E-Scooters? Not As “Green” As You’d Think

The “rent-via-credit card” electric scooters that are now the rage around Portland and other “eco-friendly” cities — are intended to “help the environment.” But, do they, really?

Researchers at North Carolina State University disassembled a scooter in their lab and calculated what it took to produce it. The aluminum (scooter frame) and lithium (battery) metals must be mined, and all other vehicle’s components must be manufactured. All this accounts for about half the greenhouse gases an e-scooter is “advertised to save,” over its lifetime. Adding up the environmental costs of collecting discarded scooters, transporting them to charging stations, maintenance — and disposal (when old or damaged beyond repair) — amounts to far more than the other half of greenhouse gases that e-scooters are supposed “to save.”

So, with e-scooters, it’s the same story as with solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars: everyone feels “warm and fuzzy” about “helping the environment,” but the undesirable effects on our environment are actually more severe than using fossil fuel instead!