Environmental Assessment of Electric Scooters: Unveiling Research Gaps, Analyzing Factors, and Charting Pathways for Sustainable Micromobility

The transport sector is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and it is essential to find sustainable alternatives. Electric scooters can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing more polluting modes of transport such as cars. However, existing studies do not always corroborate this positive environmental impact, and it is necessary to understand which factors influence it and which stages of life are of most concern. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are to present an overview of the environmental impact of electric scooters and the methodological approaches used to assess it, as well as to analyse the main factors that condition it and propose measures to improve the environmental sustainability of this type of micromobility. To this end, a review of the scientific literature was carried out, from which it was possible to conclude that life cycle analysis was the most used method and that of the 25 studies selected, 72% were in European cities and 68% on shared electric scooters. From the study it was also possible to conclude that the production phase and the charging and rebalancing phase, in the case of shared ones, are the phases that most influence the environmental impact. Thus, producing electric scooters in an environmentally friendly way, extending their useful life, and in the case of shared scooters, collecting and charging efficiently, are the most effective means to reduce environmental impact.