Swiss Inventor Behind Today’s Scooter Boom Is Doing It Again With Microcars

In this episode of the Micromobility Podcast, Prabin Joel Jones speaks with Wim Ouboter, Founder & CEO of Micro Mobility Systems and the inventor of the modern kick scooter, about building one of the most iconic micro vehicles in history and then betting everything on the microcar.Wim shares the story behind the Micro scooter's creation, how it scaled to 80,000 units a day, and what happened when the market collapsed under a wave of copies. He then takes us through the journey of building the Microlino, the regulatory battles facing microcars today, and why he believes the pod car is the next major shift in urban mobility.Topics covered:• The bratwurst run that inspired the micro scooter• Scaling to 80,000 units a day and the collapse that followed• Why Wim pivoted from scooters to microcars• The story behind the Microlino and the BMW Isetta• L6 vs L7 and the regulatory challenges facing microcars• The lawsuit against the Swiss government over CO2 credits• Manufacturing in Italy vs China and what changes next• Advice for founders building hardware in mobility today