For all the media narratives focusing on the unsavory aspects of the shared scooter and bike networks that have landed in cities in recent years—the clutter, the safety hazards, the lost parking spots—these “microbility” services have the potential to solve some of the biggest problems confronting urban and suburban communities. They can expand access to public transportation, reduce our environmental footprint, and save us money. Micromobility can be just as transformational as solar power or electric vehicles—with impacts that will be felt much sooner.

Cities certainly must address legitimate concerns over safety and how best to absorb large volumes of two-wheel traffic on their streets and sidewalks, and the solution lies in more thoughtful and equitable allocation of street space. Land and lanes should be taken away from cars and dedicated to scooters and bicycles. Public transit systems should be redesigned to better integrate and leverage emerging micromobility networks.

The stakes are high. For cities, there may be no faster and cheaper way to slash carbon emissions, reinvigorate mass transit, and address America’s wasteful and codependent relationship with the automobile.

Looking for proof? This series of infographics, by Valence Strategic's Levi Tillemann and designer Lassor Feasley, breaks down the key reasons why policymakers ought to encourage micromobility’s proliferation. The enormous scale of environmental and land-use challenges confronting an increasingly urban global community means that there’s no time to lose.

Efficiencies

The most inefficient thing about driving a car is the car itself. The average American weighs about 175 pounds. According to a 2016 study by the US Department of Energy, the average American car weighs just under 4,100 pounds—23 times more than the person it carries. So most of the car’s energy is used to move the vehicle itself. Our reference e-scooter weighs just 28 pounds and runs off an efficient electric motor. That gives it a huge advantage in terms of energy use.

One kilowatt hour of energy carries a gasoline-powered car a little less than a mile. A much more efficient Tesla Model 3 can travel about four miles on the same amount of energy. An electric scooter can travel more than 80 miles—or 333 laps around a football field.

In fact, e-scooters are so efficient, a human would burn about nine times as much energy walking and about four times as much energy bicycling the same distance.

The Cost of Fuel

In their early years, electric vehicles and renewable energy have struggled against cheaper incumbent technologies powered by fossil fuels. In contrast, e-scooters are generally cheaper to utilize than alternatives like public transit, taxis, and personal cars.