E-bikes in the Boston region get a jolt with Lime decision

California bike- and e-scooter-share operator Lime is phasing out its pedal bikes in the Boston area in favor of battery-powered, pedal-assist electric bikes that can go as fast as 14.8 miles per hour.

Lime deployed hundreds of bicycles in 15 Boston-area suburbs about a year ago, including Malden, Chelsea, Watertown, and Arlington. The bikes are unlocked using an app. The company introduced e-bikes to that fleet a few months back.

Now it’s going all in on them, per the Globe’s Adam Vaccaro. It’s the latest in the slow creep of micromobility into the Boston region. Lime, remember, is one of the two operators testing electric scooters in Brookline through November 15—the first such legal test in Massachusetts (Bird is the other operator).

Lime as of spring 2019 had between 1,200 and 1,500 pedal and electric bikes in the Boston area, so that gives an idea of just how many e-bikes will eventually become available. Note: They will cost more than the conventional pedal ones: $1 to start and 15 cents a minute vs. $1 for 30 minutes, period.