Revel, a startup that rents electric mopeds, had such high ridership after launching service in Brooklyn last May that it took all hands on deck to keep the mopeds running and on the street. Revel’s CEO had to personally swap out vehicle batteries when they ran low on power. 

It didn’t take long for Revel to expand elsewhere. Last fall, armed with an injection of $27 million in venture capital, it introduced moped fleets in Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C., and it launched in Miami earlier this week. Now, Revel is preparing to roll out 1,000 mopeds to Oakland, Calif., a permit application obtained through a public records request shows. In ramping up so quickly, Revel is hoping that its moped rental service can avoid the pitfalls that have plagued bike, scooter and car share programs worldwide.