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Light electric vehicles

The Missing Ingredients in America’s ‘Minimobility’ Revolution

Cargo trikes, GEMs, bike rickshaws, and other light electric vehicles could help wean America off cars — but a new grant that could help cities encourage their adoption is being paused by the Trump administration.

Photos (clockwise from top left): Gina Costanza, Brian Snelson, jtu, and Radiowood

What’s a little bigger than a bike, a lot smaller than a car, and might be the tool you didn’t know you needed to get a big haul home from the grocery store two miles away in the pouring rain? The answer is actually an entire category of vehicles that aren't common on U.S. roads — but with the right mix of policy, code, and infrastructure reform, we could see a lot more of them.

Today on the Brake, we sit down with Karina Ricks of CityFi and Benjie De La Peña of the Shared Use Mobility Center to talk about all things mini-mobility, also known as light urban vehicles, personal light mobility, neighborhood electric vehicles, and about a million other terms. Whatever you call them, Ricks and De La Peña recently won a $750,000 federal grant to help American communities encourage their use – only to find out, days later, that the grant might be in jeopardy thanks to President Trump’s executive orders. 

Listen in to learn more about their project and how you can help keep it alive. 

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