EXPLAINING WHICH SCOOTERS LIME USE
Written by Ed Wiles, Scootered Founder
Lime, along with Bird, is one of the two biggest players in e-scooter sharing (hire schemes). Both companies began in the USA before spreading to Europe and elsewhere. They have not come to the UK - except in London's Olympic Park - yet because the government has not yet legalised them for public roads. As great as these schemes are, many users are realising that it makes sense to buy their own electric scooter and thus want to know which e-scooters they have been riding when using Lime, or a similar scheme like Bird.
The answer bears some discussion. Simply put, Lime generally used the Ninebot-Segway ES2 before moving on to bespoke scooters (they will not say who manufactures them, but Ninebot is likely involved, who also manufacture the Xiaomi scooters). Lime apparently started out using the ES2 (generally turning it into an ES4 by adding a second battery) in 2018. This is the e-scooter with the battery, which is unusual. Lime started using their own bespoke models in 2019 and, in 2020, Ninebot discontinued the ES2.
The New Bespoke Scooters
Lime call their bespoke models "next generation" e-scooters. These tend to be slightly less useful for ownership because they are essentially made to stay out on the street - being heavier and larger (and thus less "mobile"). So, basically, if you want to buy the same e-scooter as you have been riding, then look for a Ninebot-Segway ES2 or go for a Xiaomi like the Xiaomi 1S.
