On January 10th, according to foreign media reports, Lime, an electric scooter rental start-up company, will lay off about 14% of its employees and withdraw from 12 markets in the United States and overseas.

　　 Lime’s official name is Neutron Holdings Inc., and Brad Bao, the company’s co-founder and chief executive officer, stated in a blog post that Lime will cease operations in 12 markets around the world. In the US, the company will withdraw from the Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego and San Antonio markets.

　　Foreign media said that this decision reflects that the electric scooter industry is facing fierce competition and heavy pressure on profitability.

　　 There are many start-up companies in the field of electric scooters, such as Neutron, Bird, etc.

　　 In addition, there are traditional car manufacturers, such as Audi. Audi released an electric scooter called e-tron last year, priced at 2000 euros (approximately US$2244). The e-tron is equipped with hydraulic foot brakes and LED lights, including daytime running lights, rear lights and brake lights, and is expected to be launched this year.