[Order of contributions]
Part 1: On Micromobility
Part 2: Urban Infrastructure and Micromobility
Part 3: Personal Transportation and the Challenges for Consumers
Part 4: What will micromobility look like in the future?


Over the past decade, micromobility solutions have seen significant success for both consumer and commercial use. In cities, micromobility solutions such as electric scooters and electric bikes are helping to ease the ever-increasing burden on public transportation and providing new means for delivery services. Furthermore, electric bikes are making it easier for people of all abilities to use bicycles for exercise, transportation, and errands.

But behind this success, new technological and social challenges are emerging that are hampering public confidence and market growth. Weak regulations are preventing micromobility from reaching its ultimate potential, while supply chain issues and poor quality products that fail to operate are also impacting the market. While micromobility holds significant potential, there are still challenges that need to be addressed to ensure that the market continues to grow and make a positive impact.

In this series of articles, we look at the current market landscape, trends, and emerging challenges in terms of technology and regulation for micromobility. We also look at the technologies that will solve the challenges and grow this market.

■ Micromobility, a single-person or two-person transportation vehicle of less than 25 kilometers

The term micromobility was coined by prominent industry analyst Horace Dediu in 2017. It refers to single- or two-person transportation vehicles with a top speed of 25 kilometers per hour, primarily used for short distances. Historically, micromobility solutions have been powered by people or small internal combustion engines (ICE). However, recent advances in battery technology have led to an explosion in this market, and a new wave of electric or electric-assisted transportation has emerged. These are known as light electric vehicles (LEVs).

LEVs cover everything from electric scooters, electric bicycles and pedelecs, to larger vehicles such as electric motorcycles, and small electric vehicles (EVs) with power outputs up to 15 kW and weights under 400 kg (550 kg for transport vehicles). The European Union (EU) classifies LEVs into seven categories (L1e to L7e) based on size, number of wheels, and purpose (Figure 1).


This includes widely used ones like electric scooters and electric bicycles, but also new micromobility solutions like small, agile electric delivery vehicles, autonomous taxis, and electric cargo bikes.

■ Market Growth and Personal Transportation

The micromobility market has been growing steadily over the past decade and has gained significant traction during the coronavirus pandemic. Personal transport devices such as electric scooters and electric bicycles have been embraced as alternative modes of transport by many, especially those looking to avoid crowded buses and trains.

While this sudden growth may have slowed in some regions, the market for electric scooters, electric skateboards, and electric bicycles is expected to grow at a combined compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13 percent from 2023 to 2032, according to market research firm Precedence Research.

Factors enabling this growth include the growing acceptance of micromobility transport in cities, the availability of more affordable or more diverse ownership options, and the fact that micromobility offers an alternative to strained public transport and road networks.

■ Commercial Applications

Micromobility enables many new commercial applications, including shared bikes and scooters, as well as delivery solutions. In congested cities, the last mile of delivery can be a challenge. Congested road networks can make it difficult to deliver by car quickly and reliably. On the other hand, in densely populated cities, deliveries to multiple addresses can be nearly impossible by foot.

The ‘last mile’ has long been a major micromobility solution, dating back to World War I, when couriers used ICE-powered motorcycles to quickly transport messages between military units. Since then, motorcycle delivery men have become common, quickly delivering everything from food and parcels to emergency blood deliveries.

Today, the market is undergoing a radical transformation in two developments: first, the electrification of existing solutions, with electric bicycles, electric scooters, electric cargo bikes, electric mopeds and motorcycles replacing ICE-driven solutions.

This shift fits with many cities’ efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, and electric bike and scooter deliveries can increase operational efficiency, enabling last-mile deliveries to be made more closely via bike paths, sidewalks, and other public transportation in areas that are otherwise inaccessible by road.

Second, there is a new on-demand LEV deployment (Figure 2). These solutions can meet the needs of specific applications using on-demand vehicle design and control electronics, and can include fully autonomous solutions.


In the Nordic countries, for example, PostNord has deployed over 5,000 LEVs, including on-demand designs such as those developed by Garia Utility Vehicles.[3] These vehicles enable agile deliveries in cities and can use public sidewalks. Because it is a compact, maneuverable, and quiet electric drivetrain.

■ Conclusion

In this series of articles, we will continue to delve deeper into the world of micromobility. In the next article, we will explore what role micromobility solutions play in urban infrastructure, why cities are struggling to achieve balance while hoping for micromobility to succeed, and what cities are doing to address the challenges of micromobility.

※ About the contributor
Mark Patrick is part of Mouser’s EMEA team and joined Mouser Electronics in July 2014. Prior to that, he held a senior marketing position at RS Components. Prior to RS, he spent eight years at Texas Instruments in applications support and technical sales roles. He holds a first class honours degree in electronic engineering from Coventry University.