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$小牛电动(NIU)$ 前段时间，NBA球星哈登帅气的小牛电动车吸引了无数人眼球，而近日，在纽约的街头，顾客只需支付几美元便可体验一把哈登的感觉。华尔街日报也第一时间去体验了这种“文化引入”的共享电动车模式。美国共享单车公司Revel在纽约街头投放了1000辆电动车，记者Anne Kadet表示，在交通极其繁忙的纽约，电动车不失为一种优秀的出行方式。同时，在美国，骑摩托车需要特定的执照，而任何有普通驾驶执照的人都可以驾驶电动车。眼尖的网友指认，此次纽约共享电动车项目使用的正是中国的电动车品牌小牛电动，直言已经率先在纽约街头体验了一把。

事实上，小牛电动早前在西班牙就已经做过这种“共享电动车”的尝试。据了解，小牛电动已为美国Revel、奥地利的Gourban、 比利时的Scooty、西班牙的MOVO、墨西哥的Econduce、法国的Indigo、新西兰的Kwikli等多家共享运营公司提**品及技术支持。在经济全球化的今天，这次“文化引入”是否能成功？Anne Kadet表示，虽然她对电动车的驾驶还不熟练，但积极看好共享电动车业务前景。此专题报道于7月16日在《华尔街日报 The Wall Street Journal》Metro Money版刊登。

以下为报道全文：

Is New York City Ready for the Scooter-Sharing Invasion?

Startup Revel recently dropped 1,000 mopeds on the streets, but perhaps not everyone should zoom around without a lesson first

In May, scooter-sharing startup Revel dropped 1,000 bikes on the New York City streets. Decals on the mopeds invite anyone to down load the Revel app and take a spin. The company has a warehouse in Brooklyn, above. PHOTO: CARLOALLEGRI`REUTERS

Suddenly, they’re all over Brooklyn and Queens—shiny black and blue mopeds. In May, scootersharing startup Revel dropped 1,000 bikes on the streets. Decals on the mopeds invite anyone to down load the Revel app and take a spin.

Some locals are raving about the battery-powered rides, which top out at 30 miles an hour. “It’s way cooler than taking a cab,” my pal Christien enthused. “And I think the pricing is pretty good.”

Revel charges $1 for each ride plus 25 cents a minute. The 2.5-mile trip from Downtown Brooklyn to the Brooklyn Museum, for example, would cost about $5.50.

Last week, it took me 10 minutes to download the app and upload a photo of my driver’s license along with a selfie. The company uses third-party services to validate documents, review the applicant’s driving record and verify that she is at least 21. I was approved almost instantly.

I’ve never been on a moped, so I tried to reserve one of Revel’s free lessons. Alas, they were booked through Aug. 9. I settled for watching the company’s three-minute instructional video.

I was about to head out for my first spin when I heard from my friend Aaron, who has been riding a motorcycle around town for decades. I told him my plan, admitting I was nervous.

“I think your fear is healthy,” he said. “New York City is a pretty crazy place to try it for the first time.”

He gave me a few pointers and encouraged me to check in.

“Have fun!” he said.

My moped, which I had located and reserved with the app, was waiting on the curb. I hit “start ride.” The cargo bin unlocked, revealing two helmets.

Starting on a dead-end lane behind my apartment building in Brooklyn Heights, I hopped on, honked the horn and twisted the handlebar throttle. The moped gently accelerated. It was easy to balance.

Following several trips up and down the lane, I texted Aaron:“OMG this is so fun!”

“It is, yes! That is why I do it,” he replied.

Then I tried a U-turn and twisted the throttle too hard. The moped leapt forward, jumped the curb and slammed into a low wall encircling someone’s patio.

I texted Aaron again: “OMG I literally just ran into a brick wall.”

“Ohhhh,” he replied. “DON’T DO THAT.”

After practicing more turns and venturing out into the neighborhood, I decided to walk the moped on the sidewalk for a block rather than risk navigating a busy thoroughfare.

I should have turned off the throttle. When I bumped it, the moped lurched forward. I yanked the bike back and it turned over on top of me, pinning me to the sidewalk. I had to wait for a stranger to come by and lift the 200-pound scooter.

When Revel’s public-relations rep emailed me later that day offering a lesson with Paul Suhey, the company’s 27-year-old co-founder and chief operations officer, of course I said yes.

I met him the next day at a co-working space in Gowanus, Brooklyn, where Revel employs about35 managers, IT types and customer-service reps. Another 20-odd field techs and mechanics work out of a warehouse in nearby Red Hook.

The company launched last summer, with a 68-moped pilot in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The expansion to 1,000 scooters distributed between Astoria, Queens, and Sunset Park, Brooklyn, launched May 29. Revel plans to expand citywide during the next year, Mr. Suhey said.

The typical member is between the ages of 27 and 35, and about 75% are men, he said. The average trip is 3 miles and takes about 20 minutes.

I described my little fender-benders and suggested that Revel shouldn’t allow someone like me, with zero moped experience, to drive without first taking a lesson.

Mr. Suhey disagreed. While New York state requires a special road test and license to ride a motorcycle, anyone with a regular driver’s license can operate a moped, he said.

Of the 200,000 rides so far taken by Revel members in New York City, 99.9% were incident-free, he said. “And no major injuries.”

Revel is, however, hiring additional instructors to meet the demand for lessons, he said.

A spokesman for the city’s Department of Transportation said the agency isn’t aware of any issues with Revel and will continue to monitor the rollout. Revel is the only moped-sharing firm in New York City. A company called Scoot has been operating a similar service in San Francisco since 2012.

For my lesson, Mr. Suhey explained the basics of accelerating, braking, turning and parking. I cruised up and down the street several times, gradually increasing my speed, then made it around the block without crashing.

I still don’t feel street ready, however, and will spend more time on the back streets of Brooklyn Heights before venturing farther.

Mr. Suhey agreed. “I don’t want you, after this, trying to go on Atlantic Avenue,” he said, referring to the busy thoroughfare.

He also offered a tip: “Relax. You are required to have fun on a Revel.”