E-scooter:
Often faster than regulators to date

E-scooters have become a permanent fixture in the urban transportation landscape. Known as micromobility or last-mile modes of transportation, riders can use them for short journeys of just a few kilometers – for example, from the train station to the workplace or for the trip downtown after leaving the car at a park-and-ride facility. All they have to do is pull out their cellphone, pull up the app, book a ride, and head off, meaning e-scooters are ready to go in just a matter of seconds. They are particularly prevalent around busy train stations and points of interest in the city center. In the German context, e-scooters are an exciting addition to local public transportation, especially for commuters and tourists visiting large cities like Hamburg, Munich, and Berlin.

The last point is drawing urgent attention, as accident statistics show that riders’ enjoyment comes at a substantial risk. In Germany in 2020, five people lost their lives in accidents with e-scooters, and more than 2,000 were injured.

— The transformation of mobility is progressing at a rapid pace! The onus is now primarily on the cities, which will need to take concrete action on the many ideas that have been proposed in order to keep up with this rapid development and transport people through town quickly, safely, and sustainably.

— Micro-mobility is about more than just electric kick scooters: the (electric) motor scooter renaissance

Micromobility includes more than just e-scooters. In the move toward sustainable transportation, the electric motorcycle-type scooter will also come to play an important role, as scooter riding is currently experiencing a resurgence of popularity in Europe thanks to the electric drive.

In this field, too, DEKRA has long been involved in working on pioneering products, as demonstrated by its collaboration with electric motor scooter manufacturer Brekr. For example, DEKRA assisted Brekr with its e-moped when they had their 1st prototypes, to prepare for market launch.
In the case of an e-mobility product such as the Brekr, there is no single international standard that applies. Instead, various are relevant for the individual components such as lighting, electronics, batteries and the recharging aspect. Thanks to its long-standing heritage in both automotive and electrical testing and certification, DEKRA is an ideal partner in such cases.

During the testing phase, the focus was on testing of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), in this case specifically for vehicles which is a mandatory requirement for electric motor scooters. This included establishing whether interference occurred in the various operating states (e.g., when switched off, during charging, while driving, stationary and with and without lighting) and what the effect is on the scooter itself.