Micromobility
Micromobility options such as e-bikes and scooters are a core part of the transport mix in over 1,500 cities. These lightweight vehicles allow people to travel quickly, cheaply, and conveniently, while minimizing congestion and pollution. Users typically rent micromobility vehicles on a short-term basis from micromobility providers using cellular networks and mobile apps. Tracking, monitoring and secondary functionalities can then be achieved via GNSS, LPWA, or LTE Cat 1 bis depending on the use case.
11.5%
Bike-sharing services market growth, 2024-2032 (CAGR)
$440bn
Global micromobility market size by 2032
30%
People planning to increase their use of micromobility
When they finish their journey, riders usually leave the bike or scooter in designated docks. In some cities however, they can also leave the vehicle in any public place, a system known as dockless sharing. Dockless bike-sharing accounted for 60% of the market in 2023, up from 45% in 2020, making micromobility an increasingly convenient choice.
Quectel offers a wide range of one-stop solutions for mass-market micromobility. This includes RTK and dead reckoning GNSS modules, a growing range of LTE Cat 1 bis modules, cost-effective LPWA modules and high-precision antennas. We also offer bundled RTK solutions combining modules and antennas with top-tier RTK correction services.
State of the micromobility market
The convenience on offer has made micromobility a rapid growth segment. In a survey of eight major countries, almost one-third of 27,000 respondents said they plan to increase their use of micromobility. North American and European micromobility fleets will grow to 2.7 million vehicles by 2030, from 1.5 million in 2023. North Americans were already making 172 million micromobility trips over 412 cities in 2023. European cities also saw strong growth in that year – Frankfurt for instance seeing shared bike rides rise by 159% on the previous year.
The global bike sharing service market reached $7 billion in 2023, and will grow at a CAGR of 11.5% between 2024 and 2032 to reach $18.64 billion. The overall micromobility market in terms of unit sales however is far larger still. The global micromobility market will reach $440 billion by 2030, up from $180 billion in 2023. Sales of e-bikes will be the main driver of growth here.
Relevant product categories
Micromobility providers need connectivity to track vehicles, manage usage, and ensure supply matches demand. Accurate positioning also enables efficient maintenance, and checks that customers ride or park in permitted locations. Very precise location information can also help to ensure a vehicle isn’t blocking access or public rights of way.
User behavior analysis can additionally help providers optimize operations such as targeted pricing strategies, improved vehicle deployment, and effective marketing. Accurate real-time location data allows providers to adjust demand fluctuations, for instance from changing weather and interruptions to other forms of transport. Scooters and e-bikes also use connectivity and location trackers to help deter theft and enable remote checks of battery status.
Micromobility requires reliable and precise positioning – our solutions provide:
Accurate satellite positioning via high-precision GNSS, RTK and dead reckoning
Ultra-low power consumption to reduce fleet maintenance requirements
Ultra-compact, durable packages to meet the needs of mass-market devices
Antenna design review, testing and certification services
Which technologies support connected micromobility?
Micromobility vehicles are generally equipped with cellular connectivity to manage access, such as NB-IoT or Cat 1 bis, and one or more positioning technologies such as GNSS. The combination of GNSS and cellular connectivity enables transaction management, positioning, navigation, and timing services. GNSS can however be imprecise in locations with tall buildings, bridges, tunnels and infrastructure blocking line of sight to the satellite. Micromobility solution designers therefore increasingly use RTK positioning and dead reckoning to support GNSS systems. These technologies enable compliance with local regulations and address concerns about clutter and safety.
RTK enables GNSS devices to achieve cm-level accuracy by coordinating signals with nearby base stations. These base stations recognize common sources of error and make appropriate corrections. The vehicle transmits signals to an NTRIP caster (a server using the RTCM via Internet Protocol), which selects reference stations to correct the data. However, RTK cannot correct for multipath issues, or poor visibility scenarios, such as tunnels. These scenarios require dead reckoning.
RTK demo video
We show how RTK can enable micromobility to achieve consistent cm-level accuracy via high-precision RTK GNSS modules such as our LC29H. For more detail you can also read our white paper on RTK.
Dead reckoning systems determine the position of a moving object by referencing a previously known position, and then estimating the change in position based on the object’s speed, direction of travel and the elapsed time since leaving the original position. GNSS receivers increasingly incorporate a 6-axis IMU (inertial measurement unit) to support dead reckoning. These consist of a 3-axis accelerometer providing linear acceleration to derive distance travelled, and a 3-axis gyroscope which provides angular velocity to gauge orientation changes.
During periods of good GNSS visibility, the IMU data is combined with the GNSS data to calibrate the sensors. The IMU can then extrapolate the vehicle’s location in between GNSS updates. GNSS devices with dead reckoning can output raw IMU data to customers’ application processors, useful for behavioral analysis or insurance telematics (e.g. of harsh braking or acceleration and erratic driving).
How Quectel can support micromobility solutions
Quectel offers a wide range of one-stop solutions for precise positioning of mass-market micromobility. On the hardware side, this includes RTK and dead-reckoning enabled GNSS modules, a growing range of Cat 1 bis modules, cost-effective LPWA modules and high-precision antennas.
The LC29H GNSS module for instance is designed to meet consumer mass-market requirements and enable high-precision, small form factor, low-cost devices. LC29H modules have accuracy equivalent to modules designed for industrial and automotive solutions. They achieve this however with 70% less power consumption, while allowing devices to be 50% smaller. Several variants can be selected from according to project requirements – LC29H (BA) for instance supports both RTK and dead reckoning and can achieve cm-level accuracy, while LC29H (CA) supports GNSS and dead reckoning only and assures robust meter-level accuracy.
Related products
LTE Cat 1 bis EG800Q series
QLM29HxAA-GM GNSS smart antenna receiver
We also have a comprehensive range of durable antennas specifically designed for high-precision positioning. These antennas provide optimal gain pattern, low axial ratio, and minimal PCV (phase center variation) and PCO (phase center offset).
For supporting services, we work with top-tier global RTK correction service providers to deliver RTK positioning solutions to our customers. Our bundled solutions include RTK modules, antennas and RTK correction services for a wide range of mass-market micromobility applications. We also provide additional services such as antenna design review as well as testing and certification, guaranteeing optimal performance and preparation for launch.
