Inclusive of manufacturing, transportation to the US, and the use phase, this study looks at the environmental impact of e-scooters compared to the use of alternative modes of transportation.

Key findings

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Limiting scooters collection to those with a low battery state of charge would require a change in policy to allow scooters to remain in public spaces overnight, but could yield a net reduction in global warming impacts of 19%.

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Both low daily usage of the scooter and low scooter lifetimes show very high global warming impacts driven from the manufacturing and materials burdens, which are spread across a smaller number of passenger-miles traveled over the e-scooter lifetime.

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While e-scooters may be an effective solution to urban congestion and last-mile problem, they do not necessarily reduce environmental impacts from the transportation system.

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