Are e-scooters the future of transport?
Electric scooters have been around now for quite some time, but it's only in recent years that they’ve started to become particularly popular in the United States.
In a world that is growing evermore conscious of its dwindling fossil fuels and growing carbon footprint, electric vehicles have become a frontrunner in the race to find the future of transport, and e-scooters are starting to take the lead.
Electric scooters are fun, convenient, and cheap to use compared to most other transportation methods. They're also relatively easy to ride with a low learning curve and they're environmentally friendly.
Governments are waking up to the benefits of e-scooters and how they align with their plans to make their cities or countries greener and healthier to live in.
The booming global electric scooter market
The electric motor market is taking off all around the world as the benefits continue to outstrip our reliance on traditional motor vehicles.
Technological improvements have meant that increases in range and battery have become more and more financially accessible to the average scooter driver.
One analysis report estimated in 2021 that it was worth USD 1.4 billion, or just under 7% of the global e-scooter market, which they priced at a whopping USD 20.78 billion.
Commuting on two wheels is the new future.
Electric scooters and pollution
Electric scooters are becoming preferable to traditional motorized vehicles because they are so much better for the environment. While e-bikes are another great option for reducing pollution on your commute, and a great way to keep fit, they don't come with the same level of portability that an e-scooter does.
Electric cars are also very popular right now, with Tesla having recently become the most valuable vehicle company in the world (for a deeper dive into how electric scooters can replace cars click here). But again, four-wheeled electric vehicles don't offer the same benefits as an e-scooter. While you can fit your groceries or golf clubs in the back of a Tesla, you can't fly past traffic in it.
With an electric scooter, you're utilizing renewable energy which at the same time reduces your carbon emissions and any contribution to air pollution, whilst giving you access to the most efficient routes through urban areas.
Using an e-scooter with city transport
Another surefire way that commuters are lowering their carbon footprint and cost of transport is by using city transport systems.
City transport systems like metros and trams skip traffic unlike traveling by road and offer more safety in comparison to other commuting choices.
For most major cities, these aren't new options (the London underground dates back to 1863!), but they still pose the issue of the last-mile problem, which e-scooters eliminate.
As cities continue to expand and more and more people opt for public transport, by default more and more people will be landed with the issue of having a mile plus to cover to get to their nearest station or to their place of work at the other end.
E-scooters are a particularly popular choice for commuters in need of last-mile transportation. The Unagi Model One can be conveniently folded and brought onto public transport without breaking any rules.
We like to call the combination of these two traveling choices an urban transport revolution, but we are open to suggestions from the #MoveSmarterSquad.
Take a moment to decide if you want to beat traffic, save the planet, protect your wallet, and consider whether owning or renting an e-scooter is right for you.
How cities are adapting to e-scooters
In the past decade, the way that people move around cities has changed dramatically. The rise of e-scooters has played a key role in this change, and the majority of major cities are already adapting to allow these vehicles to take up more space on city streets (ironically, because they take up less space).
In most cities around the world, urban transport systems have been built predominantly to allow for cars on the roads. Initially, this left cyclists and pedestrians having to share the same space as each other, but over the years bike lanes have been introduced and encouraged as a solution to this problem.
For the most part, electric scooters have been allowed to join in on bike-lane use and have been permitted to be used on these specific fast-track routes, because if there's enough space for bikes, then there's definitely enough space for scooters to drive past each other.
Because these vehicles are seen as being more environmentally friendly than cars, cities have begun to adapt their infrastructure in order to support them moving forward.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a team of local authorities in this field who haven't at least considered allocating a budget to increased cycle lanes.
The idea is that pedestrians and bikes can still use the same roads in harmony, but with the focus on encouraging fewer cars on public roads, especially in the centers of cities and towns where pollution figures are high.
With more e-scooter on our streets than ever, and local policymakers backing their integration, it shows that they are becoming an essential part of transport for both the avid rider and the opportunistic mobility mogul alike.
As long as they continue to be regulated and introduced safely with the backing of the law, and riders continue to use them purposefully on the allotted cycle lanes, we can't see any reason why we can't call e-scooters the future of micro-mobility.
Why the Unagi Model One is the future of e-scooters
If you're an e-scooter owner and you're on this page, chances are that you already know who we are, or maybe even already have an Unagi.
The Model One is the market leader in high-portability e-scooters, featuring the latest technology in everything from its brakes to its rear lights, and at a comfortable 27 pounds, it's light enough to be carried anywhere with you.
If you're not sure that it's the right model for you, take advantage of the Unagi All-Access subscription for only $55/month.
For that low price, you get a premium Model One e-scooter, fully serviced and insured.
Experience the future of micro-mobility with two day delivery anywhere in the US.