Almost half of the electric-scooter companies in Paris have suspended or scaled back operations in the past week, after the French capital’s mayor swore to crack down on the “anarchy” caused by the sudden proliferation of thousands of new two wheeled vehicles on its streets. At the same time, many of the same start-ups are rushing to launch in cities across Germany, after Europe’s largest economy legalised the vehicles last month. “Germany is in scooter mania,” said Boris Mittermiiller, co-founder and chief operating officer at Circ, which was one of the first companies to launch there. “The weather is perfect. We really have a lot of momentum. Even we are surprised.”
European scooter start-ups including Circ, Voi and Tier are racing against US rivals Lime and Bird to establish themselves in Germany . Specific vehicle requirements such as dual brakes and licence plate holders are forcing the start-ups to design and manufacture new models especially for the German market. “It’s the next war – the next Paris right now is Germany,” said Maxim Romain, Dott’s co-founder and chief executive. “Everyoneis focusing on it.”
That is fuelling a fresh fundraising drive in what is already a crowded European mobility market. After Amsterdam-based Dott announced a €3om ($34m) round on Friday, executives at Circ (which was formerly known as Flash) and Voi say they are also in discussions with investors about raising new capital.
” 2019 is a super important year for micro-mobility companies in Europe, especially now with Germany opening up,” said Mr. Mitter. “Obviously we will have to raise more capital.”