Electric scooters are a green, environmentally friendly and convenient means of transportation, and are also an excellent alternative for short-distance travel. Why are electric scooters rarely seen on domestic roads? What is the attitude of foreign countries towards electric scooters? Where will electric scooters go in the future?
1. Basic situation of domestic electric scooter development
Electric scooters are only leisure and entertainment tools
In China, electric scooters, balance bikes, unicycle electric vehicles, etc. are emerging electric driving tools. Article 74 of the "Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" stipulates that electric scooters are sliding tools and are prohibited from driving on urban roads.
It can be seen that sliding tools cannot be driven on non-motorized vehicle lanes, let alone motor vehicle lanes, and can only be used in closed community roads or indoor venues. It can only be a "big toy" for leisure and entertainment.
The introduction of national standards promotes industry progress
Electric scooters are another new product form of skateboarding after traditional skateboards, and are deeply loved by young people. However, there has been no relevant national standards for electric scooters for a long time, resulting in a series of problems, such as inferior product quality due to fierce market competition, serious threats to consumer safety, and lack of basis for market supervision departments to supervise the quality of electric scooters.
In order to improve the overall quality of electric scooter products, standardize business operations, promote healthy market competition, ensure consumer safety, and guide the standardized, orderly and healthy development of the electric scooter industry, on September 7, 2022, the national standard "General Technical Specifications for Electric Scooters" was successfully held, and the electric scooter category ushered in the first national standard.
The "Specifications" mainly put forward requirements for the electric scooter itself, its test methods and instructions, and standardize the driving safety performance, mechanical performance, electrical performance, environmental adaptability performance and other aspects of the electric scooter.
The standard stipulates that the maximum speed of electric scooters should be within the range of ±10% of the maximum speed clearly stated by the company, and should not exceed 25km/h (international cities generally require a maximum speed of less than 20km/h).
The introduction of the standard may seem like a small change, but it is a big step forward for the electric scooter industry, marking the industry's gradual development towards standardization.
2. Attitudes of domestic and foreign cities towards electric scooters
At present, in China, electric scooters are not considered a means of transportation. They are expressly prohibited from being on the road in China. They can only be used as a tool for entertainment and leisure in some special venues, closed roads, and closed places. However, foreign countries have a high degree of acceptance of electric scooters. Under certain conditions, electric scooters that meet the regulations are allowed to be used as a means of transportation on the road. The details are as follows:
Beijing: Strictly investigate illegal electric scooters on the road
According to the Beijing Times, the Municipal Traffic Management Bureau learned that there is no relevant concept of "scooters, balance bikes, and unicycles" in the current road traffic safety laws and regulations. These vehicles are neither motor vehicles nor non-motor vehicles. They can only be regarded as leisure and entertainment tools and cannot be used as transportation on the road.
At the same time, according to Article 90 of the "Beijing Measures for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" issued in 2018: If a balance bike, scooter or other equipment driven by a power device is used on the road, the traffic management department of the public security agency has the right to detain the equipment and impose a fine of ￥200.
Shanghai: Electric scooters are not allowed on the road
According to CCTV.com, the traffic police of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau stated that balance bikes, electric scooters, etc. are actually neither motor vehicles nor non-motor vehicles, but sliding tools. They cannot be driven on the road and can only be used in closed communities or places not open to the public.
At the same time, according to the WeChat public account released by Shanghai, the traffic police will impose a fine of ￥100 on the parties involved in the first seizure of electric scooters, balance bikes, electric unicycles, etc. on the road in accordance with the principle of "other means of transportation are not registered and registered as required and are driven on the road, and the circumstances are relatively minor"; if electric scooters, balance bikes, electric unicycles, etc. are seized on the road for the second time or more, the vehicles will be detained first, and then the offenders will be notified to go to the designated place for processing and fined ￥500.
UK: Conducting a trial of rental electric scooters
The Highway Act, enacted by the UK government in 1835, restricts the use of personal light electric vehicles (PLEVs) to private land in the UK (the law is still in effect today), so it is illegal to ride a private electric scooter in public in the UK. Violators will face a fine of £300 and a penalty of 6 points on their driver's license.
In June 2020, the UK Department of Transport (DFT) announced the approval of a trial of rental electric scooters, with more than 40 towns participating. Pilot cities allow rental electric scooters to be used on roads and bike lanes. The purpose of the trial is to evaluate the safety of electric scooters and whether they can reduce traffic flow and relieve traffic pressure.
There are also many constraints on the UK's electric scooter trials. First, the DFT said that in order to prevent a large number of low-quality and dangerous electric scooters from appearing on the road, the trial only allows rental scooters, not private scooters. Second, companies providing rental services must insure each electric scooter. Finally, riders must comply with the following conditions (which are written into current law) when using electric scooters:
1) Electric scooters are only allowed on motorways or cycle paths and are prohibited from riding on sidewalks;
2) Must be over 16 years old;
3) Must hold a full or provisional UK driving licence (no need to take a separate scooter licence);
4) Speed must be limited to 15.5 mph (25km/h);
5) Driving on motorways is prohibited;
6) Do not ride under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
7) Wearing a helmet is not mandatory, but is strongly recommended.
According to reports, data from the UK Department of Transport (DFT) showed that as of June 2022, 12 people died in accidents involving electric scooters, three times the number of deaths in the same period of 2021. At the same time, the number of people seriously injured by electric scooters or using electric scooters increased from 228 in 2021 to 429 in 2022, almost doubling, which also led to more and more voices against electric scooters in British society. Its government said that it would draft legislation in the future to further regulate electric scooters.
Germany: Enactment of regulations allowing the use of electric scooters on public roads
In May 2019, the German Federal Council approved the "Light Electric Vehicles Participating in Road Traffic Ordinance", classifying electric scooters as light electric vehicles. In Germany, light electric vehicles can be legally used on bicycle lanes and motor vehicle lanes.
Definition of Light Electric Vehicles
According to the Light Electric Vehicles Regulation, light electric vehicles are defined as motor vehicles with electric drive, a maximum speed of not less than 6 km/h and not more than 20 km/h, and meeting the following standards:
*Vehicles without seats or self-balancing vehicles with or without seats;
*The handlebars or handrails of motor vehicles with seats are at least 500 mm, and the handlebars or handrails of motor vehicles without seats are at least 700 mm;
*The continuous rated power does not exceed 500 watts, and if at least 60% of the power is used for self-balancing, the rated power cannot exceed 1400 watts;
*The total width does not exceed 700 mm, the total height does not exceed 1400 mm, and the total length does not exceed 2000 mm;
*The maximum vehicle weight does not exceed 55 kg.
In June 2019, the German Traffic Administration (KBA) officially promulgated relevant regulations on the use of electric scooters in Germany. Electric scooters that meet the following requirements are officially allowed to be driven on the road:
1) The maximum speed is 20km/h;
2) The manufacturer must apply for a general operating license (ABE) from the KBA;
3) Insurance must be purchased;
4) Electric scooters must have front and rear lights, bells, handlebars and two independently operated brakes.
In addition, when users use electric scooters:
1) No driver's license is required;
2) The minimum age is 14 years old, but only those over 18 years old can use sharing electric scooters;
3) It is recommended but not mandatory to wear a helmet;
4) For most electric scooters, the user's weight should not exceed 83kg (plus the total weight of the scooter should not exceed 100kg);
5) It is prohibited to carry people and drive side by side;
6) It is prohibited to drive on the sidewalk and bicycle lanes must be used. If there is no bicycle lane, you must drive as far to the right as possible on the road.
With the relaxation of policies and regulations, the number of electric scooters in Germany has "exploded" in recent years. The brands of "Shared Escooter For Rent" on the streets are flourishing, and the wave of electric scooters has swept Germany. But "unregulated" electric scooters are rampant, gliding as they please and stopping as they please. The public has launched a heated discussion on this: Is the electric scooter the "savior of urban transportation" or "electronic waste on the sidewalk"?
According to German media reports, in 2020, the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) released a study on electric scooters, and surveyed more than 4,000 users of Iot rental e-Scooter about their reasons for using electric scooters. Nearly 47% of the respondents said that if they didn't have an electric scooter, they would walk to their destination, 29% would use public transportation, and 9% would choose a bicycle or electric bike for rental. Only 8% of the respondents said that if they didn't have an electric scooter, they would drive or take a taxi to their destination. The data shows that electric scooters have not contributed to the transformation of transportation, but are replacing more environmentally friendly walking and cycling.
Singapore: Gradually regulating the management of electric scooters
In Singapore, electric scooters did not need to be registered at first, and sellers did not need to hold relevant certifications. But as electric scooters became more and more popular, many accidents followed, such as frequent fires caused by chargers, traffic accidents on the road, and so on. These made the Singapore government aware of the "dangers" of electric scooters and their regulation became increasingly strict.
The Active Transport Act (AMA) issued by Singapore in May 2018 proposed how to regulate the use of electric scooters on public roads. In November 2019, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore issued an announcement that from November 5, 2019, electric scooters can only be ridden on bicycle lanes, and electric scooters are prohibited on sidewalks and motor vehicle lanes.
Electric scooters can only be ridden on bike lanes
In addition, electric scooters must be registered with LTA by people aged 16 and above (children under 16 can drive electric scooters under the supervision of people aged 21 and above), and their registration and identification marks must be properly affixed and displayed. Violators will be fined S$2,000 or imprisoned for three months, or both.
Where to affix identification marks
From April 2020, LTA introduced mandatory inspection requirements to ensure that electric scooters (i.e. motorized personal mobility devices with handlebars) meet the equipment standards for use on public roads (weight not exceeding 20kg, width not exceeding 70cm, maximum speed limit of 25km/h, and UL2272 fire safety certification). Users are required to conduct regular inspections of electric scooters every 2 years. If they fail to submit for inspection on time, their registration will be cancelled and they will face a fine of S$1,000 or three months in prison, or both.
Basic requirements for electric scooters
Starting from January 1, 2022, electric scooter users will need to take and pass an online theoretical test, after which they will be issued a lifetime valid driver's license. If you drive on the road without a driver's license, the first offense will be fined S$2,000 or 6 months in prison, or both; repeat offenders will be fined S$5,000 or up to 12 months in prison, or both.
Japan: Further refine the management of electric scooters
In the "Road Traffic Law Implementation Regulations" implemented on April 1, 2022, electric scooters with a maximum speed of less than 20 kilometers per hour are listed as a new vehicle category. People aged 16 and above do not need to obtain relevant driver's licenses to use this type of transportation on the road, and it is not mandatory to wear a helmet, but people under 16 are prohibited from using it.
In principle, electric scooters are allowed on the road according to bicycle standards. During driving, the green light installed on the electric scooter needs to be "lit up", and motor vehicle lanes or sidewalks cannot be used except in special circumstances.
According to Fuji News Network on January 19, 2023, it is expected that Japan will release the revised "Road Traffic Law" on July 1 this year. At that time, electric scooters with a speed of less than 6 kilometers per hour can be driven on sidewalks, but the green light on the vehicle must be set to "flashing mode".
3. Gofunow has something to say
In China, electric scooters are recreational tools and are strictly prohibited from being driven on the road. They can only be used in closed areas. Although foreign cities allow electric scooters to be on the road, their management and regulations are relatively strict. At the same time, there is a certain controversy about the safety of electric scooters themselves and whether they can play a role in urban traffic.
Where will the future development of electric scooters go in China?
What role will they play in urban traffic?
Will they become a supplement to public transportation or a substitute for cars?
How can safety risks be avoided?
What do you think about this?
Please Let us know, and welcome to discuss further.
Gofunow Tech Co.,Ltd.
