perhaps most remarkable is Waymo's autonomous driving revolution happening right before our eyes. Currently offering 250,000 paid autonomous rides weekly across multiple cities without safety drivers, Waymo has logged over 100 million fully autonomous miles with 80-90% fewer injury-causing crashes than human drivers. This technology shows great promise for helping aging populations maintain independence while giving busy professionals and families back productive time. As Waymo expands worldwide, including plans for Tokyo, the autonomous future isn't on the horizon — it's already here.
Adding to these advances, e-bikes continue to transform urban mobility. Despite the fall of rental companies, e-bike sales have quadrupled since 2019, with riders in weather-challenged Boston taking 121,000 trips in just four winter months. Today's advanced e-cargo bikes carry children, groceries, and equipment weighing hundreds of pounds, offering urban families viable alternatives to car ownership where public transit falls short and traffic congestion dominates.
Join us weekly as we explore these technological breakthroughs shaping the way we move. Subscribe, follow us on social media, and share your thoughts at talk@techmobilityshow.com.
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Speaker 3:I'm Ken Chester On the docket, my review of the Ford Mustang Mach-E rally, waymo's vision of the future and e-bike swarms aren't dead. To join the conversation, call or text the TechMobility hotline, that number, 872-222-9793, or you can email the show directly. Talk at techmobilityshow. Be sure to subscribe, like and follow us on social media. Youtube. For you on Substack I'm Ken C Iowa, so that's Ken K-E-N, the letter C-I-O-W-A From the Tech Mobility News Des desk.
Speaker 3:Let's talk about Jeep. I have maligned Jeep in the past and under the previous boss, carlos Tavares. I had good reason. They're trying to right the ship right now and after several years of too high prices and the fact that in the middle of all of this, jeep chose to discontinue one of their volume leaders, the Cherokee, and not replace it, and that caused a lot of heartburn for Jeep dealers all over the country. Now, full disclosure one of my good friends that I've known for about 30 years in the auto industry is an executive back over at Jeep. She's done a tour at Infinity, she's done a tour at Genesis. She worked for Chrysler before, she worked for GM before that and they've got a good group over there that's trying to make the best of the hand they were dealt. So let me explain this. They are in the process of bringing back the Cherokee. However, it will be a hybrid, which totally makes sense. There was a kickoff in mid-August and they unfailed it, I guess a prototype of the Cherokee and labeled it America's Original Influencer and labeled it America's original influencer. Now to their point. Both the Wrangler and the Cherokee were like the bedrock models of the Jeep lineup forever, forever.
Speaker 3:The seeds of the modern Cherokee were actually planted by a predecessor company to Chrysler Back in 1984, the Jeep Cherokee was built, actually originally by American Motors. Chrysler was smart and kept it. Here's the interesting thing. When Chrysler brought out the Grand Cherokee in 1993, they said okay, we're going to continue to build the existing Cherokee. We figure we'll build it until nobody orders it anymore and we'll discontinue it. Well, it got the price about $5,000. This is 1993. They figured maybe a model year, no more than two. The Cherokee was so popular they would go on to build that thing for another seven years. Then they tried to replace it with something called the Liberty. That was a mistake. Chrysler saw the error of their ways, brought back the Cherokee, not 10 years later, but put it on a Fiat Chrysler platform and would continue to build it. And this one ended up being built at Belvedere, illinois. They're planting Belvedere. Dealers loved it. It was a model that people recognized. It was a size that worked for everybody. It was a model that people recognized. It was a size that worked for everybody. It was a price point that worked. It worked According to this piece in the Wall Street Journal.
Speaker 3:They said that the Cherokee is credited with inventing the modern SUV and accounted for one out of every six Jeeps sold in America. Just before the pandemic, one out of six was a Cherokee. But you know 2023, because the fellow who was in charge at that time thought profit was a great idea. We're going to pivot totally for electrics with no backup plan. We're all in and the Cherokee don't fit and we're going to stop making it Because we're going to cut costs. Well, the obvious happened Sales fell and the dealers revolted and literally, the dealer said this the biggest piece of the puzzle of fixing Jeep's woes is simple Bring back the Cherokee, bring back the Cherokee.
Speaker 3:Mid-sized SUVs like the Cherokee are the most popular kind of vehicle in the United States and, bear in mind, in the middle I mean Jeep defined the SUV world. There was a Jeep, there was a Scout, there was a Ford product back in the 60s. That was it and the other products were trying to emulate Jeep. At the time the Cherokee was the key. It was the key and these folks didn't understand that the midsize SUV market is the most popular kind of vehicle in the United States because Jeep didn't have one. Last year Jeep sales slid in 2024 36%. They got one smaller.
Speaker 3:You can buy a Compass, but you either go from the Compass and if you're not going to do a Wrangler, then you're stuck with going with the big boys. There's nothing in the middle. Not going to do a Wrangler, then you're stuck with going with the big boys. There's nothing in the middle. By comparison, chevrolet has a size for everybody, from the little tracks all the way up to the Suburban and they sell them all. Ford same thing. You can get a small Ford SUV, you can get a big Ford SUV. You can get some in the middle Shoot. Even Lincoln got some in the middle. You can get some in the middle Shoot. Even Lincoln got some in the middle. Lincoln. But Jeep didn't. And it cost them Because that's the perfect size for most Americans Not too big, not too small.
Speaker 3:In my case, full disclosure, I drive a Chevy Equinox, but you know that and it's about that size and it's perfect size for me Because, honestly, a Traverse is too big, even a Blazer is too expensive. But the Equinox was just right. Cherokee is right there. So the big deal is right now Is bring back the Cherokee.
Speaker 3:So I got questions, because you know I got questions. First big question how are you going to price it? Number one are you going to get greedy? Are you going to do a Carlos Traveris again and mark this thing up ridiculous? Can I get this thing between $35,000 and $45,000, please, can you do that for me? Can you give me a decent vehicle with maybe three trim levels, including one trim level that is actually off-road, but not all of them that I can afford. You can go from can-do to luxury and you can make it work.
Speaker 3:And with a hybrid you're going to get the fuel economy, you're going to get the torque. I mean, if they do it right, this could be phenomenal for them In a way that them going to play with the big boys, with the Wagoneers and the Grand Cherokee and all of that, uh-uh, mm-mm. This actually would be more profitable for them, I think, and they'll sell more units and the dealers will be happy all day and the consumers will be happy. How many thousands of Jeep wannabe folk that wanted to buy a Cherokee and couldn't did they lose these last few years not having it that they ain't getting back because they didn't have it? The other automakers are not sitting still and sitting on their laurels. They're up in their game. They are being competitive in that same space. So even when Cherokee comes back yeah, you got the Cherokee faithful, but you're going to need some conquest sales beyond that to be viable. You're going to need to sell 70, 80, 90,000 of these things to justify the expense on the low side. It's going to be interesting to see.
Speaker 3:I like the idea that they're going with a hybrid. I think that is probably a brilliant idea. The question is, how are they going to do this? Because you can go to two extremes. You've got some folks that are going to want a Cherokee the way it was. I want a can-do, do-anything, go-off-road, but I want space. I want something more friendly than a Wrangler and not big like a Wagoneer. I need something that's going to do it. I need an everyday Some folks yeah, I like the ruggedness of it and the can-do of it, but I want a little bit on the luxury side. And then there's the rest of us. I want a little bit of both.
Speaker 3:Will Stellantis, will Jeep be able to deliver what the consumer wants in this vehicle at a price point that works for everybody, that works for the dealers, works for the consumers? I don't know. I don't know. They get it. Thank God they get it. The question is, what does that look like? And that's the question. That is the question. What does this look like? One more thing Getting rid of the Cherokee Stellantis'.
Speaker 3:Us market share dropped from 12.5% to below 8% after it was discontinued. That's how much sway not having this did to them, not to mention the profitability nightmares the Jeep dealers had, because not everybody wants a big Jeep and not everybody wants a Wrangler and not everybody can fit in a Compass. This is what you need. This is the heart of the market. This is where people make the money. This is where automakers spend the money and this is what you're going to see, mostly on the road, in midsize. Don't believe me. Count the number Hyundai, tucson, chevy, equinoxes, ford Edges, all in that size. Yeah, check it out. Ford takes the Mach-E to a new level performance with the Rally. My impressions are. Next, you are listening to the Tech Mobility Show, the Tech Mobility Show In.
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Speaker 3:Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate. To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow.
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Speaker 1:Learn more at pincommunityorg. This is the Ford GT the ultimate in a road car In international competition. Its total performance has startled the world at Le Mans, daytona and Seabury. Now, out of this laboratory on wheels comes the unexpected Mustang GT, designed to be designed by you. What marks the true GT? Mustang's GT? Stripe GT, fog lamps, five cluster instrument panel, sport steering wheel, front wheel, disc brakes, a heavy-duty stabilizer, bar player, dual trumpet exhaust and a 289 cubic inch four-barrel V8. This GT you design in the 2 Plus 2 convertible or hardtop. Look for the mark of the true GT now at your Ford dealer the Mustang GT the Ford Mustang GT.
Speaker 3:I wanted to lead with that, because this vehicle that I'm getting ready to talk about is every bit as revolutionary as the original GT was in 1964. And no, the vehicle I'm talking about now is not gasoline not at all but yet carries a Mustang name and, contrary to the purists because the purists, when this came out, was not having it I would argue that this particular rendition is pretty awesome, and what I'm talking about is the Ford Mustang Mach-E and, to those of you that follow this kind of thing, it was the automaker's first pure EV defined as a battery, electric, compact crossover SUV. The automaker originally introduced it on November 19, 2019 as a 2020 model. Mach-e is, in fact, part of the Mustang Performance car series, with its name inspired by the Mach 1 variant of the first-generation Mustang that went on sale in 1964. But Ford wasn't content to just develop an EV for on-road performance. In 2024, the automaker introduced the world to the first ever rally-inspired electric vehicle that takes the Mustang freedom and fun onto dirt roads.
Speaker 3:The Mach-E Rally boasts a tuned version of the Mustang Mach-E GT's powertrain, with a two-motor layout, one on each axle for a combined output of 480 horsepower and an outstanding 700 foot-pounds of torque. Equipped with a 91-kilowatt battery pack, estimated range of 265 miles. It works out to 2.9 miles per kilowatt-hour and, by comparison, the super-fast, lucid Air sedan is over 5 miles per kilowatt-hour, as is the Tesla Model S Plaid. The Mustang Mach-E Rally is equipped with the first-ever Rally Sport Drive, which is specifically designed for off-road driving and allows for added yaw for bigger slides, a linear throttle for better control and a more aggressive damping for better handling in loose corners and a more aggressive damping for better handling in loose corners. Cargo capacity is 59.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded flat. Front trunk space adds 4.7 cubic feet and, as you can imagine, towing is not recommended for this model.
Speaker 3:Ford further tweaked the Mach-E Rally with a Rally-Tuned suspension, 19-inch Michelin Cross-Climate 2 tires and World Rally Car exterior styling to complete the look. More important than that, the Mach-E Rally adds rally-inspired fog lights, a recovery point that is built into the front lens with a hook, as well as protective film on the door cladding and fender arches that can help reduce paint chips and available dealer installed styled mud flaps to reduce debris spray. The vehicle undersides also get shielding for the front and rear motors to protect them from any gravel or road debris that might get kicked up. The exterior look is completed by a dramatic rear spoiler that takes inspiration from the Focus RS. And just in case you think that the Mach-E Rally is just another pretty face, ford actually developed an all-new rally course at its Michigan proving grounds to put the EV through its paces. The course was specifically designed by Rallycross veterans to simulate just what the vehicle might see out in the real world. Engineers and technicians put the Mach-E rally prototypes under 500-mile tests, simulating rally-cross durability trials, to make sure it lived up to the design intent.
Speaker 3:If you've ever seen World Rally Competition which I love, if there's any racing, I love I could watch World Rally forever because it's a driver, a dirt road and a navigator and they're driving against time and when they say literally barnstorming the countryside, it's all back roads and it's exciting because they don't always make them corners. So yeah, if it could survive that, it's doing something. Here's what I liked about the Mach-E Rally. I thought the vehicle was a sharp looker, especially when decked out in the extra-cost star-white metallic tricote exterior paint with matching wheels. The paint scheme, exterior lines and rear spoiler mimic the Mustangs of the past. Mach-e Rally delivers above-average handling and control at speed. I found a driver inspiring.
Speaker 3:Whether you travel on or off road, the Mach-E Rally is the perfect companion during long expanses of interstate or twisty back roads. Whisper, quiet operation combines with an unbridled performance mode and real drive performance tires. That boils down to three words fun to drive In unbridled mode, which I think is kind of neat. Mach-e Rally is super smooth and super quiet, delivering a comfortable ride. A sophisticated menu available in the infotainment display allows for ultra customization of driver performance and occupant comfort and convenience. And all I'm going to say about one-pedal driving is wow once you get used to it. As far as rear passenger accommodations, the split rear seat folds flat with the cargo area floor. It's not uncomfortable.
Speaker 3:Here's what I didn't like about the Mach-E Rally. I really wasn't impressed with the vehicle range. Nowadays 265 miles, that's it. There are larger, heavier EVs right now that give almost double that range. Anything on the full-size GM EV truck platform gets 200, I'm sorry, 460 miles of range. Ford catch up.
Speaker 3:Just saying, like most EVs, the Mach-E Rally does not have a spare tire. For that I say boo, because these things are heavier and if you blow a tire it matters Because of the batteries. The step-in height is higher than you would expect and that could be a challenge for some drivers and passengers. It may take a little bit of navigation to get in and out of it. Finally and I admit this is a like to have as opposed to something I'm going to really penalize them for a head-up display would have been welcomed and appropriate given the performance chops of this vehicle.
Speaker 3:So what's the bottom line here? The Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally is some sophisticated motoring. Fast, sure, smooth and quiet is the right kind of fun for those who enjoy driving on or off-road. Its limited range and lack of a head-up display yeah, I said I wasn't going to nick them, but okay, I still want it and a spare tire are several blemishes on what is otherwise an amazing experience. The manufacturer-suggested retail price for the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally starts from $59,995. Destination charges add $1,895. And the Mach-E Raleigh I-Test drove had the following extra cost options Talked about the star white, metallic tri-coat exterior paint, blue Cruise, three-year subscription and a mobile power cord.
Speaker 3:Total cost of the options $3,595. Total MSRP including options and destination charges $65,485. It's not cheap, but boy, it's a lot of fun. Let me tell you I did not want to give that car back. It was that much fun. But I'm telling you, if you've never driven an EV, you really need to, because every EV I've driven has been amazing. This more so. Waymo has arrived at an inflection point regarding autonomous mobility. That's next. This is the Tech Mobility Show.
Speaker 2:You've got the drive, you've got the vision. Now you need the right partner to make it happen.
Speaker 3:At Playbook Investors Network. We power ambitious leaders with the tools. We'll be right back Playbook Investors Network, fueling ambition, delivering results. Visit pincommunityorg during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out.
Speaker 3:This segment is for all you autonomous car haters out there. I want to give you a dose of reality and I'm talking about facts. Let me deal with facts. Let me start here. As Waymo's autonomous vehicles gain traction in the rideshare marketplace, the company believes that it's in an inflection point. What is our future and where do we go from here? This is topic B. Let me hit you with some facts right here. This is from a McKinsey Company white paper and I quote Waymo, alphabet's self-driving car unit, is a leader in the AV industry.
Speaker 3:The company now, now, right now completes more than 250,000 paid rides a week. Let that sink in. I'll give you a moment. 250,000 a week, not to date. Right now, every week, right now, they are shuffling folks around without a driver, without a safety driver, without a remote driver fully autonomous right now. If you've been to Austin, los Angeles, san Francisco, phoenix, been in any of those cities, you had a chance to ride in a self-driving Waymo robo-taxi 250,000 rides a week right now Not what they're striving for, not cumulative to date. Also, bear in mind, waymo was the first one to start developing this in 2009. Everybody else came after him.
Speaker 3:Waymo is considered the leader because they've got the most invested and, in case you were wondering, you know that they were short distances. Let me throw this at you. Waymo says and I'm going to have it here because I want to read it exactly because that number. I got another number for you that blew me away and I'm going to find it. Just give me just a hot second here, because the number I'm yeah, here it is. That's the number I want, those 250,000 trips a week. Since you want a cumulative number, let me give you one.
Speaker 3:Waymo has driven, driven over 100 million miles fully autonomously driven. This is, cumulatively, 250,000 trips a week. Up to date, 100 million miles of actual travel, fully autonomous, not to count the billions more miles in simulation. 100 million miles. They've also, unlike some of their competitors, have published their results for 70 million plus miles. They have actually shared with federal officials, state officials, regulatory agencies. They've opened their books good, bad and ugly. They have shown here's something else, and I'm dealing in facts. Now I'm not dealing with what they're hoping to do, I'm talking about what they're doing right now. Here's a reality for you Waymo's AVs have 80% fewer injury-causing crashes compared with the average human driver, and that's based on real, day-to-day facts.
Speaker 3:Now let me put this in your ear they're doing this in a world with regular human drivers, semi-autonomous, connected vehicles, everything. Their world does not consist of all the vehicles being autonomous. They're operating in the real world with pedestrian, bicyclists, truckers, delivery vehicles, cars, crazy folks, road rage. All of this 80% fewer, 80% them are facts, folks, and they say, no matter what metric you look at from injury-causing collisions, pedestrian injuries, airbag deployments we are 70%, 80% or even 90% safer than cars with human drivers, even 90% safer than cars with human drivers. This is to you folk that said I'll never ride in an autonomous vehicle. I don't trust them. Yeah, okay, okay. We have the scale to continuously simulate thousands of cars, which is a use advantage. This is Waymo talking. We invest heavily in AI and machine learning to make these scenes realistic while preserving the difficulty.
Speaker 3:It is often an overlooked part of building an autonomous driver. Did I mention 250,000 rides a week, 100 million actual autonomous miles right now, right now. Now, how much longer? How much more are you looking for to be convinced that this is coming? Here's something else for you. I'm talking to y'all that are a certain age, and you know who I'm talking to. As we age and I'm getting near there we lose our ability to drive. We lose our eyesight isn't as good, our reflexes aren't as good, our feet don't work the way they need to work, and at some point, you and the kids are going to have a conversation about taking mom or dad's keys away, and you're not going to like it.
Speaker 3:Imagine now if you had access to an autonomous vehicle at your beck and call to take you anywhere you wanted to go. How would you value your freedom then? Instead of waiting for the kids, the grandkids, the great-grandkids running to the store, running around the corner, take you over a friend's house, you don't even need that. With an autonomous vehicle, you sum up the kids, the grandkids, the great-grandkids running to the store, running around the corner. Take you over a friend's house. You don't even need that. With an autonomous vehicle. You sum up the vehicle, you get in the vehicle. It takes you where you want to go, when you want to go, however long you want to be there, and when you're ready to go home, it comes and gets you.
Speaker 3:Ironically, the very people fighting this are the very people who are going to get and receive an immediate advantage. We're not even going to talk about the time you gain back from not having to look for a parking spot if you're in a larger city, or having to pay attention to traffic, having a quiet spot to do office work. If you are in traffic, you don't have to worry about the traffic. The vehicle's got that handled. You can tend to your business. You can have a quiet space If you want to take a nap. You don't lose any time enough to pull off the road. Things got you. Take a nap, be comfortable, pick up your kids in the thing and you can have a real face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball conversation about how their day went, as opposed to a half a conversation while you're driving.
Speaker 3:No doubt autonomous vehicles are going to impact interior design of vehicles in the years to come and there's a lot of conversation around that. I know. Mercedes has shown their Vision 2030. Bmw has shown kind of an idea where they're going.
Speaker 3:Whether you accept it or not, autonomous vehicles represent an opportunity for older Americans to maintain their freedom, for harried parents to have a way of getting kids to and from, to get some quality time back in an otherwise crazy, hectic, demanding day. It's happening in real time time and Waymo's expanding. They're even looking at going to Tokyo, one of the most dense cities on the planet, and they believe they'll be successful there. And remember, this is an American export. It was developed here in the United States, in California and in the southwestern part of our country, and they're rolling it out to more cities. I want to see the day when they can handle snow. I can hardly wait for that Because that's going to be real educational, but it's coming. Technology moves forward. Folks. You can either get on the train or watch it leave the station your choice. Remember the swarm of e-bikes in American cities a few years back. It's not over. We are the Tech Mobility Show.
Speaker 4:Are you tired of juggling multiple apps and platforms for meetings, webinars and staying connected? Look no further than AONmeetingscom, the all-in-one browser-based platform that does it all. With AONmeetings, you can effortlessly communicate with clients, host virtual meetings and webinars and stay in touch with family and friends all in one place and for one price. Here's the best part you can enjoy a 30-day free trial. It's time to simplify your life and boost your productivity. Aonmeetingscom, where innovation meets connection. Get started today and revolutionize the way you communicate.
Speaker 3:To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings at the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. That's techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow.
Speaker 2:In business opportunity doesn't wait, and neither should you. At Playbook Investors Network, we connect visionary entrepreneurs with the strategies, resources and capital they need to win. Whether you're launching, scaling or reimagining your business, our network turns ambition into measurable success. Your vision deserves more than a plan. It deserves a playbook that works. Playbook Investors Network, where bold ideas meet bold results. Visit pincommunityorg today.
Speaker 3:Did you know that TechMobility has a YouTube channel? Hi, I'm Ken Chester, host of the TechMobility Show. Each week, I upload a few short videos of some of the hot topics that I cover during my weekly radio program. I've designed these videos to be informative and entertaining. It's another way to keep up on current mobility and technology news and information. Be sure to watch, like and subscribe to my channel. That's the Tech Mobility Show on YouTube. Check it out. Check it out.
Speaker 3:Think back to about 2017, 2018. A number of American cities were inundated by swarms of cheap e-bikes. As e-bike rental companies like Jump and Bird attempted to gain a foothold with young consumers looking for cheap and easy transportation across urban areas, the firm's reason that it was first to gain scale and recognition would be the last one standing. You know better to ask forgiveness and permission. They believed Fast forward to 2025, and most of those companies are gone. But the e-bikes, though. They're not gone. In fact, they're evolving, and I want to share one city's experience with you.
Speaker 3:This is Topic C the e-bikes. What you're thinking? They had an at their height of the craze. They had an average life of only 18 months. They were so abused and beat up. They were paying people to rassle bikes, get them recharged and drop them where they needed to be. All of that was part of an economy back then. So what's happened since? Let me tell you about what's going on in Boston. E-bikes are still a thing Now. Consider Boston, a very condensed city. Even the local suburbs are pretty tight. Snow, rain, fog, weather they got weather. Did I mention they got weather? But yet e-bikes are a popular mode of transportation in the city.
Speaker 3:Let me give you the breakdown of how the state, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, defines them. Simply, e-bikes are bicycles or tricycles with electric motors, and Massachusetts bundles them into two categories Class 1, motor assist kicks in when the cyclist is pedaling and cuts out when the bike reaches 20 miles an hour. Class 2, motors are throttle activated, turned on by the rider by twisting or pushing parts of the handlebar. Motor assistance shuts off at 20 miles an hour. The federal government and many states define a third class, considered Class 3, with higher cutoff speeds, usually 28 miles an hour by federal standards.
Speaker 3:Now you might think that the bikes have. You know, they've left the news. You think the whole craze has died down, but sales of these bikes have nearly quadrupled from then 2019, through 2022. That is according to the US Department of Energy. In Massachusetts, low to moderate-income residents can have $1,200 slashed off their e-bike receipts. It's called a voucher program and in case you are thinking that it's still not a thing again, this is Boston. Boston, you know weather snow, rain, ice fog. Boston Riders took 121,000 trips and they've got an outfit out there called Blue Bikes electric Blue Bikes between their deployment in December 23 and March 2024. Literally, four months, 121,000 trips. E-bikes ain't dead.
Speaker 3:Massachusetts law, state law largely treats e-bikes as regular bicycles, with some exceptions. And here they are. Unlike the craze when they first came out, where folks were driving them everywhere sidewalks, street they didn't care. Excuse me, in Massachusetts, e-bikes can't be ridden on sidewalks and state law prohibits their usage on quote natural surface trails like mountain bike paths, unless a locality carves out an explicit exception. Conversely, municipalities can regulate or ban e-bike usage on paved bike paths after public notice and a public hearing. And, like at the federal level, riders don't need a license to use an e-bike in the state. Feds don't require anything like that either.
Speaker 3:So what's going on? What's going on? They're evolving. E-bikes are evolving. It's no more just the regular standard bike where you ride two people. Now you see bikes with massive buckets where toddlers huddle together, buckled amid backpacks and bags of groceries. Bikes with long seats hauling tweens as they cradle saxophones or hockey gear. Custom 3D printed accessories, blinking LED strips and mounts that can lug stuff weighing hundreds of pounds. This defines what e-bikes are evolving into. People are taking this inexpensive mode of transportation and leveraging various ideas, concepts, plans to get more out of it as electric-assisted bikes improve, morph, adapt and proliferate. Parents say they're finding it easier to do most anything that once required four wheels on just two, and there's a group of parents that, for this crew, minivans are out and it's something called an e-cargo bike RN.
Speaker 3:Let me stop right here. If you've ever been to the Northeast, particularly New York City, boston, providence, then you understand that if you own a car, forget it, forget about it. It's a nightmare. Okay, you say, well, what about public transportation? Well, public transportation is awesome too, but public transportation don't go everywhere, and if you're looking at a trip that does not lend itself to public transportation and you're going to be in big-time traffic with a car, then the e-bike is a interim, better solution, particularly for neighborhood travel, and, as a result, folks are learning how to come up with ways to haul their kids, their young kids haul stuff called e-cargo bikes. It's you, the bike and an ability to carry stuff, and people are carrying all kinds of stuff. All kinds of stuff.
Speaker 3:This one example they call them bike-focused parents and this one father of four, still has a car, but he barely uses it and his parents call him Car Light because he pivots most of the time to using his bike that he pedals but that has an electric motor. That adds the extra power he needs to go long distances or up steep inclines with the little ones in tow. That's three kids. His, like many now seen crossing the city, has a large bucket in front where the kids can sit and they adapt. You say, well, what about the summer? He's got a spray bottle to mist them if they get too hot. What about the cold? Well, you bundle them up and you can put them in blankets and stuff. That's doable. Well, what about the rain, ken? What about the rain or the snow? Well, they actually have tarps and stuff that they can rig to keep them out of the elements.
Speaker 3:The Parenting by bike community has a solution for almost anything, and this is becoming a big deal. And if you think about it. Cars are expensive. You're living in an area where transportation is gridlocked almost all the time anymore. Public transportation is good in certain circumstances, but if you're a local and you're in, say, a close-by suburb, it may not work the way you need it. To work, to get to the places you need to get to and home, the e-bike's a perfect solution Picking your kids up, running your little errands, doing your little neighborhood stuff, and in some cases they go even a little further. But this is where e-bikes are going. They are adapting to the situation that people need today, not like when they first came out eight years ago, and you're going to see continued adaptation, as parents embrace this as another alternative, as kids and young adults embrace this as a reasonable alternative to either owning a car or using public transportation or God forbid walking, because walking doesn't always work, not even in a city like Boston. Did I mention snow, rain, ice and weather?
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Speaker 3:To learn more about the Tech Mobility Show, start by visiting our website. I'm Ken Chester, host of the Tech Mobility Show. The website is a treasure trove of information about me and the show, as well as where to find it on the radio across the country. Keep up with the happenings of the Tech Mobility Show by visiting techmobilityshow. You can also drop us a line at talk at techmobilityshow.
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