Dott to refurbish its rental e-scooters in bid to cut emissions

Initially taking place in Lyon, Dott’s e-scooters will undergo a complete refurbishment, extending their current three years of service by a further four years.

By reaching a total lifespan of seven years, the programme avoids manufacturing and transporting new vehicles, which will reduce Dott’s carbon emissions by nearly 50 per cent, the firm said.

Last year, the government legalised the private use of e-scooters in a move aimed at improving road safety and lowering the UK’s overall carbon emissions from transport.

This is despite warnings from some campaigners that the vehicles are dangerous following a freedom of information request which revealed that accidents had rocketed by around 82 per cent from 2020 to 2021.

Dott said its teams of mechanics plan to fully refurbish over 2,000 e-scooters initially – an approach that will then be replicated and expanded to cover vehicles across all of the countries in which it operates.

The e-scooters are dismantled, sorted into parts for either recycling, repairing or reusing, and then renovated and painted. A new, more accurate GPS system is also being fitted, as well as a phone holder, to bring the fleet up to the same standards as current new vehicles. 

First launched in Lyon in 2020, Dott’s existing e-scooters in the city have travelled an average of more than 5,000km, each with the most-used vehicles reaching distances over 8,000km.

The scheme is a result of Dott’s recent tender win in Lyon, announced in February 2023. As part of the competitive tender process, Dott committed to the refurbishment of its existing fleet, to meet demanding requirements on sustainability, a priority for the City of Lyon.

Maxim Romain, co-founder of Dott, said: “We have always prioritised the maintenance and care of our vehicles, which prolongs their lifespan and helps us to lower our environmental impact.

“This new project in Lyon takes our approach to the next level, as we refurbish an entire fleet for the first time. Over 2,000 vehicles will be transformed from some of our longest serving to be as good as new, without the emissions from manufacturing and transporting new vehicles.”