One of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to travel emission-free.

A car is not necessary for a majority of our trips in Hawaii, especially while traveling in town.

In the US alone, roughly 60% of all trips are under 5 miles, and most of the time drivers ride alone.

During the work week, 76% off all commuting workers travel by themselves every day, causing overcrowding in the streets and emitting an excess of emissions.

Micromobility electric transport (small, personal vehicles) can help. 

It has the potential to provide a more energy efficient ride at a much lower economic and environmental cost for a large majority of the trips we take.

According to the EPA, the average vehicle emits 4.6 metric tons of CO2 every year.

The most significant factor causing this number, by far, is the energy required to transport the vehicle itself.

The average American weighs 175 lbs, but the average car weighs about 4100 lbs. So, 2300% more energy is used to move the vehicle rather than the individual needing transport. 

Let’s put this into perspective. 

1 kWh of energy carries a gas-powered car a little less than a mile, a more efficient car like the Tesla Model 3 about 4 miles, and an electric scooter over 80 miles on this same amount of energy.

That means an e-scooter is about 8000% more energy efficient than the average car you drive!

In fact, e-scooters are so energy efficient that a human would burn about 900% more energy to walk that same distance.

E-scooters are also significantly more energy efficient to manufacture.

The average automobile has a production cost of 7 tons of CO2 emissions. An EV has a slightly higher carbon footprint at about 8 tons, but generates significantly less carbon on the road making it a greener alternative after a short amount of time.

There are no exact numbers for e-scooters, but estimates have been made that the energy used during manufacturing is less than 1% that of a car.

While this kind of transport is not for every trip (travelling long distances, with children, etc.), it can have a significant impact on our individual and collective carbon footprints.

Our X8 electric scooter weighs about 28 lbs. So, 85% of the energy used (for a 175 lb. individual) is solely used on the passenger and not wasted on the vehicle.

Taking this small step can significantly cut your 4.6 metric tons of CO2 car emissions a year, save you time, frustration and money.