Lyft, Ericsson to Connect 20,000 E-Bikes in the US

Ericsson and Lyft are partnering to expand e-bike services and connectivity in the U.S. 

Under the new collaboration, Lyft will use Ericsson’s IoT Accelerator platform to manage the connectivity of its network of e-bikes and e-scooters, regardless of where they are. Deutsche Telekom provides global connectivity and connectivity management for the service. 

According to Lyft, the partnership will help achieve its goal of “provid[ing] a micromobility service with scalability and reliability,” with 20,000 e-bikes anticipated to be connected to its ecosystem by mid-2023. 

“In partnership with Ericsson and Deutsche Telekom, we have been able to implement industry-leading connectivity and global IoT management, improving our ability to manage large fleets of vehicles but also — more importantly — improving the rider experience,” said David Foster, Lyft EVP. “With over 2 million new riders last year alone, it is more important now than ever that our micromobility vehicles are always online and ready to go.

Public mobility solutions have seen increased popularity in recent years, with Ericsson’s latest Micromobility report finding the market is expected to grow at a rate of 16% between 2019 and 2027, or $3 billion to $12 billion. As the popularity and demand for the service grow, improving network capabilities for fleet connection and management is also expected to rise, with the report highlighting cellular IoT connection for e-bikes providing solutions to the challenges of asset monitoring, safety and security. 

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“In order to serve users, e-bikes need to be able to quickly, efficiently and reliably communicate with the rider’s mobile application, the operator’s back-end system, and the docking station in order to provide a seamless experience,” said Kyle Okamoto, Ericsson general manager of IoT. “Our continued collaboration with Deutsche Telekom will support Lyft’s rider experience with constant, affordable connectivity while growing the reach of Lyft’s connected micromobility ecosystem.”

Lyft’s micromobility solutions are currently deployed in several major U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. The company also rolled out its service in Mexico City, representing the largest deployment of its e-bikes to date.