The Top Electric Scooter Trends Shaping the E-scooter Market

Since electric scooters entered the market, the industry has risen to popularity among commuters worldwide. After all, electric scooters have proven to be an eco-friendly, efficient, and affordable means of transportation for commuters and travellers. Today, e-scooters have cemented their place in the micro-mobility sector and continue to have a growing global demand. 

However, what else can we expect from electric scooters and the industry? Moreover, are electric scooters just a trend? Ming Ye, CEO of Mearth, believes that some of the trends that we will see in the industry are “a more sustainable automated manufacturing process, smarter electric scooters, and a more friendly legislation on using e-scooters.”

It seems that the e-scooter industry is only set to grow. With this, here are four electric scooter trends that are shaping the e-scooter market.

The top electric scooter trends to watch out for

1. Increasing electric scooter market growth

Despite the global pandemic, the electric scooter market is facing—and will continue to face—increasing global demand in the coming years. According to a study by Grand View Research, the e-scooter market is expected to reach nearly $41.98 billion by 2030. As a result, the global scooter market will face a CAGR increase of 8.5 per cent. 

In another study, the e-scooter revenue is estimated to increase by 21 per cent by 2023, as developments and surges happen in Europe, North America, and Latin America alone. The market is also estimated to reach $200-300 billion in the US, $100-150 billion in Europe, and $30-50 billion in China. These numbers prove that there is growing demand and opportunity in these continents and countries. 

Meanwhile, the e-scooter sharing market is expected to further its growth in Europe, North America, and Latin America. Other regions will also start to adopt shared e-scooter schemes, especially countries like China and Singapore.

2. Leveraging tech in e-scooters

One of the electric scooter market trends that are starting to be available in the market is smart e-scooters. These are e-scooters that leverage tech to make e-scooters safer and more convenient. AI will start to make its way into e-scooter design and technology.

For example, micro-mobility companies Luna and Voi Technology partnered last year to develop and test electric scooters that can detect pedestrians while riding. This is similar to the sensing abilities of smart cars, allowing the e-scooters to detect and avoid riders. Cameras and sensors were integrated into the e-scooters to create real-time pedestrian detection. 

Aside from this, tech can be used to self-diagnose an e-scooter. Superpedestrian, a Cambridge-based startup, used Vehicle Intelligence System (VIS) to detect and predict failures in e-scooters. The result is a self-diagnosing e-scooter that can also call for help automatically. With more e-scooter incorporating AI into electric scooters, riders no longer have to worry about safety and inconveniences.

3. More e-scooter-related infrastructure

An increasing electric scooter demand will also result in the need for more and better infrastructure for micro-mobility devices, such as bicycle lanes. However, providing safe and convenient infrastructures for e-scooter riders is one of the biggest challenges for local policymakers. 

To build appropriate infrastructures for e-scooter riders, cities must use data to understand usage patterns and user needs. More importantly, policymakers have a limited understanding of the infrastructure preferences of e-scooter riders. Unfortunately, the data needed is almost non-existent or difficult to obtain.

However, some cities and e-scooter companies have already overcome this challenge. A perfect example would be the e-scooter growth in Tel Aviv, Israel. The city wants to add 160 km of new micro-mobility infrastructure by 2025 to reduce traffic congestion. To do this, the city collected data from shared e-scooter services in the city. 

Deputy Mayor Meital Lehavi said, “Thanks to the support from and data shared by micro-mobility operators like Bird, we’ve been able to identify where new infrastructure is most needed in order to encourage modeshift and reduce our dependence on private cars.”

As the need for more e-scooters increases, expect that e-scooter-related infrastructures will also increase.

4. Governments being more open with electric scooters

During the early days of electric scooters, it was difficult for e-scooter companies, both shared and private, to get approval to operate in public. After all, e-scooters are still illegal to ride in public in most cities and countries. However, this may soon change as legislators are starting to be more open to the idea of e-scooters.

In Australia, only a few states and cities have allowed e-scooters in public. However, more cities are expressing their interest in having e-scooter trials. Earlier this year the Victorian government announced that there will be e-scooter trials in two Melbourne metropolitan councils and one regional council. It will start later this year and run for up to 12 months. 

Meanwhile, Hobart and Launceston, two of the largest cities in Tasmania, are set to have a 12-month e-scooter trial within the year. The trial will operate on an app-based and user-pays basis within certain zones.

Although there are still quite a few cities that open their roads to e-scooters, these are a great start to someday allowing e-scooters across the country.

Electric scooters are here to stay

The fact that e-scooter demand is increasing, e-scooter developers continue to innovate and improve their products, and legislators are becoming more open to e-scooters only means one thing: electric scooters are not a fad. It is here to stay.

The trends mentioned above are proof that electric scooters still have more to offer to riders. Commuters and retailers should keep an eye on how the e-scooter industry will develop in the coming years as e-scooters can change the way we move. 

To positively contribute to this change, Mearth continues to develop electric scooters that help commuters move better and easier. With a mission to reshape transportation, Mearth always aims to produce the best electric scooters for adults in Australia. Learn more about our products or become our partner today.