E-scooters to be ranked for safety and sustainability – Move Electric
A new safety rating system, styled on the Euro NCAP scheme for cars, is to be launched for e-scooters, e-bikes and other forms of micromobility.
The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) is working with the newly established Commission for Micromobility and Sport to develop the Micro Mobility Assessment Partnership (MMAP).
The initiative will be styled after the Euro NCAP scheme, where cars are rated based on their adult, child and pedestrian protection, plus their safety assistance technology. But the MMAP will have a broader brief, and will evaluate and rate machines based on three criteria: safety, sustainability and social responsibility. When it launches at a yet-to-be-finalised date it will likely use a five-star rating system.
TRL Academy director Richard Cuerden, a key figure in establishing the Euro NCAP scheme, told Move Electric that the aim of the scheme is to "bring the right people together to make sure those criteria are clear for machines to be designed and built."
“That means if you’re selling a scooter to private users, or you want to operate a hire or ride-sharing scheme, you can be judged and seen to be working to the best standards. It means people can now be part of the conversation as to what becomes the best standards.”
Cuerden said that the initiative is still in its development phase, and would gather more input from industry experts in the coming months before launching. He noted that the scheme can also react and be adapted much faster than other legislation.
As with Euro NCAP – which isn’t compulsory but has become a vital part of buyer consideration – the MMAP criteria will be about developing best practice for micromobility design, and are not designed to set regulations in specific countries.
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