How Best to Design for, Store, and Safely Charge Micromobility

July 24, 2025

Shifting Tenant Mobility Preferences

Navigating the evolving landscape of urban transportation and mobility in 2025 is a complex challenge for building owners, developers, and landlords, especially as micromobility (bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters) becomes more prevalent in our cities, towns, campuses and the buildings that we occupy.

Understanding the mobility preferences of your current and prospective tenants is crucial. Are you aware of how a lack of secure bike parking or charging stations for electric vehicles might deter potential tenants? As urban areas become denser, the demand for alternative transportation solutions is growing.

Secure, indoor bike parking facility accommodating all types of micromobility, with dedicated lockers, charging outlets, and fire suppression equipment in Cambridge, MA.

Secure, indoor bike parking facility accommodating all types of micromobility, with dedicated lockers, charging outlets, and fire suppression equipment in Cambridge, MA.

Safety & Compliance

While media headlines highlight the risks of lithium-ion battery fires, the true risk—when proactively managed—is very low. Proactive measures, like implementing fire suppression lockers for charging batteries, can help mitigate these concerns. Industry best practice is now trending toward secure, covered outdoor or garage-level parking with integrated charging—striking a balance between fire safety and theft prevention.

Ongoing regulatory advancements aim to enhance safety in this space, such as a requirement for UL Certification for micromobility batteries, At SustainMobility, we’ve developed guidelines for real estate developers on bike room design and electric micromobility storage and charging, addressing fire safety and best practices.

Economic & Policy Shift

Forward-thinking developers are recognizing the need to embrace these emerging transportation modes. With cities relaxing minimum car parking requirements and requiring Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies to reduce car trips and mode shift, the financial implications are significant. Building parking in increasingly dense urban environments can cost developers between $50,000 and $100,000 per space, or more, a cost that inevitably gets passed on to renters and buyers.

To attract and retain tenants in 2025’s urban market, real estate decision-makers must proactively address safe micromobility storage and charging with facility standards that meet the evolving legal, regulatory, and market landscape. By investing in secure bike parking and understanding the needs of your tenants, you can create spaces that are not only functional but also appealing to the modern urban dweller.

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