EFFECT OF SHARED ELECTRIC SCOOTERS ON URBAN GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS: CASE OF RIGA

Abstract

Because of the electric propulsion, electric scooters could be a potential way how to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in urban transportation sector; however, recent research has cast doubt on that. This article focuses on the effect the electric scooter use has on CO2 emissions by examining the electric scooter trip data obtained during 2021 scooter season in Riga city. As shared scooters routinely replace already existing modes of transportation, the article analyses the effect which this replacement has on net CO2 emissions in the city. We argue that not all replacement modes will bring actual decrease of CO2 emissions. The results indicate that most of the shared e-scooter trips in Riga fall into the 1-2 km distance category, where it replaces not just cars, but also public transportation, walking and cycling, and actually increases CO2 emissions. The article examines the factors contributing to the CO2 emissions and relative impact of each. The results demonstrate that the largest impact comes from the scooter and battery manufacturing, thus scooter lifetime has decisive impact on the overall net CO2 emissions. In addition, this research found fundamental differences between expected scooter lifetime data claimed by shared scooter operators (5 years) and the average reallife data (156 days). It results in shared e-scooters creating additional 239.9 tonnes CO2 in Riga, and minimum scooter lifetime should be at least 5 years, for shared scooters to become CO2 neutral. This study aims to contribute to transportation literature by demonstrating net CO2 emission calculation methodology as well as empirical evidence on e-scooter trips in North-Eastern Europe region and to help local authorities to make decisions on reaching environmental targets in transportation sector.