Guide To… eScooters
Alongside the rise in eBike usage, electrified scooters – known as eScooters – have been growing in popularity in recent years as an alternative to car use.
Micromobility, as its known, has the potential to dramatically change the way our cities function in the years ahead, with eScooters and eBikes primed to reduce congestion, improve public health, and reduce our impact on the Climate Crisis.
Our Guide to eScooters covers all the information that you need to make an informed decision about whether they are the right fit for you.
eScooter Basics
An eScooter is just like a regular scooter that you would push along with your feet, except that it has a small motor and battery to propel the rider, making it quicker and easier to cover longer distances in urban areas.
Unlike an eBike, which multiplies the force that the rider puts in, eScooters are almost exclusively dependent on their motors for propulsion, with the rider keeping both feet on the deck rather than using one to push them along.
While a little heavier than traditional push-scooters, eScooters typically offer a range of around 30-35km and top speeds of around 15mph. This is a shorter overall range than eBikes, while also being significantly slower, but prices are substantially lower and eBikes, starting from around €300-€600 for a decent model.
It is important to note that eScooters are not currently legal on public property. However, legislation on eScooter use was a key part of the programme for government, and it is expected that they will be legalised later in 2021, with a draft bill having been submitted earlier this year.
Much like eBikes, electric scooters come in a wide variety of options and price points
Safety First
Despite a lot of misinformation around the safety of eScooters, a study by the International Transport Forum suggests that eScooter users face the same risk of death or injury as cyclists. With 40 million trips undertaken on rented eScooters in the US in 2019, 80% of eScooter collisions involved riders being hit by cars - as such, it is the cars and the lack of segregated lanes that pose the biggest risk to eScooter riders, not the eScooter itself.
However, it is important to recognise that eScooter can pose a risk of injury to pedestrians and should be ridden with safety in mind – ideally on cycle paths.
It is also important to consider wearing relevant protection as an eScooter rider, with helmets an absolute must to minimise injury.
Cutting Congestion
Micromobility has the potential to significantly reduce congestion, while also encouraging the use of public transport. Credit: Forbes
Just like electrified bikes, eScooters offer a new opportunity to reduce car dependency in cities.
Ireland has experienced increasing congestion in recent years, with the TomTom Traffic index stating that Dublin was 48% congested on average in 2019, an increase of 3% from 2019. Sadly this is a common story around the world, with 57% of cities demonstrating increased or stable congestion levels between 2018-2019.
Consultancy firm McKinsey believes that micomobility – eScooters and eBikes – could encompass all passenger trips of less than 8km, which account for as much as 50-60% of total passenger journeys in the EU, China and the US.
According to Lime, one of the largest eScooter rental companies in the world, their eScooters avoided 24 million kilometres of car travel between 2017-2019, preventing 6,220 metric tons of carbon emissions in the process.
A joint study by Arizona State University and Ryerson University in 2020 found that non-white riders a significantly more likely to intend to try eScooters and to be unhappy with current transport options. As such, the rise of eBikes and eScooters offers a more equitable solution for people from different racial and economic backgrounds, compared to the current car-dominated society.
These forms of micromobility are significantly cheaper to buy and run than cars, and require just a fraction of the maintenance of petrol vehicles.
This is why sales of eScooters and eBikes are exceeded 50 million units worldwide by the end of 2020, and are expected to reach 129 million by 2028. In Ireland, Halfords reported a 700% increase of eScooters in 2020 despite their use in public currently being illegal.
Cycling is the most energy efficient form of transport, around 35 times more efficient than using a car. Credit: Sustainable Transport & Public Policy, David Banister
What To Read Next
Why EV Battery Recycling Is Set To Take Off
Find out why nervousness about the EV battery life cycle is overlooking other opportunities, how new efficiencies are being found, and which emerging technologies may influence its future
How Has Battery Technology Advanced?
Find out how battery technology has advanced, from the launch of the first lithium-ion battery in 1991 to the latest innovations in the field today
How Updates Increase EV Range And More
Discover how EV software updates improve everything from the infotainment systems, to improving the performance, range and efficiency of the vehicle