Taiwan is known for its large number of scooters – almost 15 million – that are used by the locals to get around. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications, as of October 2021, for every 100 citizens there are 96.3 scooters. Most of Taiwan’s scooters are powered by gasoline, and air pollution is the price that the citizens bear.
Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-Wen has stressed on multiple occasions that “Taiwan is determined to join the world in working toward the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050”. As one step towards net-zero, the government has encouraged people to purchase electric scooters (e-scooters). The National Development Council reports that today there are around 520,000 e-scooters in Taiwan with growing market share, but how else can electric mobility benefit Taiwan in terms of sustainability goals?