Popwheels reposted this
Woohoo! We won the audience vote at the URBAN-X Future Mobility Startup Challenge! First oversized check I've ever gotten -- now just gotta find an oversized ATM to deposit it in.
PopWheels is revolutionizing urban mobility in America with our cutting-edge e-bike battery swap network, starting with the 80,000+ delivery workers of NYC. Instead of owning their own batteries, PopWheels customers check out compatible batteries from a network of kiosks deployed around the city, saving them hundreds of dollars per year and eliminating the fire risks currently plaguing New York City.
External link for Popwheels
19 Morris Ave
Brooklyn, New York 11205, US
Popwheels reposted this
Great video that highlights the work we’ve been doing over at Popwheels
🚲The DOT Studio, in collaboration with New York City Department of Transportation and New York City Economic Development Corporation, has officially wrapped! We’re proud to have collaboratively launched NYC’s first public e-bike charging stations across Manhattan and Brooklyn for delivery workers—a pivotal milestone in the city's "Charge Safe, Ride Safe" initiative. This studio piloted cutting-edge solutions from Swobbee, Popwheels, and Swiftmile, including the United States’ first battery charging and swapping network, along with a number of open-air bike charging racks. Since launching, delivery workers have completed over 10,000 battery swaps and nearly 1,200 on-site e-bike charges at pilot locations! Learn more about the pilots in the video below:
Popwheels reposted this
New FDNY Commissioner, Robert Tucker, was interviewed on WNYC by Matt Katz. He called our battery swap cabinets, a "creative, out of the box solution", that we need more of. https://lnkd.in/eYmk32B5
Popwheels reposted this
Great news today! Mayor Adams, in conjunction with the NYC DOT and FDNY, announced a series of city actions aimed at combatting the battery fire crisis. Some of these are big, visible initiatives like a multimillion-dollar trade-in program. But I'm equally thrilled by something much more subtle: NYC DOT announcing that they'll be expediting the approvals process for siting safe charging stations on the sidewalk. This is really nitty-gritty, in-the-weeds stuff -- google "Revocable Consent" if you're a glutton for punishment -- but it makes a huge difference for Popwheels and unlocks our ability to really deploy aggressively and start solving this fire crisis. Much gratitude is due to Mayor Adams, Will Carry Irene Figueroa-Ortiz 🚲 Ya-Ting Liu, Commissioners Rodriguez and Kavanaugh, and a lot of other fine folks who came together to do some smart policymaking. https://lnkd.in/ekcJ8RjM
Popwheels reposted this
Popwheels participated in yesterday’s ‘Pedal Power for the Green Economy' event at the Brooklyn Army Terminal with JOCO, Net Zero Logistics, FLY EBIKE, DutchX, CLIP.BIKE Inc, Lime, Emissionless Mobility and others. NYC and NYS are advancing $100 million dollars into building a climate innovation hub at this historic location. The goal is to grow green technology startups at BAT, part of Mayor Adams’ initiative to create 400,000 green jobs in NYC by 2040. Public/private partnerships will be the key to the migration of NYC transportation to renewable energy. David Hammer participated in the panel moderated by Jennifer Sun to discuss this topic, with Chris Nolte, Irene Figueroa-Ortiz and Inbar Kishoni. All these new cargo bikes, light electric vehicles, and delivery e-bikes will need safe battery swapping, and after the panel David demonstrated our battery swapping cabinet outside Terminal B, which is one the cabinets up and running in the DOT Studio/ Newlab pilot. Thanks Aaron Charlop-Powers for arranging everything, and Andrew Kimball, Meera Joshi and Ryan Lynch for their opening remarks, demonstrating NY’s commitment.
Popwheels participated in yesterday’s ‘Pedal Power for the Green Economy' event at the Brooklyn Army Terminal with JOCO, Net Zero Logistics, FLY EBIKE, DutchX, CLIP.BIKE Inc, Lime, Emissionless Mobility and others. NYC and NYS are advancing $100 million dollars into building a climate innovation hub at this historic location. The goal is to grow green technology startups at BAT, part of Mayor Adams’ initiative to create 400,000 green jobs in NYC by 2040. Public/private partnerships will be the key to the migration of NYC transportation to renewable energy. David Hammer participated in the panel moderated by Jennifer Sun to discuss this topic, with Chris Nolte, Irene Figueroa-Ortiz and Inbar Kishoni. All these new cargo bikes, light electric vehicles, and delivery e-bikes will need safe battery swapping, and after the panel David demonstrated our battery swapping cabinet outside Terminal B, which is one the cabinets up and running in the DOT Studio/ Newlab pilot. Thanks Aaron Charlop-Powers for arranging everything, and Andrew Kimball, Meera Joshi and Ryan Lynch for their opening remarks, demonstrating NY’s commitment.
Popwheels reposted this
NYC's peaker power plants cost us about $500 million annually, cause certain neighborhoods to be referred to as 'asthma alleys' since they burn the dirtiest fuels, while mostly running only during the hottest days of summer. These plants were set to be brought offline already, but NYC's power needs are growing faster than we can implement cleaner sources of energy. As Popwheels rolls out an e-bike battery swap network locally, we are looking at ways we can share power back to the grid to help the city get rid of these plants for good.
Popwheels reposted this
A nine year old boy, living in Ozone Park, Queens, died in a tragic fire started by an electric scooter battery. His immigrant father was working as a food delivery rider and was charging the scooter battery in the house so he could work. The family was living in an illegal garage apartment, with probably faulty wiring. It was probably the best living situation the family could afford. We started Popwheels to prevent these types of incidents from happening. All over the city people are charging batteries they need for work in unsafe situations, putting at risk not just themselves, but everyone who lives around them. It's a recipe for disaster, and it happens over and over. Everytime we read a story like this it's heartbreaking, and further motivates us to make a difference in improving the lives of NYers.
Popwheels reposted this
Love the new swappable E-bike battery service available in Manhattan’s Cooper Square. Approx 100 delivery couriers are enrolled in the initial phase. Low carbon, convenient and safe. Cool stuff Ydanis Rodriguez 😎 🔋 🚴 https://lnkd.in/gCfSufTV
Popwheels reposted this
Today was a good day. Lots of people are talking about solving the battery-fire crisis; very few are actually doing something about it. Today, in partnership with the The Equitable Commute Project, we took dozens more bad batteries off the streets of NYC, destined for a battery recycler. Rinse and repeat a few hundred more times and we'll have this problem licked. Thanks to Newlab for being a gracious hosting partner for this important work!