US electric scooter developer Bird says its newest scooter model, the Bird Three, is the world’s most eco-conscious. And according to Scott Rushforth, Bird’s Chief Vehicle Officer, it all starts with the battery system.
“A scooter’s battery is directly linked to its environmental impact, and those with smaller batteries require more frequent charging and power fewer trips per charge,” he explains. “Scooters with swappable batteries can compound the issue and increase greenhouse gas emissions by requiring an estimated 1.5 to 2 batteries per vehicle. In other words, smaller and swappable batteries lead to higher overall manufacturing emissions and require more vehicle miles travelled to retrieve, replace and recharge scooters.”
Bird Three, however, has a battery capacity of up to 1 kWh, meaning it requires less frequent charging and delivers more miles travelled on a fully charged battery than any other shared scooter available today. More miles travelled leads to more sustainable rides and, ultimately, decreased carbon emissions throughout the vehicle’s entire life cycle.
The all-new Bird Three, continues Rushforth, is the culmination of four years of experience working in partnership with over 200 cities across the world “to turn drivers into micromobility riders”… It was developed by our in-house team of engineering and vehicle design experts to provide the safest, smartest riding experience possible—all with an unrelenting focus on sustainability.”
And the reason we’ve done this is simple, “If countries like the US and others are to meet their long-term climate goals, as much as 90% of all road vehicles must be electrified and 20% of all vehicle miles reduced by the end of the decade. That means more cities and more riders will soon be relying on micro-electric vehicles instead of two-ton, gas-powered automobiles to meet their short-distance transportation needs.”
