The Nightmare of Jailbreaking a ‘Pay-To-Ride’ Gotcha Ebike
1 min read
Summary
The acquisition of Berm Peak’s ‘Gotcha’ e-bike by Bolt Mobility, which subsequently went AWOL, leaving behind thousands of e-bikes, has highlighted the issue of e-waste in the bike rental market.
Although theoretically these services are a good idea, the actual bikes themselves are often locked-down and proprietary.
As a result, when services go out of business, the bikes themselves become unusable and often end up as e-waste.
In the case of Berm Peak’s video, the cost-effectiveness of trying to repurpose a ‘Gotcha’ bike would be negligible, with the video opining that any proprietary bike should be avoided altogether due to their end-of-life issues.
The solution, according to the video, is for bike companies to ensure that their bikes are built to be unlocked when a company goes under, in order to save them from being chipped and shipped overseas.
Alternatively, like with export 10-meter radios, the controller could be opened and a little jumper moved, or the white wire loop cut, to unlock the bike for a new owner.
