However, studies regarding the environmental impact of electric scooters and bikes raise uncertainty whether these machines can truly help the environment — or hurt it.
In 2019, researchers at N.C. State found that shared e-scooters may not effectively reduce environmental harm if not accompanied by more sustainability-focused measures such as increasing the lifespan of an electric scooter, reducing their collection and distribution distance and charging them less frequently.
"Without these efforts ... while e-scooters may be an effective solution to urban congestion ... they do not necessarily reduce environmental impacts from the transportation system," according to the study.
E-scooters and e-bikes have seen remarkable growth in recent years. The number of e-scooters alone has increased by 28 percent from 2021 to 2022, according to a report from researchers at UC Berkeley.
The university's research found that among 157 million trips on shared micromobility vehicles that North Americans took, e-scooters accounted for nearly half in 2021 and 2022 while e-bike use surged by 64 percent during that same period. To that end, shared use of electric vehicles offset 74 million pounds of CO2 in 2022 by replacing cars.
However, some researchers caution that the environmental footprint of shared e-scooters goes beyond their electric operation.
In line with the findings of N.C. State researchers, scholars at ETH Zurich observed in 2022 that shared e-scooters and e-bikes often replace trips that are already environmentally sustainable, such as public transportation or walking, rather than displacing journeys made using cars.
According to the study: "Substitution patterns reveal that personal e-scooters and e-bikes emit less CO2 than the transport modes they replace, while shared e-scooters and e-bikes emit more CO2 than the transport modes they replace."
To mitigate these concerns, companies are exploring solutions such as developing longer-lasting scooter models. In 2021, for example, Bird announced the launch of Bird Three, the third-generation electric scooter, featuring a battery designed to outlast the machine itself.
Meanwhile, Greensboro officials say the current fleet of e-scooters and e-bikes will eventually increase to 170. Currently, they are accessible throughout downtown and on the UNCG campus and surrounding areas.
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