Hundreds of additional e-bikes are arriving in Arlington.
The Chicago-based Veo is in the process of deploying 400 new e-bikes across the county. It’s the latest e-bike company to move into Arlington, joining Lime. Next month, Veo will also launch 300 e-bikes in Alexandria.
“Arlington and Alexandria have long been at the forefront of urban mobility as adopters of the region’s bikeshare system over a decade ago,” Veo CEO Candice Xie said in a press release. “We’re working closely with local leaders to increase the use of shared mobility in the region and bring new riders into the fold with our class 2 e-bike.”
While the bikes are dockless, there are a number of hubs in the county. Most of them are centered in Metro-accessible locations, per a map provided by the company to ARLnow.
The bikes themselves are class 2 throttle-assisted, making them the only shared e-bikes in the county with a throttle. Most e-bikes are pedal-assisted, so they act like regular bikes but with an electric motor. Throttle-assisted allows the user to accelerate up to 20 miles per hour without pedaling.
While some states require a license to operate a throttle-assisted bike, Virginia is not one of those states. The Commonwealth does require “protective headgear,” though.
“Our class-II e-bikes were inspected in person by both [Arlington and Alexandria]. After approval, we applied for the unallocated e-bike permits and were granted permission to operate,” a Veo spokesperson wrote ARLnow.
The company is currently in more than 40 markets, but Arlington is only the second locality in the area. The University of Maryland and College Park, Maryland was the first launch location in the D.C. area, introducing Veo e-bikes in 2019.
“Veo has been securing sustainable, long-term partnerships with universities and cities across the country since 2017,” wrote a company spokesperson. “We currently provide service to over 40 markets — ranging from the university markets like UMD, to the country’s largest urban areas like New York City and Los Angeles. Arlington and Alexandria are great markets for micromobility, and Veo is excited to see how our class II e-bikes can improve mobility for residents, workers, and visitors.”
In late 2019, the County Board adopted regulations that allowed for the permanent use of e-bikes and scooters in the county. This includes allowing them on the W&OD and the Mount Vernon trails.
Currently, a total of up to 1,000 e-bikes are allowed to operate in the county.