Tag Archive: Micro-Mobility for Europe

  1. How compact electric vehicles could challenge the dominance of SUVs

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    Source: The Guardian

    The Guardian reports on driving through the streets of central London in a diminutive Microlino electric car, as its petite frame contrasts sharply with the towering SUVs, it draws an unexpected amount of attention. Passersby cheerfully nicknamed the vehicle “Lego car.”

    A quirky innovation from Micro

    Made by Micro, the Swiss family-owned company renowned for its mini-micro kick scooters, the Microlino embodies the retro charm of 1950s bubble cars. Measuring a mere 2.5 meters in length—just marginally smaller than a Smart car—it boasts a unique front door and a rear hatch for accessing the boot. Its innovative design, with the windscreen and bonnet swinging open, facilitates seamless entry and exit.

    Challenging the dominance of SUVs

    As the Microlino makes its debut in the UK market, it defies the prevailing trend favouring larger vehicles, particularly SUVs. Despite environmental concerns and warnings from experts, SUVs accounted for nearly half of global car sales in 2023, marking a significant shift towards larger, heavier automobiles.

    In the congested streets of London, the Microlino stands out, attracting countless double takes, waves, and laughter. Cyclists engage in conversations at traffic lights, while even bus drivers pause to offer enthusiastic gestures of approval. Its manoeuvrability makes it ideal for urban navigation, although its range of 136 miles and top speed of 56mph allow for occasional longer trips.

    Parking snugly between luxury vehicles like Bentleys and Land Rover Defenders in affluent London districts exemplifies the Microlino’s adaptability. Despite the prevalence of SUVs, in these areas including Chelsea, a posh area of London that gave name to the “Chelsea tractors”, compact cars like the Microlino find their place.

    Factors driving the trend towards larger cars

    The reach of SUV’s go far beyond affluent areas. David Bailey, a professor of business economics at the University of Birmingham, explored the various factors contribute to the proliferation of larger vehicles, including customer demand for spacious interiors and a commanding view of the road. Regulatory requirements, such as safety features and emissions control systems, also influence car sizes, with smaller vehicles facing higher production costs.

    Environmental implications of car size

    The expansion of car sizes poses significant environmental challenges, with larger vehicles consuming more fossil fuels and emitting higher levels of carbon dioxide. Additionally, the production of electric SUVs requires substantial quantities of minerals, hindering decarbonization efforts. Moreover, larger vehicles contribute to increased tire pollution and pedestrian fatalities, particularly among women and children.

    Trends towards smaller electric vehicles

    The imminent launch of smaller, more affordable electric models, such as the Renault 5 and the Dacia Spring, offers promise for accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels. However, limited offerings from major manufacturers hinder progress, with only a few ventures into the realm of truly compact electric cars.

    China emerges as a dominant force in the market for tiny electric cars, leveraging cheap lithium iron phosphate batteries to produce affordable models like the Geometry Panda, Mini EV, and Baojun Yep. These compact vehicles offer SUV styling in a compact package, reflecting a growing trend towards smaller, more efficient transportation solutions.

    Microlino’s vision

    Merlin Ouboter, the driving force behind the Microlino project, envisions a future where compact, efficient vehicles like the Microlino revolutionize urban transportation. Designed for short-distance travel, the Microlino aims to address the majority of daily commuting needs while promoting shared mobility solutions for longer journeys.

    Policy interventions for sustainable transport

    Advocates like James Nix emphasize the need for policy interventions to promote sustainable transportation practices. Measures such as higher parking fees for large vehicles and increased sales taxes can help mitigate the growing size of cars and encourage the adoption of more environmentally friendly alternatives. Emulating successful initiatives implemented in countries like France could pave the way for a more sustainable evolution of the European car fleet.

  2. Micromobility in 2024: Aon’s seven key trends outlined

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    Source: ZAG Daily

    Benjamin Hindson, Digital Economy Chief Commercial Officer of Aon, outlines his selection of key micromobility trends for 2024

    The past year has been busy for micromobility – nearly half, or 46%, of respondents in a McKinsey consumer survey are open to switching from their private vehicles to alternative modes of transportation in the next decade. This indicates that the micromobility sector will likely remain a focal point to observe in 2024.

    Here are seven prominent trends poised to revolutionize mobility:

    1. Growth in mobility as a service (MaaS)

    More people are embracing multi-modal travel, opting for a diverse range of transportation options such as scooters, bikes, taxis, and car rentals. It’s one of the reasons we’re seeing growth in MaaS represented by super transport apps which allow users to access multiple services through a single platform. Due to this trend, micromobility providers and operators can afford to specialise while tapping into a broader mobility network.

    2. The rise of mobility hubs

    There is an expected continual rise in multi-modal hubs – centralised areas offering various transport options, centred around existing train stations or taxi hubs. As smart cities advance and we become more connected, these hubs will play a pivotal role in facilitating efficient movement.

    3. Enhanced use of data and telematics

    In the micromobility sector, there is increased data collection and analysis, enabling operators to compare behaviour for a variety of factors (e.g. night vs. day riding, first to multiple-time users, notifications for accidents or interference, whether a scooter has been ridden on the pavement or road, and so on). This data-rich environment enables operators to understand customer decision making, safety patterns and usage across different zones, enabling a comprehensive understanding of risk factors beyond conventional crash hazards.

    4. Increased regulation and expanding personal ownership

    It is anticipated that more countries, regions and cities will adopt a tender process for micromobility operators to run their services in a particular town or city. New UK legislation is expected around the use of e-scooters which could accelerate private use. Despite widespread private ownership of bikes, shared bike schemes thrive, indicating potential coexistence between private and shared micromobility.

    5. Design evolution

    Micromobility vehicles are evolving to be more sustainable, durable, and recyclable; this is likely to carry on in 2024, specifically with continued evolution in terms of their design. The development of micro cars, such as the Citroën Ami – pods for urban mobility – is also expected to gain momentum, meaning more may be seen on the streets.

    6. More consolidation and mergers and acquisitions

    As venture capital funding becomes more expensive for operators, who are overall, not yet profitable, the industry may witness greater consolidation and mergers to achieve scalability and profitability faster. The rate of mergers and acquisitions could pick up in 2024 to accelerate business models.

    7. Insurance competition opportunties

    While there remains a market appetite for general liability cover for micromobility operators, especially where the risk is placed using brokers who understand the risk and the business model, rider liability poses challenges. Next year it’s likely to be very similar unless more insurers enter the scene. New insurers are hesitant due to a lack of understanding for how to apply the data to their existing models. For the right insurer, there are opportunities to foster competition that may benefit micromobility operators.

    Micromobility’s return to Paris

    By the time of the Paris Olympics in July next year, it will be interesting to see how many of these themes are playing out in the first half of 2024. For the city which recently banned rented e-scooters from its streets, micromobility advocates will be interested to see a sponsored range of 250 seated and standing “personal battery electric vehicles“, in place to help athletes, organisers and volunteers move between the venues in Paris.

  3. Incident data for shared e-scooters published by MMfE

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    Source: Eltis, J. Tewson

    Micro-mobility for Europe (MMfE), the EU association for shared micromobility providers, has released a first-of-its-kind factsheet on incident data.

    The factsheet (accessible here) combines incident data from the association’s six founding members: Bird, Bolt, Dott, Lime, Tier, and Voi. The association shared, “Our goal is to shed light on the debate around shared e-scooters safety by providing data in a transparent manner on the volume, severity of incidents, and their implications on the safety of road users. Ultimately, we hope these insights will help inform conversations and road safety policies in the EU that reduce incident risks for vulnerable road users, such as shared micro-mobility riders, and we are committed to continuing working closely with authorities to do so.“

    Key findings, based on 240 million shared e-scooter trips:

    • When comparing 2021 to 2019, the risk of incidents that require medical attention has reduced by 60%.
    • In 2021, 5.1 injuries per million km travelled required medical assistance.
    • Fatality rates on shared e-scooters are thought to be about half those of private e-scooters.
    • Cyclists and shared e-scooter riders have a similar risk of fatal incidents. Shared e-scooter rider fatality risk is 20 times lower than that of moped riders.
    • The fatality risk for shared e-scooter use is 0.015 per 1 million km ridden.

    The factsheet makes a range of recommendations aimed at improving road safety for vulnerable users, including shared e-scooter riders. It is recommended that there is an investment in safe infrastructure; that e-scooter riders are acknowledged as vulnerable road users; that there is further enforcement of traffic rules by local authorities; and that incident reporting standards are harmonised across Europe.

    View the MMfE factsheet in its entirety, here.

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