By the year, cities become more crowded, and traffic worsens, making the old commuting methods increasingly unsustainable.
It could be rising gas prices, rising insurance rates, or a desire to avoid traffic jams that have you looking elsewhere for your daily commute.
Many cities have embraced the change by offering tax breaks or other incentives to ditch cars in favor of public transportation and electric vehicles.
JAGER M1 Foldable electric scooter
Motor: 500W
Gradient: 20%
Max. speed: 35km/h
Max. endurance mileage: 45Km
Braking: front drum brake + electric brake
Wheel style: pneumatic tire
Max. load: 100kg
Material: aluminum alloy
Shock absorption: pneumatic tire shock absorption
Protection level: IPX4
Light 1.5W headlight+LED taillight
Instrument: digital instrument
Open size: 1120*1180*430mm
Folded size: 1120*490*430mm
Are electric scooters worth it?
If you plan to use it regularly, electric scooters are worth the money, as they are more cost-effective in the short and long term than cars.
It can be beneficial and cost-effective to use ridesharing electric scooters. Still, it’s like playing a lucky dip every time you reserve one, and they’re not consistent enough to rely on, both in terms of availability and not being damaged by previous riders.
While electric bikes have a long range, a scooter offers greater flexibility and convenience compared to electric bikes. Electric bicycles require more maintenance and generally start at a higher price point, but they are both eco-friendly and arguably good investments.
Why are electric scooters so popular?
These new ridesharing models have helped commuters reduce their carbon footprint, reduce transportation costs, and reduce their time spent on the road.
Electric scooters are portable, require little effort to operate, are fast, and have improved battery technology which means even smaller batteries can offer a reasonable range.
There are many other benefits for those who still need to make up their minds.
Below, we will help you decide if an electric scooter is right for you.
Can my car be replaced with an electric scooter?
The benefits of owning an electric scooter go beyond the tremendous value they provide for transportation. Your electric scooter will likely cost below ten percent of what you would pay for a new car.
For this comparison, cars (electric or otherwise) excel in three areas: range, comfort, and top speed. It expects a vehicle to have a more extended range, as it has a much larger energy storage capacity. You will protect yourself from the elements in a car, but you will be seated for long periods of time.
The range is the main reason an electric scooter might not work for you over a car, as most personal electric vehicles can’t compete.
At the top end, some scooters have ranges of around 60 miles, but these aren’t commuter scooters, and that’s the point. For the most part, 15.5 miles is more than enough for most daily urban commutes, shopping trips, excursions around town, etc.
If your office is in a different zip code and your commute is 20 miles each way, perhaps there are better choices than an electric scooter for the range you need. Check out our more in-depth look at scooter ranges here.
The decision to keep your car depends on your situation. The vehicle will be significantly less if you choose both, and you will be contributing far less to traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
You’ll also save time and money by relying primarily on an electric scooter for your commute. Parking costs are generally not included in yearly commuting estimates, so opting for a scooter will save you more than just gas expenses.
Electric scooters versus e-bikes
As for whether to buy a bike or a scooter, you’ll first want to consider the fact that bikes—especially electric bikes—are heavy, cumbersome, and hard to store in compact spaces.
Additionally, they are more likely to be stolen than portable, folding scooters, which you can take into class or to the office and store under your desk,—and in a closet or under the bed at home.
When you bike to work, you only sometimes want a workout. A non-motorized bike can mean a sweaty summer commute, extra time for a shower, and changing clothes once you get to where you’re going.
In most cities, the rules allow your e-scooter to enter a bike lane, enabling you to skip traffic jams on your way to work. The battery technology in bicycles is primarily the same, but the bikes generally have a higher range due to their larger batteries.
Due to their hard rubber tires and not vulnerable inner tube, electric scooters don’t suffer from flat tires nearly as much as bicycles do. They also don’t require brake pads as often and don’t have chains that can come off and are susceptible to weather.
Due to their compact size and lightweight, electric scooters are easy to ride for short distances and easy to carry on subway cars and buses. When commuters live too far from public transportation to walk comfortably, electric scooters can solve the “last mile” problem better than any other transportation option.
No vehicle offers the flexibility of an electric scooter in commuting, allowing riders to combine many different options for the most efficient route through their city.
Electric scooters are uniquely suited to our rapidly changing urban lifestyles due to their flexibility. With minimal effort and cost, they provide maximum mobility.
Electric scooters can fold up quickly if you run into bad weather.
How reliable are electric scooters?
With proper care, an expertly crafted electric scooter will last several years and require very little maintenance. Another cost often left out of yearly commuting estimates is the significant expense of regular car maintenance and frequent repairs, which can be a massive drain on your monthly budget.
A single expensive car repair can easily overshadow the cost of a quality electric scooter. In addition to all these factors, the average scooter is far more reliable than shared bikes and scooters since shares are subject to heavy daily use and abuse.
If you charge your electric scooter properly, the lithium-ion battery will last long without losing charge or needing replacement. With current technological advances, you don’t need to buy the best scooter on the market to get one with a very reliable and powerful battery.
E-scooters make economic and environmental sense for daily commutes and short trips by virtually every measure. It is easy to carry electric scooters on public transportation, they take up little storage space, and they are fun to ride.
In contrast to cars and bikes, which require routine maintenance, the only additional cost you’ll incur with an electric scooter is the cost of a helmet.