12 September 2019

Electric scooters: eco-friendly and efficient transport

Easy to ride and fold away, it requires no maintenance and is environmentally friendly. The electric scooter has become one of the main players among personal mobility vehicles.

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Electric scooters were introduced as an efficient an environmentally friendly alternative urban mode of transport, and now, thanks to them, many people have changed how they move around the city. Little by little, this contraption is taking over the sidewalks, squares and parks of the Spanish cities.

Easy to drive and fold, electric scooters are becoming the star of personal mobility vehicles (PMVs). The latest trend in the transport sector, these PMVs offer users new and more flexible alternative forms of transport. More than 20,000 personal mobility vehicles are already in use in Spain, the vast majority of which are electric scooters.

Advantages of the electric scooter

You only need to take a look at any street in any city to see how simple it is to move around one of these vehicles, which also promote electrical mobility. In addition, electric scooters require virtually no maintenance or greasing, save on physical effort and can be comfortably stored virtually anywhere.

But above all, they are sustainable vehicles, the use of which, like that of electric bicycles, is being promoted by the new mobility plans implemented by Spanish city councils in order to reduce pollution. In some cities where the concentration of pollutants has exceeded legal limits, a modal shift in transport to alternatives like the electric scooter would generate a significant reduction in both energy consumption and the particulate emissions that are so harmful to the health of residents.

This is one of the conclusions drawn from the report The Future of Sustainable Cities: Urban energy transition to 2030 published by Deloitte, which analyses the measures that need to be implemented both by city councils and citizens to achieve an effective energy revolution and enhance sustainability.

“Electric scooters are sustainable vehicles, the use of which is being promoted by the new mobility plans implemented by Spanish city councils in order to reduce pollution”

What do you need to know about electric scooters?

Until recently, electric scooters were not considered vehicles, therefore road traffic regulations were not applicable to them. This was precisely one of the reasons for their rapid growth, but it also caused problems, as these scooters share our urban spaces with other users, including pedestrians and drivers or cyclists.

Currently, each city council regulates the use of these devices independently, so before using an electric scooter you will need to check the regulations in force in your city. Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, the cities with the highest number of scooter users, already have ordinances for the use of Personal Mobility Vehicles that set out the rules and requirements for their use.

As a general rule, users of electric scooters should ride on a cycle path or sidewalk, although they can also be used on roadways, in public parks and lanes with a speed limit of 30 km/h. And, of course, users must always wear a helmet and respect other pedestrians.

As for insurance, this is only mandatory if the scooter is to be rented, although it is recommended that users take out insurance even if the scooter is exclusively for personal use, to cover any damage and expense caused by its use.

What exactly is sustainable mobility anyway?

Sustainable mobility is mobility that reduces the energy consumption of means of transport and, at the same time, cuts their polluting emissions. As a result, it optimises the use of natural resources while combating the serious pollution problems in our cities.

At Endesa, we firmly believe that electric mobility is one of the best ways to achieve effective energy transformation and to combat climate change and urban pollution. That's why we're getting behind electric mobility in all the various means of transport available, so that our cities can breathe cleaner air. Are you with us?