Many people who live in the suburbs rely on their cars to get to work, but statistics have shown that the current inner-city air pollution is causing a national health crisis. Are suburbanites polluting our cities? In this blog, we discuss one solution that could be a viable alternative - combining EVs (Electric Vehicles) with a folding scooter for that inner city urban mobility.
EVs and Kick Scooters Combined – a new Park & Ride solution
Drive an Electric Vehicle (EV) and you’ll never turn back. The thought of an internal combustion engine suddenly becomes archaic. There have been fast-paced improvements in the technology and the range of EVs. Because a growing number of charging points are installed, EVs have finally become a viable option. It is also a tenth of the price in fuel to run. Electric cars are on the rise and it is estimated that this industry will continue to grow (see graph below). This is backed by the government, who will introduce a ban on cars that are not either fully electric or hybrid in 2040*. There are various grants available for those who are looking to invest in an electric car.
Source: https://www.nextgreencar.com/electric-cars/statistics/
At the same time, there is a move towards low emission zones and car-free zones in city centres. What better way to navigate the city than on a scooter? Electric cars are definitely a step forward, but they are not a solution to congestion problems. Combining EVs and scooters can be an option for people who need their car or don't have time to walk long distances once inside the city.
*Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40723581
EVs and the foldable adult scooter, SwiftyONE
Parking your car outside the city centre and scooting the rest of the way might be the perfect solution for both air pollution and congestion inside cities. Here are a selection of electric cars and all you need to know about them. We've also checked if our folding scooter (SwiftyONE) fits in the boot.
Tesla Model X
Folding SwiftyONE Marine in Tesla Model X's boot
Telsa is transforming the electric vehicle market. Revolutionizing range and super charging. Tesla is leading the way with charging times under half an hour on their own charging network. The Model X is Tesla's first seven-seater SUV.
Folding SwiftyONE Marine in Tesla Model X's boot
With a maximum speed of 155 mph and being able to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in only 4.8 seconds. Because a full battery gives you an amazing range of 303 miles, you can drive a Tesla without any range anxiety. The price of the Tesla Model X starts at £84,800 after the UK government Plug-in Car Grant. Even with seven seats, the foldable scooter still easily fits in the boot with plenty of space left in the bonnet.
Battery range: 303 miles
Charging time: 80% charge in 30 minutes when using the Tesla Supercharger network
Max speed: 155 mph
Power: 503 hp
0-60mph: 4.8 seconds
Tesla Model S
Folding SwiftyONE Marine in Tesla Model S' boot
Folding SwiftyONE Marine in Tesla Model S' boot
The Tesla Model S is five-door liftback saloon. This 100% electric car has a range of 300 miles and is charged to 50% in 20 minutes using a supercharger. The model comes with three different variations in battery, each with their own price tag. Prices start at £50,280 after the UK government Plug-in Car Grant. The large boot suits the SwiftyONE perfectly with enough space for three more scooters.
Battery range: 300 miles
Charging time: 50% charge in 20 minutes when using a supercharger
Max speed: 130mph
Power: 416 hp
0-60mph: 4.2 mph
Jaguar I-pace
Folding SwiftyONE Marine in Jaguar I-pace's boot
The Jaguar I-pace is Jaguar’s first fully electric car. With a 292-mile range, this car can be driven without feeling the range anxiety other EVs might cause. A rapid charger gets the battery from 0 to 80% in 85 minutes. A 7kW charger gives you the same charge in about 10 hours. Prices start at £74,445 after the UK government Plug-In Car Grant.
Battery range: 292 miles
Charging time: 80% charge in 85 minutes when using a rapid charger, 10 hours when using a 7kW charger
Max speed: 124 mph
Power: 400 hp
0-60mph: 4.5 seconds
Nissan Leaf
Folding SwiftyONE Marine with Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf is probably the most popular electric car out there. The 100% electric car has a range of 235 miles (168 real-world miles) and can be fully charged with a wall box at home within 7,5 hours.
Folding SwiftyONE Marine in Nissan Leaf's boot
When using a rapid charger, the Nissan Leaf is charged up to 80% in less than an hour. It may not have the same range as the Tesla or Jaguar EVs, but it comes at a much more affordable price, starting at £28,390.
Battery range: 235 miles
Charging time: 80% in less than an hour when using a rapid charger, when using a wall box it takes 7,5 hours to fully charge it
Max speed: 90 mph
Power: 150 hp
0-60mph: 7.9 seconds
Renault ZOE Z.E.4.0
Folding SwiftyONE in Racing Green
This fully electric vehicle comes with a 400v 22kWh lithium-ion battery that sits under the floor of the car. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to try our Swifty in the boot.
Folding SwiftyONE in Racing Green
A full charge gives you 250 miles (Renault says this results into 186 real-world miles and 124 in winter when the battery is also used to heat the car). It only takes 3-4 hours to charge the battery on a 9kW single-phase 32 A supply. Prices start at £15,545, after the UK government Plug-In Car Grant.
Battery range: 250 miles (186 real-world miles)
Charging time: 3-4 hours to fully charge it on a 9kW A supply
Max speed: 84 mph
Power: 88 hp
0-60mph: 13.5 seconds
Volkswagen E-Golf
Folding SwiftyONE in Racing Green
Another fully electric car in which the SwiftyONE fits seamlessly, the Volkswagen E-Golf. The only difference with its diesel/petrol equivalent is the motor. The E-Golf’s motor is fully electric and comes with a lithium-ion battery which is integrated into the car’s floor. On a full charge, the range is 186, which results into 124 miles real-world miles.
Folding SwiftyONE in Racing Green in Volkswagen E-Golf's boot
Charging to a full battery on a household three-pin socket takes just over 17 hours, but can be reduced to 10 hours and 50 minutes when charging it through a 3.6kW home wall box. The E-Golf comes at £32,190, or £27,690 after the UK government Plug-In Car Grant.
Battery range: 186 miles (124 real-world miles)
Charging time: 17 hours when using a household three-pin socket, 10 hours and 50 minutes when using a 3.6kW home wall box
Max speed: 93 mph
Power: 136 hp
0-60mph: 9.6 seconds
BMW i3 Range Extender
Folding SwiftyONE in Racing Green
This BMW comes with an electric motor and petrol range extender. A full battery gives you around 163 miles, of which 95 are fully electric. The petrol range extender does not kick in until the electric battery runs out.
Folding SwiftyONE in Racing Green in BMW i3 Range Extender's boot
Charging takes around 3 hours when using a Type 2 connector. The BMX i3 Range Extender starts at £32,725 (after the UK plug-In Car Grant). Even though the car looks quite compact, the foldable SwiftyONE easily fits into the boot.
Battery range: 163 miles (of which 95 are fully electric)
Charging time: 3 hours when using a type 2 connector
Max speed: 99 mph
Power: 184 hp
0-60mph: 6.9 seconds
BMW 225XE
This plug-in hybrid BMW comes with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, an electric motor and battery pack. The battery can be charged in 4 hours when using a three-pin plug, or in as little as 2 hours when using a 3.7 kW-22kW charging method. A full charge gives you 28 miles, after that it relies on the petrol engine. The BMW 225XE starts £35,195.
Battery range: 11-23 miles fully electric before it switches over to petrol/diesel
Charging time: 4 hours when using a household three-pin plug, or 2 hours when using a home wall box
Max speed: 126 mph
Power: 221 hp
0-60mph: 6.7 seconds
Folding SwiftyONE in Racing Green in BMW 225XE's boot
Air Pollution and Congestion inside our Cities
As stated before, we have an urgent problem regarding air quality in the UK. Levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) have been illegally high in the UK since 2010. In 2018, the UK (together with five other European nations) was referred to Europe’s highest court for failing to tackle these illegal levels of pollution. Nationally, roughly 36,000* people die prematurely due to illnesses caused by poor air quality every year.
Read more about air pollution and the highway act of 1835 in our journal:
Clean air in cities? Why we need to talk about the 1835 Highway Act
Many regulations are being introduced to reduce harmful greenhouse gasses being pumped into the air and we are slowly improving. But as you can see in the graph below, transportation is the only sector that is slowly increasing in air pollution. We’re falling behind and are missing out on such a great opportunity to start clearing the air by not focussing on transport more.
Greenhouse gas emissions per sector
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport_en
Another problem UK cities are struggling with is the congestion, especially during rush hour. In London, drivers have an average speed of 7.6mph, Manchester drivers sit at 15.3mph on a second place**. I could scoot faster than that! Congested streets and air pollution go hand-in-hand. Swapping a petrol/diesel car to an electric version might help to fight pollution, but they still contribute to the congestion. Cities need to focus on making urban areas more pedestrian, cycle and scooter friendly to encourage people to turn to light vehicles instead of their cars.
*Source: Public Health England March 2019 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/
**Source: https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/fleet-management/5-factors-shaping-the-future-of-urban-mobility
The Rise of Micro-Mobility
Scooters and bikes don’t take up nearly as much space as cars and they do not emit any harmful greenhouse gases. Electric cars only provide a solution for half the problem, they still cause congestion and fill up our city centres.
Read more about electric scooters in the journal:
Electric Scooters: Owning vs Sharing
It seems like we’re slowly falling behind in the UK, especially when it comes to the latest transport trends. E-scooter companies Bird and Lime have been taking the US by storm, turning into two of the fastest growing companies ever. The use of scooters and bikes has exploded and is helping to reduce car rides inside the city centres. So why are we not focussing on smaller vehicles (like bikes and kick scooters) in the UK?
Source: https://www.futureengine.org/articles/scooters-are-worth-10b
Using electric cars to cover longer distances and combining them with smaller, micro-mobility vehicles like scooters help reduce congestion and help us clean the air inside cities. With a kick-scooter, you can keep fit too. Win-win-win!
Would love to buy an electric powered Swifty, but the law needs change to make it legal on public areas. Regarding electric cars, too expensive, at least 10 years to early, real world range a joke, alright for second expensive option at moment, incentives to go hybrid re Government subsidies removed?, I could go on.
John Hollings on
Good practical information to know. Thanks for putting this together.
Carlos on