icon
— MiCRo-mobility

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.

Micro Mobility Safety // Micro Mobility Safety // Micro Mobility Safety // Micro Mobility Safety // Micro Mobility Safety //

However, despite all the new options for getting quickly from A to B that are provided by micromobility modes like e-scooters, they have also thrown up many challenges for which innovative solutions still need to be found. Although it includes the word “micro,” and with it the suggestion of something easy to manage, micromobility is actually a complex issue that requires collaboration between the relevant stakeholders such as city authorities, e-scooter providers, and independent experts like DEKRA DIGITAL. If the full potential of micromobility is to be unleashed, it will require forward planning for transportation infrastructure, a conducive political environment, connectivity with other modes of transportation, and the employment of technological opportunities and targeted regulation to enhance safety.

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.

— Besides accidents caused by human error, technical faults can also result in personal injury. DEKRA DIGITAL has made an early start to working on answers that will precisely address the most pressing micro-mobility questions, including those around safety. In releasing the Micro Mobility Standard, the organization has developed a certification in which e-scooter providers have to take and pass comprehensive audits on safety and sustainability. Tier, Tier’s subsidiary Spin, and Voi have now successfully completed the certification, which has enabled them to benefit in particular from the reputational boost that comes with being audited by a neutral body such as DEKRA DIGITAL.

For e-scooter users, certification by DEKRA DIGITAL is a sign of suppliers having met high standards in technical design, production, recycling, and maintenance. This lays an important foundation for a safe and sustainable micro-mobility sector, which will bring riders increased enjoyment with the knowledge that the e-scooter fulfills a basic series of safety criteria. After they have passed the audit, the providers can also send the certificates to government bodies for additional transparency. A win-win situation for all parties involved thanks to the Micro Mobility Standard– for providers, users, and the authorities alike.
 

Micro Mobility Standard

And DEKRA DIGITAL is not only making progress with important standardization and certification processes – it is also generating ideas and partnering on forward-thinking concepts. Last year, Deutsche Bahn Connect and DEKRA DIGITAL pooled their expertise to design sustainable and safe urban transportation and help cities to integrate new transportation solutions. One of the most tangible results of this partnership is the Shared Micromobility white paper, which presents the key findings and guidance on how best to integrate e-scooters and other micromobility services into urban transportation concepts.

— 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. 

E-MOBILITY
This website is using cookies to provide a good browsing experience

Cookie consent(s)

We use cookies on our website to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze traffic to our website. To provide you with a convenient online experience and to improve our communications, please click "ACCEPT ALL". By doing so, you consent to the processing and sharing of your information with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. You can revoke your consent at any time in the settings.

This website is using cookies to provide a good browsing experience

Cookie consent(s)

We use cookies on our website to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze traffic to our website. To provide you with a convenient online experience and to improve our communications, please click "ACCEPT ALL". By doing so, you consent to the processing and sharing of your information with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. You can revoke your consent at any time in the settings.

Your cookie preferences have been saved.