TIER Mobility launches operations with swappable batteries as the first e-scooter provider worldwide

October 14, 2019

  • TIER Mobility has added 200 scooters with swappable batteries to its existing e-scooter fleet in Paris
  • The entire Paris fleet will run on swappable batteries November 2019.
  • A real game changer in terms of sustainability, as this new technology allows for operations with electric cargo bikes
  • European rollout within the next months
  • Company aims to become carbon neutral in the next 12 months
  • The new scooter with the swappable batteries offers more features, such as a larger front wheel designed for the winter season
  • TIER announced last week a successful $60 million funding round

Berlin/Paris, 14 October - TIER Mobility, the leading European provider of micro-mobility solutions, announced today to have started the process of replacing its Parisian fleet with new e-scooters equipped with swappable batteries. This makes TIER Mobility the first scooter sharing provider worldwide to roll out an operation model based on swappable batteries.

To start, TIER has deployed 200 scooters with swappable batteries in the city of Paris. Following the Paris launch, the entire TIER fleet will progressively change to this new model.

The integration of scooters with swappable batteries will make the need to transport scooters to warehouses every day back and forth for charging obsolete. A new fleet of e-cargo and e-vans will enable local operations to quickly recover and replace empty batteries without relying on traditional, gas-powered vehicles. Local operations teams will also be responsible for safety checks and the repositioning of scooters in-line with local regulation.

The company has selected the French capital as a starting point for this paradigm shift, as the city has become the crystallization point for the entire European e-scooter industry - with a huge demand for micro-mobility services, but also with great challenges for sustainable operations in scooter logistics.

Lawrence Leuschner, CEO and Co-founder of TIER Mobility: “Swappable batteries are a real ecological game-changer for the entire e-scooter industry. As the leading European player we are proud to be the first ones to operate with this model. This is a huge step forward in our mission to change mobility for good and becoming fully carbon neutral as a company in the next 12 months.”

Alexandre Souter, General Manager France at TIER Mobility: “The brilliant thing about this new operation model is that we still keep our level of maintenance and service very high while it goes along with a system of relocating improperly parked scooters. I’d also like to emphasize that we won’t work with gig economy freelancers, but employ our people based on fair working conditions.”

+++ENDS++++

About TIER Mobility

TIER Mobility is Europe’s leading provider of micro-mobility with a mission to change mobility for good.

The company is a driving force behind the change in the transport sector, which aims to significantly reduce car traffic in cities by providing people with a wide range of electric vehicles.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, the company has adopted the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guiding framework and has set a clear agenda for reducing and offsetting emissions. As a result of these measures, TIER Mobility has been a climate-neutral company since January 2020.

TIER Mobility operates in 85+ cities in 10 countries. The company is headquartered in Berlin and employs about 900 people. Founders of the company are Lawrence Leuschner, Matthias Laug. and Julian Blessin.

The company’s investors are SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Mubadala Investment Company’s financial investment arm, Mubadala Capital, Northzone, Goodwater Capital, White Star Capital, Novator, RTP Global, Speedinvest and many more. In addition, there are selected business angels and individual investors like Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg.

For more information about TIER Mobility, please visit: about.tier.app. You can find more pictures here.

About the Management Team

The management team is composed of some of the most experienced and execution-driven entrepreneurs in Europe: Lawrence Leuschner (CEO & co-founder), Matthias Laug (CTO & Co-founder) and Alex Gayer (CFO).

Lawrence Leuschner was previously CEO and co-founder of reBuy, Europe's leading online used electronics and media retailer, a company dedicated to extending the life cycle of over 100 million products. He is founding member of the "Leaders for climate action" initiative, which advocates stricter climate protection and commits itself to concrete measures in their companies.

Matthias Laug brings tech and logistics experience to the team, having been co-founder and CTO at the food delivery startup Lieferando and later CTO at the tech unicorn Takeaway.com, supporting one of Europe’s most successful tech IPOs in recent years.

Alex Gayer has previously worked at some of the fastest growing tech companies in Europe, most recently as CFO of Receipt Bank and prior to that SwiftKey, overseeing its sale to Microsoft. Alex Gayer brings a track record and expertise in financing and scaling companies.