E-scooters – role(s) in the mobility transition
When the e-scooters were introduced in 2019, the then CSU Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheurer promised “a real additional alternative to the car”. According to the rental scooter providers, the e-scooter should be THE green alternative in the mobility transition. According to experts, around 11 million users used scooter sharing in 2021, and the trend is rising. Rental scooter fleets are also growing in small towns. There are now around 10 e-scooter sharing providers in Germany. Together they put 240,000 scooters on the streets.
Pretty green: say the providers
E-scooter sharing providers show the green flag, talk about climate neutrality and some promise to become completely emission-free in the future. But: A brand new study from ETH Zurich questions the benefits of e-scooters for the environment and climate. The vandalism headlines at the expense of sharing scooters also leave a bitter aftertaste for the new micromobility. Tobias Koch gets to the bottom of the matter!
Additional electronic waste or a green savior?
As an additional means of transport, e-scooters are a disadvantage for the environment. There is a risk that transport participation will become less attractive, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. According to studies, e-scooters are currently primarily replacing journeys that would otherwise have been made on foot, by public transport or by bike. In these cases, the e-scooters are of course not particularly sustainable.
They are particularly useful when they replace car journeys. And there are plenty of short car journeys that could easily be replaced with a scooter: According to Laura Gebhardt from the Institute for Transport Research at the German Aerospace Center, there are 30 million car journeys of less than 2 kilometers every day. According to experts, 10 to 15 percent of trips could easily be replaced with scooters - this mainly applies to people who don't have to transport goods, the weather has to be right, etc.
The solution: e-scooter instead of a car
One can say: E-scooters benefit people and the environment if they actually replace motorized means of transport. To do this, providers would have to set up significantly more fleets in peripheral areas where, for example, public transport is not so well developed.
Making e-scooters more sustainable: what can we do?
Before every journey you should ask yourself whether you can't cover the route on foot. If the scooters are used: In any case, handle the rental carefully and park it properly. Fun rides should be avoided. Only if the scooters last a long time will they make a contribution to the green mobility transition.
The conclusion
Anyone who uses an e-scooter instead of a car is traveling sustainably. Otherwise, it's better to walk, bike or use public transport. E-scooters alone cannot determine the transport transition, but they represent an important piece of the puzzle in the course of a green mobility transition!
This might also be of interest: No, no German tank fell off a truck in Austria!
Source: Ökochecker SWR
Author: Karolina Luttig Moderation: Tobias Koch Editorial team (solisTV): Sarah Weihsweiler Editorial team (SWR): Inga Vennemann
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