Will self-service electric scooters soon disappear from the streets of the capital? After five years of debates, revived with each accident, Parisians will be able to vote on the ban or not of these vehicles during a citizen consultation organized Sunday, April 2. Deployed since 2018, they continue to divide public opinion, sometimes presented as new "practical" and "green" mobilities, sometimes as "ecological aberrations".

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has thus spoken, in January, in the columns of the Parisian, in favor of their ban, denouncing machines "which are not ecological". An argument immediately refuted by the Minister Delegate for Transport, Clément Beaune: it is above all "a means of ecological mobility", he assured on France 2 a few days later. "As we know, many have given up the polluting scooter, or even the car, to take a scooter." On the eve of the citizen consultation, France 24 deciphers the ecological impact of this "soft mobility".

Scooters less and less polluting

"The main problem today is their manufacture, which generates the majority of their greenhouse gas emissions," notes Anne de Bortoli, a researcher in carbon neutrality and sustainability of transportation and infrastructure at Polytechnique Montréal. In question, the lithium batteries that allow them to roll, but above all, the aluminum frames "whose production is very energy-intensive," she continues.

>> Read also: In Europe, the race for lithium, a major issue in the energy transition

But in addition to this polluting production, the deployment and operation of electric scooters are regularly pointed out by refractories. Among the critics: machines with a "too short" lifespan and companies that put "efficiency and speed" before ecology. "This was true in 2018, when the first self-service scooters arrived in the capital," admits the specialist. "The operation was chaotic. Thirteen operators shared 40,000 machines in the streets of Paris and tried at all costs to make a place for themselves in a flourishing market. "

"But since then things have changed a lot," she said. "Already, the first generation of scooters that were not at all designed for shared use - they were not strong enough and had a very short lifespan - have been replaced. Today, they are much more robust and resistant."

At the same time, the market was organized. Paris, like several cities in France, has restricted the number of vehicles available and reduced the number of operators allowed to deploy them. And in the face of less competition, "management has become more and more ecological," says Anne de Bortoli.

"In 2018, scooters were collected to be recharged by juicers, subcontractors paid by the number of vehicles recovered, who drove in diesel vans to remote charging sites. The environmental impact was huge," she recalls. "Gradually, operators replaced these vans with electric vehicles and favored scooters with removable batteries, easier to transport."

A higher impact than the metro but lower than the car

"Thus, while in 2018, the operation of the scooter fleet represented at least 50% of their CO2 emissions, today this proportion falls to 10%," says Anne de Bortoli. And these efforts are reflected in the ecological impact. According to the specialist's measurements, the carbon footprint of self-service scooters amounted to 109 grams of CO2 equivalent per kilometer traveled in 2019. It has since halved to 60 grams.

"Today, self-service scooters are therefore considered to have an intermediate ecological footprint," continues Anne de Bartoli. A shared scooter will have a higher environmental impact than other so-called "soft" modes of transport - it pollutes about five times more than a bicycle or the metro over an equivalent distance - but remains 3 to 4 times less polluting than a car trip.

The carbon footprint of Parisian modes of transport Graphic © Studio, France Médias Monde

"The worst modes of transport are obviously diesel buses, cars and taxis. And the most ecological of all, it will always be walking, "says with a smile the specialist.

Electric scooters, for what uses?

"But to really determine whether a mode of transport is beneficial for the planet or not, we must also look at what it replaces," insists Anne de Bortoli. "Obviously, its use will be all the more virtuous if it is to the detriment of a more polluting vehicle."

And there, the balance sheet of self-service scooters seems half-hearted. According to the results of a survey conducted in Paris, in 2020, only 7% of shared scooter trips replaced trips that would have been made otherwise by car or taxi. With distances rarely covered exceeding 2 km, scooters rather replace walking or the metro.

"But electric scooters, maneuverable and easily foldable, are also perfect tools to encourage less use of your car," adds Grégoire Hénin, vice-president of the Federation of Micro-mobility Professionals. "And more and more people are using them to join public transport or carpooling," he said.

"Not to mention that another argument argues in favor of these shared vehicles: in addition to CO2 emissions, we must also take into account other environmental emergencies such as pollution or the extinction of biodiversity," continues Anne de Bortoli. However, by not emitting any fine particles in use, the scooter helps fight against air pollution."

The personal electric scooter, a more ecological option

Finally, for those who appreciate this mode of travel, the most ecological option is to invest in your own electric scooter. "You always take more care of your business... Its lifespan is therefore often longer, further offsetting its environmental cost," explains the specialist. According to his calculations, a personal electric scooter pollutes five times less than its shared equivalent.

"But this is also where self-service scooters can find interest. They can act as an intermediary. The user discovers what it is, can test the machine, begin to change his habits and realize that it suits him, "notes Grégoire Hénin. And indeed, since 2018 and their arrival on the streets, the market has exploded. "700,000 scooters were sold in France in 2022. And 35 million people use one every day," he explains.

But there remains a big challenge: what to do with electric scooters at the end of their life and especially lithium batteries? While the recycling sector is developing for aluminium frames, allowing in particular the establishment of a circular economy, that concerning lithium remains in its infancy. In 2022, only 12% of batteries were recycled.

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