Company Context

VoltRide is a global e-scooter and bike-sharing company operating in 120 cities with 18M monthly active riders. The company has strong rider growth, but city regulators and enterprise partners are increasingly scrutinizing the environmental impact of its hardware, charging operations, and replacement cycles.

Problem

VoltRide is preparing the next generation of its scooter platform. Engineering has proposed three design directions: a low-cost model with cheaper batteries and shorter lifespan, a premium durable model with higher upfront cost and repairability, and a modular model that allows battery, brake, and wheel replacements without replacing the full vehicle. Today, 35% of scooters are retired within 18 months, battery replacements account for 22% of hardware spend, and several city contracts now require annual carbon reporting.

Leadership wants product management to define how sustainability should influence engineering design decisions without compromising rider safety, unit economics, or launch timelines. The challenge is not to maximize sustainability in isolation, but to decide where it matters most for users, the business, and regulators.

Deliverables

1. Define what “sustainability” should mean for VoltRide in product and engineering terms.
2. Identify the most important user and business needs that should shape the design decision.
3. Recommend how you would prioritize among the three design directions, including key trade-offs.
4. Propose the MVP scope and what data or research you would use before committing to full rollout.
5. Define success metrics and how you would know the decision was working.

Constraints

• Launch decision must be made within 10 weeks to meet the next manufacturing cycle.
• Hardware budget can increase by no more than 12% per vehicle in year one.
• No degradation in rider safety or app-reported ride reliability is acceptable.
• Supply chain team can support at most one major component redesign this cycle.