It turns out that e-scooters are not as good for the environment as previously thought, due to their nature of being shared (via apps like Lime, Bird and Jump) and the replacement they give by having a car or by asking for a Uber at the slightest provocation.
In the MIT Technology Review We read that the most common e-scooters (those based on the recent Xiaomi model) cause more harmful emissions than cars. How is that possible?
- Consider its construction materials, which are metals for both the body and the integrated circuits.
- Obtaining these metals entails a considerable expenditure of energy in mines.
- When it comes to driving, their optimal life is two years but it is common for them to become unusable after a few months due to the treatment given to them by users (falls, total downloads, vandalism). That is to say: they are not made for rough use.
- The pollution generated by those vehicles (owned by Lime, Bird or Jump) that are responsible for collecting scooters in cities such as Venice Beach, or the emissions of the vehicles of people who decided to self-employ to recover the scooters are also considered.
This is how the production, use and maintenance of a scooter it affects planet Earth more than using a car in the same situation.
More information on the MIT website
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