Why are Electric Scooters Popular?

The electric scooter is becoming more and more popular nowadays, and that’s great news for the environment and the future of transportation. It’s an economical, lightweight, and fast electric vehicle for a city ride.

Why are electric scooters so popular nowadays?

Electric scooters are becoming popular because they’re a practical, ecological and economical alternative to city traffic. Every day, more and more people are changing their way of commuting to work, school, and university in order to save time and money. Electric scooters are perfect for a short city ride, and they are perfect as a “last-mile” vehicle.

Next, I will explain why they are the best vehicle available for commuting to work, school or university in a crowded urban jungle.

Advantages

Electric vehicles have many advantages, but the electric scooter specifically adds some more to that list as it is lightweight, foldable and small. Let’s explore some of them.

Speed

While the speed is not that high compared to cars or motorcycles, the ability to avoid traffic jams is great with the ability to maneuver around others. You can reach your destination in a similar time without having to worry or deal about traffic.

Their top speed is usually only between 15.5 mph (25 km/h) and 18.5 mph (30 km/h) but you won’t need to be part in a traffic jam ever again because you will mainly go on bike tracks and sidewalks so you will get a good average speed.

But please check local laws because in some states riding on sidewalks is illegal.

Of course, there are faster electric scooters available on the market, but they are expensive and may need registration.

Good autonomy

The battery of a good electric scooter can last for about 15-25 km. That’s more than enough for commuting. Many people use them as a last-mile vehicle to get to the nearest subway station instead of walking.

Charging time is also an advantage. Most scooters take only about 2-3 hours for a full charge.

Practicality

You can fold them in under 5 seconds and take them with you shopping or put it under your desk at the office. You can’t do this with a bike.

You can also fold them and put them in your trunk, so, if you live near a busy city, you can drive closer to the city, and then use the electric scooter for the final miles of your ride and/or in the city.

Maintenance & Taxes

Maintenance is cheap compared to a motorcycle or car, but a bit more expensive than a traditional bike. The most expensive components are the battery and the electric motor. The rest do not add up to much. If you want to read more about the components price, I wrote an article containing this information. Read it here.

No effort

You ride without effort, so you don’t need to worry about sweat stains or being tired after the ride.

Fun

Finally, it’s fun! Everyone who has ridden an electric scooter knows it. That’s why electric scooters are especially popular among teens.

Kids also love them, and there are some small models for kids. Kids use them for having fun, as opposed to commuting, so they are unlikely going to kindergarten/elementary school on them.

Disadvantages

As with other vehicles, they also have some disadvantages.

Price

The price is still high, but as they become more popular, the price will drop. If you do the math for a year or two, you won’t really save much money comparing to public transportation or commuting with your car (this is valid if you already have a car). The most important thing, however, is that you will save a lot of time in a busy city.

Health

The traditional bike wins this competition. Doing some legwork is a great way to tone up your muscles and keep your heart healthy, but this also leads to sweat in warmer temperatures, which may be a problem if you don’t have a shower at work.

Ergonomics

Standing up is not the problem, as nowadays most of us spend a lot of time sitting, and it is good for one’s health to alternate through the day. The problem is the position on most scooters. It’s not really an ergonomic position as you need to keep a leg behind the other for a long period of time.  This can be uncomfortable for some people.

Electric Scooters vs Bike

Electric scooters have two big advantages compared to traditional bikes. While bikes have been a popular and practical mean of transportation, they have two flaws.

You need to put some effort

I’m not saying doing some cardio before and after work is not good for your health. If you are commuting using a traditional bike, you can get the recommended 30 minutes of cardio per day. You will keep yourself in a good shape and your muscles will look great.

However, because you need to put some effort in, you may not smell, appear, or feel as fresh as you were when you left home. In the summer, you may sweat quite a lot after 20 minutes of bike riding. I was commuting by bike because I hate traffic jams, but I always avoided “hot” rides. In the summer, I left home at 7 o’clock in order to be sufficiently cold. This way, I could avoid sweat in my 15-16 minutes ride.

When I got home, it didn’t matter, except if I had something to do afterward. I could easily take a shower when I got home, but if I needed to go somewhere else right after work, I would probably use my car that day to avoid this issue.

Electric scooters solve this problem, as there is almost NO effort in riding an electric scooter. Keeping your balance and standing up is better for your health than sitting in the car waiting for the green light, but it won’t make you drop a bead of sweat. This way, you will arrive at the office clean, and the same applies when you get home.

E-Bikes are not so good for last-mile

Electric scooters can be used with great success as last-mile vehicles. This is because most of them are foldable, weigh under 12 kg, and they occupy little space. Bikes are larger and it’s hard to take them in the subway, bus, or streetcar.

Electric scooters are portable and you can carry them with you everywhere you go. They are indeed a bit heavy, but it’s definitely easier than a traditional bike.

Electric Scooters vs E-Bike

E-Bikes are heavy and expensive. They have some advantages over the electric scooter, most notably being speed and autonomy. Also, they have more comfort during a long ride and the ability to handle different types of terrains.

However, you can’t really take an electric bike with you in public transportation. I mean, you can, but it’s not practical as they are heavier than a normal bike and take up a lot of space.

Furthermore, being more expensive and heavy, you don’t want to leave them unsupervised.

Popularity

Urban transportation is indeed changing, and electric scooters are leading the way. As technology is improving, electric scooters will become faster and have better battery lives.

The problem is, for the moment, their price, which I explained earlier in this article. They are still a new means of transportation and, even if they are becoming more popular, the manufacturers can’t scale to mass production yet. But, not to worry, I’m sure they will eventually get much cheaper and become the best vehicle for a busy city!

As CNBC points out, we use more than one type of a vehicle usually to move only one person around. This is, by no means, economical nor ecological. Using these 12 kg vehicles, we save both the environment and some of our own money.

Uber and Lyft are heavily investing in this mean of transportation and they really believe in it. In the USA at least, we already have cities in which we can use electric scooters with a simple smartphone application.

Ecological alternative

Air pollution

Some people don’t like to pollute the air, that’s why they use eco-friendly vehicles like traditional bikes, e-bikes, normal scooters or their own legs. Electric scooters do not pollute the air. Of course, you may say, it depends on the source of the energy as the production of scooters can add to pollution.

But, the fact is that we can also use other eco-friendly ways to produce electric energy like solar panels, wind turbines, hydro power etc. Green power is a big concern today and will become even bigger in the years to come.

Efficient

It’s clearly not efficient to use vehicles weighing 1-2 tons to move only one person around. Electric motors are twice as efficient as the gas engine and can be used instead.

Conclusion

Electric scooters are popular now and will become even more popular in the years to come. They are a fast, efficient, and eco-friendly alternative to the traditional car and motorcycle.

Due to their advantages (portability, good speed, ability to avoid traffic jams, size) they are probably the best vehicles for a city ride. What do you think, do you still prefer cars, motorcycles, and/or traditional bikes compared to the electric scooter?