On the heels of a $50 million funding round in October, Wheels is launching its “smart” helmet system for its pedal-less e-bikes. The helmet, which locks into the rear fender of the bike, features sensors designed to know when a rider is using it.
In order to incentivize people to wear the helmets, Wheels will initially offer riders a 20% discount for unlocking and using the helmet for the duration of the ride.
Wheels, founded by Wag co-founders Josh and Jonathan Viner, aims to differentiate itself from the likes of other bike-share startups with its modular design, which includes swappable parts and batteries (though, JUMP recently unveiled its vision for swappable batteries on bikes). The company says that results in a 4x longer product life cycle compared to other bikes on the market.
Wheels currently operates in 10 markets, including Austin, San Diego, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Cleveland, Stockholm and Scottsdale, Ariz.