5 redenen waarom elektrische scooters zo populair zijn

Published: 2020-10-02 06:09:35

Herinner je je de step uit je kindertijd nog? Velen van ons herinneren zich deze twee- of driewielige apparaten misschien met nostalgie - of je nu meer bekend bent met de zelfgemaakte versies die in de garage aan elkaar zijn geplaveid of de metalen iteraties van de jaren negentig.

In de afgelopen jaren hebben ze een enorme comeback gemaakt, opnieuw uitgevonden als elektrische scooters voor stadsverkeer. Ze zijn nu gemeengoed in veel steden over de hele wereld, vooral in steden waar de wet prompt het gebruik ervan heeft gereguleerd en de burgers ze snel omarmen.

Er is momenteel een schat aan e-scooters op de markt die u kunt bezitten, maar het meeste lawaai wordt veroorzaakt door het huren ervan. Sinds de lancering van dokloze huurscooters in Californië door Bird in 2017, lijkt de wereld gek op hen te zijn geworden en het is niet moeilijk in te zien waarom ze zo populair zijn geworden.

1. Perfect voor korte ritten


60% van alle stadsritten is minder dan vijf mijl, waarvan 70% met de auto. E-scooters zijn ideaal voor korte ritten en vormen ook een aanvulling op andere vormen van transport, waardoor ze het perfecte voertuig zijn om van deur tot deur te komen.

Tenzij je het geluk hebt om direct buiten de dichtstbijzijnde bushalte, metro of treinstation te wonen, heb je meestal een klein eindje om te reizen. Als het een bijzonder lange afstand is, kan een tocht te voet verre van aantrekkelijk lijken. En als u een belangrijke vergadering heeft of te laat komt? Je zou ervoor kunnen kiezen om in plaats daarvan een ritje te houden, maar dit kan snel duur worden en frustrerend wachten.

Omdat hij direct beschikbaar is en een redelijk bereik heeft, is de e-scooter een populaire transportoptie onder forenzen. Je kunt nu afscheid nemen van het zoeken naar parkeerplaatsen, wachten tot Ubers arriveert tijdens een golfslag of gestrand zijn omdat je de laatste bus hebt gemist.

2. Convenient and hassle-free


An e-scooter might not be faster than a car on the open road, but urban roads are rarely clear. Scooters make it possible to beat traffic by easily weaving around people and other vehicles, so peak hour standstills can become a thing of the past.

No matter how difficult the trip, you never have to worry about arriving at your destination in a sweaty state, because no pedalling is required – no need to swap your soaked clothes or redo your makeup when you arrive, which means you can start being productive straight away.

Portability is another characteristic that is making personal e-scooters incredibly popular, especially with commuters. Is your workplace so far away that you still have to catch the subway or bus? These practical devices can easily be folded and are light enough to carry with you wherever your heart desires – unlike e-bikes, which feel like lifting weights and are harder to store. A personal e-scooter can be stowed compactly in the corner of your office, underneath your desk or in your home.

Being able to take your electric scooter anywhere also solves the problems of vandalism or theft, two risks always present with bikes. Ever had your bike stolen when you thought it was safely locked up? Storing your e-scooter indoors or taking it with you on the train makes security yesterday’s concern.

3. Environmentally friendly


As the climate change crisis gets ever more urgent, more and more people are seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Ever felt guilty in an empty car or bus? Most cars can carry up to five people or more, yet only regularly transport one or two. Even worse,140,000 Uber and Lyft cars are circulating on any given day in Manhattan, and around 40% of them are driving around unoccupied while circling to pick up their next customer, generating harmful emissions in the process. Isn’t this overserving, one might ask?

Cars are only getting heavier, with even the lightest being over 1,000 kg – nearly 100 times the weight of an e-scooter. This means that more energy is used to produce them and more fuel is required to move them. Interestingly, riding an electric scooter only accounts for 1-2% of the emissions of the average car.

With cities across the world beginning to enforce zero emission zones, there is a growing space in them for e-scooters. In the not so distant future they may become one of the only ways to move around quickly in these overcrowded areas.

Although there are obviously emissions involved in their manufacturing process, e-scooters produce zero emissions while operating, which makes them a much greener alternative to most cars, motorbikes and ridesharing. The fact that they are powered by electricity as opposed to fossil fuels means you’ll never need to worry about your city’s pollution controls.

4. A great investment

Some e-scooters are really cheap – in fact you can now buy them from your local supermarket. However, as the old adage goes, ‘you get what you pay for’ – cheap scooters are unreliable and are equipped with poor quality batteries that aren’t built to last. Buying a cheap electric scooter is almost guaranteed to get you back to your old commute within months, with the scooter collecting dust in a cupboard.
On the other hand, investing in a reliable e-scooter with good quality batteries, brakes and tires can be a very cost-effective decision. In large cities, a personal e-scooter will be cheaper than forking out hundreds in monthly public transport passes or ridesharing costs, and in the long run it will also be much cheaper (and easier) to maintain than a car or motorbike and involve no fuel costs.

5. Cool and nostalgic


Can standing on an e-scooter ride platform ever look cool? Whilst not everyone will agree, e-scooters seem to have become popular because they are a clever, trendy and fun way of moving around. We are still in the early days of development, so the most stylish designs are likely still to come, but so far there are loads of unique and varied designs and sizes on the market – so you’re certain to find a style that fits your personality. Which ones will stick around? Only time will tell.

Many of us are already familiar with kick scooters from our childhood days, so riding them fills us with nostalgia. For the new rider they are a lot easier to learn than motorbikes, skateboards and bikes, but if you have used a kick scooter as a child, riding the electric version for the first time will definitely feel easy and intuitive.

Read More: https://www.metronieuws.nl/lifestyle/2020/03/voor-en-nadelen-e-scooter-ten-opzichte-van-benzinescooter/