Electric scooter share schemes offer no panacea

As many cities around the world seek to tackle air pollution and congestion, but at the same time stubbornly overlook the bicycle as a solution, companies like Gogoro are presenting electric vehicle share schemes as the answer to clean and efficient mobility.

Gogoro's electric scooters address range anxiety by using swappable battery packs that can be replaced at roadside kiosks. The scooters are already available to rent in Paris and Berlin and the company has plans to launch in Taiwan this summer.

Scooters and motorcycles are more fuel efficient than cars but in some respects they are more polluting - one of the reasons that older bikes fall foul of London's new toxicity charge. Gogoro electric scooters are a polished product that provide a cleaner alternative for riders of powered two-wheelers. However, with a performance on a par with the 125cc class of bike and acceleration described as 'white knuckle', these scooters will be no less a cause of road danger as their fossil-fuelled counterparts.

Much faith is being out in electric vehicles, but this week a research group warned that electrifying cars will not address the problems of traffic congestion, urban sprawl and wasted space for parking.

The Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) report urges the government to devise policies that allow people to have a good standard of living without needing a car.

One of the authors of the report, Prof Jillian Anable, said: "Car use is a massive blind spot on government policy. For many years ministers have adopted the principle of trying to meet demand by increasing road space. They need to reduce demand instead.”

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK’s most ethical provider.

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