Mobility Options Scoot Through the Auto Show [VIDEO]

Look around the Motor City and you’ll find a growing demand for ways to get around besides cars. There are dedicated bicycle lanes on Cass and other busy streets. The Mogo bike-sharing service lets people rent a pair of wheels at one station and drop them off at another. The QLINE brought streetcars back to Detroit for the first time in more than 60 years. 

Even the automakers are thinking about mobility. At the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Ford CEO Jim Hackett offered his company’s vision for transportation that goes beyond building cars and focuses on creating an infrastructure built around people.

“It’s clear we need to update cities to more efficiently move people and goods. In the process, we will improve the quality of life for all,” Hackett wrote before speaking at CES.

Smaller tech companies are developing battery-powered personal conveyances such as the URB-E motorized bicycle and the Immotor Go, an electric scooter. Both were on display during media previews at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Christian Scheder is Immotor’s Chief Marketing Officer. He says the three-wheeled Go also folds, making it easy to carry on an elevator, subway, or train. Scheder says it’s designed for people who need to travel short distances, but don’t want to drive or share a ride in a car.

“It’s for first-mile/last-mile commuters looking for a solution besides driving their car or taking a taxi to the train station, public transportation, or getting around corporate or university campuses,” Scheder says.  

It’s also faster than walking. Scheder says the Immotor Go can travel up to 16 miles per hour on its lithium-ion battery. Here’s a somewhat slower demonstration:

Click on the audio player to hear Christian Scheder’s conversation with WDET’s Pat Batcheller.

MORE FROM WDET’s AUTO SHOW ARCHIVE:

2017: The URB-E Comes to Cobo [VIDEO]