Stranger Micromobilities
A Video-based Ex- ploration of Emerging Electric Micromobility Vehicles in Helsinki
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58956/liikenne.178424Avainsanat:
micromobility, personal mobility vehicle, personal light electric vehicles, emerging mobility technology, intermediary vehiclesAbstrakti
As urban mobility systems are undergoing transformations, there is a
global trend of increasing diversity of battery-electric micromobility
vehicles (EMVs). Such emerging unconventional vehicles include
among others fat-tire e-scooters and electric unicycles. Despite this
ongoing emergence, the current research has a notable gap in studying
this phenomenon. With that gap in mind, this exploratory study in-
vestigates the growing presence of EMVs in Helsinki, Finland. Using
64 hours of observational video data collected from four key urban
locations in 2021, this is the first study of the real-world usage of these
emerging mobility technologies. The findings reveal a measurable
presence of EMVs on city streets, contrasting with the dominant fo-
cus on standard e-scooters and e-bikes in most of recent research. In
addition to quantifying the prevalence of EMVs relative to main-
stream micromobility options, the study characterizes the types of ve-
hicles observed, user demographics, and riding behaviors. While
EMVs remain less common than conventional electric vehicles, their
adoption in Helsinki is already significant. Riders tend to be highly
skilled, with distinct patterns between delivery workers and general
users. Initial insights suggest that EMV usage is driven by both recre-
ational and practical motives. As an initial investigation, the study
highlights the urgent need for further research into the emergence of
novel and intermediary vehicles in urban mobility systems worldwide.
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