Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research article "Lifecycle Analysis of E-scooters in Sharing Services" in the International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology, published in September 2022, in particular the finding that there are significant differences between lifecycle emissions in the UK, China and Sweden; how these findings have influenced their policy on e-scooters; and why the findings were not referenced in the Department for Transport's National evaluation of e-scooter trials.

The Department maintains a wide interest in research relating to all elements of transport, including shared mobility solutions. The research paper in question was one of several to inform the International Transport Forum’s report Good to Go? Assessing the Environmental Performance of New Mobility, which policymakers and analysts have considered in detail. The ITF report notes that the carbon emissions of shared mobility solutions are significantly affected by the factors shaping the construction of vehicles and operational practices.

The report also states that significant progress has already been made in increasing the durability of e-scooters, reducing emissions per-kilometre from 122gCO₂ to 106g in a relatively short period of time, with the potential for known techniques to reduce this to as little as 37g.