MICROMOBILITY


BATTERY POWERED


While micromobility could be the answer to many environmental concerns, the industry must also address its own sustainability. Rebecca Bland explores how e-bike and e-scooter brands are looking in the mirror fi rst


S


ustainability is certainly a big buzzword, with companies rolling out sustainability plans and net zero ambitions, or introducing more sustainable


manufacturing practices. It would be easy to assume that as the micromobility industry itself is doing ‘good’, by promoting active travel, their own practices need not be scrutinised. Electric bicycles and scooters are prime examples of the advancement of technology promoting a more sustainable way to travel, but a closer look at the lifecycle of these products may warrant some concern. While the manufacturing of an e-bike or an e-scooter is complex, there are plenty of places to look for improvements to processes.


The carbon question Gocycle, an electric bike brand founded in 2002 by former McLaren car designer Richard Thorpe, first utilised magnesium in its manufacturing as an alternative to more polluting frame materials, as Thorpe explains. “I was pushing sustainability with the first Gocycles being made out of injection moulded magnesium, which produced less SF6 gases that hurt the ozone layer. The magnesium that we used at the time was an alternative to carbon fibre, which the industry is using a huge amount of. And although the industry has got better on the recycling and understanding the importance of recycling carbon fibre, it’s still a factor.” While the more recent Gocycle models have begun to use carbon fibre in the mid-frame, a large portion of the bike


www.bikebiz.com September 2022 | 37


Richard Thorpe, founder of Gocycle


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