Electric scooters have taken the world by storm, offering a convenient, fun, and Eco-friendly way to zip around town. But how green are these little vehicles really? In this article, we’re going to peel back the layers and get into the nitty-gritty of the carbon footprint of electric scooters, specifically focusing on their CO₂ emissions.
We’ll also compare these emissions with those of cars and buses to see where e-scooters stand in the grand scheme of urban transportation.
The Rise of Electric Scooters
Electric scooters have become popular in many cities. Companies like Bird, Lime, and Spin have deployed fleets of these two-wheelers, often available at the tap of a smartphone. They’re marketed as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional modes of transportation, promoting the idea that they help reduce traffic congestion and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.
But before we can take these claims at face value, it’s crucial to look at the whole picture, including the manufacturing, operation, and end-of-life phases of these devices.
Calculator for carbon footprint savings
Environmental impact is important, and we have a new tool to calculate your environmental impact and savings.
We have developed a calculator which you can use for free to calculate the carbon footprint savings. Use it to compare your privately owned electric scooter with an average car emission, and check how much you can save the environment by reducing the CO₂ emissions.
Our Data used for basis of this article
The data we use to calculate and find out the real carbon footprint in this article is the following:
- Lifespan of an electric scooter which is owned privately is expected at 2 years (note that this is probably higher in many cases).
- A passenger car has a CO₂ emission of 410g / mile.
- All figures are covering the lifespan from manufacturing to scrapping / decommissioning unless specifically stated otherwise.
All our sources are referenced in the bottom of this article.
Privately owned v.s. Rental
The privately owned electric scooters have a significantly lower carbon footprint due to the fact that operation is handled by yourself. The picking up and charging them in over-night charging stations by companies which rent electric scooters stand for most of the carbon footprint.
The life expectancy of rented scooters is also much lower, about 6 months – 12 months, thus increasing the carbon footprint.
The Lifecycle of an Electric Scooter
To understand the carbon footprint of electric scooters, we need to consider their entire lifecycle:
- Manufacturing: This includes the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing of components, assembly, and transportation of the finished product to the market.
- Operation: This phase covers the energy consumed during the actual use of the scooter, primarily electricity for charging.
- Collection and Distribution: For rentals, this is applicable. Collecting, maintaining, charging, placing back on the streets, etc.
- End-of-Life: This involves the disposal or recycling of the scooter at the end of its useful life.
Total Carbon Footprint of Electric Scooters
Electric scooters have the following carbon footprint (CO₂ emissions) per passenger mile:
Rented electric scooters
Rented electric scooters have a total of 202g CO₂ / passenger-mile in emissions.
Approximately 45% of the emissions are from collection and distribution services.
Privately owned electric scooters
Privately owned electric scooters have a total of 55g CO₂ / passenger-mile in emissions.
Comparing CO2 Emissions: Scooters vs. Cars
Now, let’s put these numbers into perspective by comparing them with the CO₂ emissions of cars.
Cars CO₂ Emissions in the U.S.
The average passenger car in the U.S. emits about 411 grams of CO₂ per mile (255 g/km) according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This includes emissions from fuel production, vehicle manufacturing, and maintenance.
- Gasoline Cars: 411 g CO₂/mile
As you can see, a car has a significantly higher carbon footprint than an electric scooter.
How much does using an electric scooter reduce your carbon footprint?
Comparing the results, you can subtract the electric scooters carbon footprint over its two-year lifespan with that of the gasoline car (411 – 55 = 356). This gives a total carbon footprint savings of 356 grams of CO₂ per mile.
Now you need to put that number into your average distance travelled. Multiply 356 grams of CO₂ by the miles you drive per year, and you have an annual average savings of CO₂.
Example calculation of carbon footprint reduction
Lets say you travel 30 miles per day back and forth to your job. If you work 23 days / month, that makes 253 days of commuting to work per year, with a reduction of 1 month due to holidays, vacations, Christmas and such. That makes a total of 7590 miles per year.
Calculating this number by the 356 grams which you could save per mile, gives the total savings of 2,702.040 grams or 2702.04 kg, or 2,7 tonnes CO₂.
This is a huge amount saved!
Big difference between private and rental service
There is a big difference if you use a rental service compared to a privately owned and managed electric scooter.
The rental services have a huge carbon footprint for logistics, delivery, service, charging because this is all done on remote locations and not where the scooters are parked / left.
That is all omitted if you do it yourself.
Results – It is better to use an electric scooter
As you can see from the figures, it is better to use an electric scooter compared to cars. These privately owned electric scooters do have a relatively low carbon footprint and produce little CO2 over its lifespan.
If you use the electric scooter for more than 2 years, lets say 4 years, the numbers drop even further significantly.
Sources and references
- https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2da8
- https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58861
- https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/electric-bikes
- https://www.hydropower.org/factsheets/greenhouse-gas-emissions