Lessons from Berlin: Micromobility Europe 2026

The Skyhook team recently returned from Micromobility Europe 2026 in Berlin, and while the conference itself was fantastic, some of our biggest takeaways came from simply experiencing the city.

This was Skyhook's second time attending MME, and it was exciting to see how much the industry has progressed in just a few years!

In 2023, many conversations centered around future plans for electrification. This year, we met several operators actively deploying charge docks, expanding e-bike fleets, and sharing real-world lessons from electrified systems already operating at scale.

But what really stood out was Berlin itself.

Bikes Own the City

One of our local partners took us to lunch and told us: "Bikers own the city."

It only took a few days exploring Berlin to understand that this was no understatement.

Bike lanes were everywhere. Not just painted lines squeezed onto the side of a road, but dedicated infrastructure integrated into nearly every major corridor. It wasn't just our imagination—Berlin has over 620 miles of bike lanes and cycling routes, with plans to expand the network even further. For every walking path there was an adjacent bike path. Cyclists moved efficiently throughout the city, and drivers clearly understood they were not the priority.

In fact, our partner explained that if a driver blocks a bike lane or fails to respect cyclists, the biking community tends to let them know about it. Let's just say... you don't want to be the car that upsets a cyclist in Berlin.

But perhaps the most surprising thing wasn't the infrastructure—it was the feeling.

We walked everywhere. Morning, afternoon, evening. We covered miles every day and almost never felt overwhelmed by the city around us. In fact, halfway through the trip, Bessie pointed out something we hadn't even noticed: we hadn't heard a single car horn.

And this wasn't because we were out exploring before the city woke up. This was Friday afternoon, right in the middle of busy intersections filled with cyclists, pedestrians, trams, and cars all moving together.

Somehow, it felt peaceful.

People were everywhere. Bikes were everywhere. Life was happening all around us. But instead of feeling rushed, stressful, or loud, the city felt calm.

Not empty streets.

Just streets designed for people.

Bikeshares Share

Another thing that stood out to us was the diversity of shared mobility options. Walking around Berlin, we saw Lime, Bird, Bolt, Voi, and Dott vehicles all sharing the same streets. 

Unlike many North American cities where a single company wins an exclusive contract, Berlin seems to embrace a more open ecosystem. Multiple operators coexist, riders have choices, and the city focuses on making the whole system work. 

The result is a micromobility culture that feels less like a pilot program and more like a normal part of everyday life.

Reclaiming Space for People

Another thing we noticed was how many areas had been reclaimed from cars.

Throughout the city, we encountered streets that had been converted into pedestrian zones filled with outdoor dining, public gathering spaces, and people simply enjoying the city.

Our friend explained that Berlin is actually actively looking for opportunities to reduce parking and reclaim space for people. 

Instead of asking, "How do we fit more cars?" 

The city seems to be asking: "How can we encourage less?"

Building More Resilient Cities

Another topic that came up over lunch was resilience.

Berlin experienced several significant power outages over the past year, and those events highlighted how dependent modern cities are on centralized infrastructure.

As cities continue to electrify, resilience becomes just as important as sustainability.

How do cities continue operating when the grid goes down and reduce their dependence on a single source of power?

These are the types of questions many organizations are actively exploring, and solar might just be a part of the solution!

For us, it was exciting to see resilience becoming a bigger priority alongside electrification.

Looking Ahead

We left Berlin inspired.

Inspired by the operators finding creative ways to electrify mobility.

Inspired by a city that has made biking a legitimate transportation option.

Inspired by efforts to reclaim public space for people.

And inspired by conversations around building more resilient communities.

Micromobility Europe continues to be one of our favorite events because it provides a glimpse into what transportation can look like when cities commit to doing things differently.

We're excited to keep learning, keep collaborating, and continue helping cities and operators bring electrified mobility to more people around the world.

Until next time!

The Road to Earth Day: The EV Towing Experience

10,000lb, 1,569 Miles, 100% Electric

We put the Chevrolet Silverado EV to the test—towing nearly 10,000 pounds of Solar Stations across 1,569 miles of mountains, deserts, cities, and coastlines to get from Grand Junction to Earth Day Santa Barbara. After sharing the climate story and mission behind our journey to Earth Day Santa Barbara, we figured it was time to answer the question everyone kept asking us along the way:

“But… how did the truck do?”

To find out, we documented the entire experience: the charging stops, the efficiency, the surprises, the lessons learned, and what living with an electric truck on a long-haul trip actually feels like.

This wasn’t a controlled test track or perfectly optimized scenario. It was a real road trip with real weight, real charging infrastructure, and real curiosity about where transportation is heading next.

The Truck & The Stats

Okay… time to geek out.

We drove the Chevrolet Silverado EV a total of 1,569 miles through mountains, deserts, cities, and coastlines while towing approximately 10,000 pounds.

And honestly? We were impressed.

The truck handled the load confidently and delivered more power than we expected. Even climbing grades and merging onto highways while towing, the Silverado EV rarely felt strained.

Power-wise, this truck felt comparable to a modern turbo-diesel pickup, but with more instant torque available from a standstill. It pulled our 10,000-pound, un-aerodynamic load up the steepest grades with ease. It also had plenty of mid-grade power to re-accelerate to the speed limit after getting slowed down by a 30-mph tractor-trailer. Not once during the entire journey did Glen—Skyhook’s electrical engineer, resident truck expert, and driver for this adventure—wish the Silverado EV had more power.

But with great power comes great responsibility. While the truck effortlessly climbed a 6% grade with the cruise set at 65 mph, our battery state of charge (SOC) silently slipped away as the system sent 250+ kilowatts of energy to the traction motors. Combined with a stiff headwind, consumption averages shot up to over 3300 Wh/mile. Simply dropping our speed to 55 mph on the grade cut our energy consumption significantly—often by as much as 50%.

When heading back down these passes, regenerative braking from the electric motor was significantly more effective than a diesel exhaust brake. We rarely needed the friction brakes, even when descending steep mountain passes or navigating stop-and-go traffic. Not only did this prevent heat and wear on the trailer brakes, it also recharged the truck's battery bank. On one downgrade, we noted a 3% (6 kWh) battery SOC gain.

However, Glen noted two key areas where the vehicle’s towing abilities could be improved.

Improvement 1: A ¾-Ton Version with Higher GVWR and Tow Rating

When loading an equipment trailer, it is very easy to surpass this vehicle's 1,000-pound tongue weight rating. We actually had to leave some equipment behind on this trip because of this limitation. Factory literature suggested a load-distributing hitch system is required at the 10,000-pound towing capacity limit. While these hitches are common for recreational travel trailers, they are rare on equipment trailers. In fact, our local trailer shop could not install one on our trailer due to interference with the hydraulic lowering system. Glen has towed this exact trailer with many ¾-ton pickups over the years with zero tongue weight issues.

Perhaps the inability to use a load-distributing hitch was a blessing in disguise, as it would have added complexity when disconnecting at charge stops. This brings us to Glen’s second needed improvement.

Improvement 2: A Front-Mounted Charge Port

In many cases, pull-through EV chargers were unavailable, forcing us to use standard EV fast chargers situated at the front of a parking space. Because the Silverado’s charge port is located on the bedside (where a traditional gas cap would be), the cord from the front of the spot could not reach the port when nosing in. The only workaround was to disconnect the trailer and back the truck into space.

Electric pickups do not share the same packaging constraints as internal combustion engine trucks with liquid fuel tanks, so why not move the port to the front? A front-mounted port would have eliminated 90% of our trailer disconnects. We could have simply nosed the pickup into the charging spot. At most stations, there was plenty of room behind the truck for the trailer to extend into the aisle without blocking traffic, or along a curb where the trailer could sit parallel out of the way.

Of course, towing dramatically impacts efficiency. Charge stops were frequent, especially in mountain terrain or at higher freeway speeds. But the experience also proved something important:

Heavy-duty EV towing is no longer theoretical. It’s here.