Coronavirus and Phase 2, in the city we will move by scooter: the rules, the models, the sharing services

The emergency as mentioned also leads to accelerations, and this should precisely concern the rules on the use of alternative electric vehicles, the so-called last mile vehicles, in the city streets. If for electric bikes there are already well-defined rules in the Highway Code, the situation – quite confused at present – is different for electric scooters. One of the fashions of the moment, castrated by the lockdown but which will be relaunched with Phase 2. The vehicle equated to pace accelerators but without a specific regulatory body, it will go from being a choice of style to a sort of small need. And so we should quickly arrive at a solution of the legislative chaos. Started with the Toninelli decree of last July, where the then Minister of Transport was trying to put some clarity – especially towards arrembanti sharing brands to conquer the Italian market – opening in different cities, those that requested it, spaces of experimentation waiting for a definitive law. Which in fact seemed to have arrived with the publication in the Official Journal of the reference standards and therefore the liberalization of the circulation of electric scooters also from January 1st of this year. It’s all OK? Not really, because a quick turnaround had effectively suspended the application of the equalization of electric scooters to bicycles and the amendment stuck in the pits (obviously overcome by the need for measures of very different social importance). Now a whole new front opens. Scooters, and thus bikes, become one of the many assets promoted to the level of “necessary” by the emergency.

In order to understand the government’s moves in this regard, both on the rules and on the incentives, we try to put some order on the existing. Both in terms of the law and on the side of sharing services and products: what is there on the market for novice scooter riders? Let’s start with the rules. If the parameters carried out by the institutions so far remain valid, as we had written at the beginning of the year the electric scooters compliant with power and speed – as established by the Toninelli decree, which remains the basis for the technical characteristics legal means – would therefore be perfectly in order e regulated by the Highway Code as velocipedes and not mopeds. So the same rules that apply to bikes are valid, therefore primarily traffic on the road surface only (on the roads where the limit of 50 km / h is foreseen) or on cycle paths, as well as on extra-urban roads with cycle paths. If this is the case, what are the reference parameters for buying / using a vehicle in accordance with the law? Scooters will need to have one maximum speed of 20 km per hour, with the possibility that this one in the approval phase could go up to 25 (we remain on the 6 kn / h in the pardon areas) and a engine power not exceeding 500 wattstherefore, they must be equipped with front and rear lights and an acoustic signal. To drive electric scooters do not need a license, but a defined law should attest the minimum age of 14 years, With the’helmet requirement for children under 18. The doubt remains on the insurance policy, not on the vehicle (which does not have a plate) but on the person: it does not seem mandatory, but having a motor vehicle underfoot would be an important precaution. Then after sunset it becomes retro-reflective jacket required. In no case is it possible to transport passengers or things and any form of towing. Penalties for those who don’t respect these rules should go from 200 to 800 euros.

Let’s now pass to the evaluation of the models on the market, considering that probably – especially in case of incentives – there will be a sort of rush to purchase once Phase 2 has started. The Italian landscape has greatly enriched in recent months, while remaining limited in the possibilities of choice, especially if we stop at the more traditional purchasing channels. That is, the physical stores – when they reopen – and the main e-commerce platforms (found here our selections with price comparator on the site The Right Choice). We are not so wrong then if we limit the choice and analysis to four reference brands. The Italian Nilox, to begin with, which he has been proposing for several years different models of electric scooter: the new line goes from a rather unique model with 12-inch diameter wheels very useful in the city because they absorb – thanks also to the inner tube – the roughness of the streets (Doc Twelve, about 600 euros), to super light models like the Doc Eco 3 (270 euros). On this line, maximum portability, also the new proposal of the Swiss Micro with Colibr, a vehicle with great attention to detail that makes weight (less than 10 kilos) and the speed of recharging (less than 3 hours) its strengths (costs around 700 euros, here you can find the other brand proposals). Internationally, and therefore also Italian, the two big names remain on one side the historic American Segway brand acquired by the Chinese Ninebot and on the other the other Chinese company Xiaomi which for a couple of years has also embraced the scooter business. The new proposal by Segway-Ninebot very interesting because it summarizes in itself a series of characteristics ranging from the wide and not full wheel to a solid and elegant structure: it is called Max G30 and costs 800 euros (here you can find the different proposals). The new model of Xiaomi it’s called instead Mi Electric Scooter Pro and an excellent evolution of the first model (it costs 500 euros).
In general, at the time of purchase, I am three basic elements to pay attention to, given the limitations by law of engine speed and power. Considering the autonomy fairly standard depending on the “weight” of the models – from 25 to 40-50 kilometers, which vary according to the weight of the passenger and the slopes faced – and the component safety (especially the battery) if you choose a recognized brand, to be evaluated primarily the diameter of the wheels, which must not be too small to deal with the roughness of city streets. Fundamental then the type of brakes, with disc ones to be preferred to those only engine for greater braking immediacy (but be careful not to “pull” the braking too much because falling off the scooter is very easy). Finally the tires, which can be with an inner tube (greater road holding) or full (such as to ensure greater durability). This latter theme raises the question of the lack of specialized assistance. Waiting for birth of ad hoc activities, in the coming months we will probably see several bicycle shops displaying “friendly scooter” writings.

Finally, let’s briefly mention the sharing services, a wise choice before making a purchase. Why better try the medium, simple in the learning curve but still “light” to be conducted on city streets. Try a shared scooter and then decide if it is for you, as a personal vehicle, or if you are in an urban center where sharing is already competitive in terms of costs and use and therefore you don’t need the means of ownership. Here too, on the services that started shyly for a few months, the braking at the beginning of March was conceivable as imaginable. Likewise, predictable a strong restart with the beginning of May and the new decrees. Pending this, the photograph we had taken at the end of January therefore remains valid: you find it here. From Milan to Turin, passing through Rimini and Pesaro and arriving at Bari and Palermo, there are several brands active in Italy in terms of experimentation. The rental model is quite similar for everyone, with a predominance of the call setting free floating, i.e. the possibility to park the scooter where you want it once you have finished using it, and costs that rotate around the euro to unlock – via app – the vehicle and therefore 15 cents per minute for use.