If you’re out and about in the Spokane area in any capacity, you’ve likely seen them: little green scooters. Some are parked neatly on the sidewalk, patiently awaiting their next riders. Some are zipping down the street, ridden by people that typically seem to be under the age of 25.
All of these scooters (in Spokane at least), are provided by a company called Lime. And they’re not the foot-powered, purely analog scooters of old. Not by a long shot. Each has on-board GPS, a small digital screen, and an electric motor that will push you up to (on my test ride) 16 miles per hour.
With that kind of tech, it’s no wonder the internal battery can only take so much. That’s where the Juicers, with a little help from Avista, come in.
Juicers are what Lime calls its team of local folks who retrieve and recharge the scooters. They are so-called “gig workers” (like Uber drivers) who contract directly with Lime.
When evening falls (or a battery is all used up), Juicers load the scooters into their truck, SUV, station wagon, etc... Using equipment from Lime, they charge the vehicles overnight. In the morning, brimming with electrical prowess, the scooters are put back out for another day on the streets.
It’s interesting how visible the scooters and their riders have become, and yet, there’s an entire system of support that remains mostly out of view. It’s essentially local folks using abundant local power so Spokanites can enjoy the benefits of micro mobility. And have an absolute blast doing it.
At Avista, we’re all for it. Just please wear a helmet, take Lime’s instructions to heart, and obey local traffic laws.
Happy scooting, Spokane.