Roads that power up our cars and vehicles powered by the sun used to be a dream or scene from The Jetsons, but it’s now part of today’s reality. Wireless charging (roads that charge your vehicle while you’re riding) may not be available everywhere, but they are currently being tested out in some parts of the world, but what about public solar charging stations? Well, unfortunately that is not yet a reality, because electric scooter infrastructure is still under development, but we expect to see them widely available soon.
As more cities embrace micro-mobility, electric scooters become more and more popular as an eco-friendly commuting option. But while e-scooters reduce traffic and emissions, one challenge remains: installing a charging infrastructure for privately owned scooters.
Today, shared e-scooters have started to incorporate solar panels to their network, but the reality is that they still rely on grid-powered charging. However, when it comes to privately owned e-scooters, there are no public charging stations available yet (not that we’ve heard of at least). That’s where solar charging stations come in—offering a cleaner, smarter way to power e-scooters.
E-Scooter Charging Needs an Upgrade
An Upgrade? Well, actually it’s more like - we need more charging stations! Cities need to start pushing for charging stations - end of story. Currently there are close to no public charging stations (in North America at least) for owned scooters. Here are the currently challenges faced when it comes to charging up owned and shared e-scooters:
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Grid dependency → This is one of the main problems. Relying on city electricity, which is often from non-renewable sources. This may not seem like a big problem, but scooters are often promoted as “eco-friendly” and “a sustainable form of transportation”, and while they do help reduce carbon emissions, it would be even better if the source of power came from a renewable source.
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Fleet inefficiency → Moving on to shared e-scooters. The source of power is from the ground (when possible), but there are cases where someone has to change the batteries manually. We think this could be more efficient.
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Limited to no availability for public charging → when it comes to owned e-scooters, we haven’t seen any public charging hubs (at least not in Canada) - essentially making it impossible to charge your scooter unless you carry your charger and can bring it inside. While most Apollo scooters have enough battery power to take you to and back from your everyday destinations, this is not the case for some smaller scooters, making them difficult to make them your main form of transportation.
Charging stations must evolve to fully unlock the potential of electric scooters. We need a system that is scalable, sustainable, and efficient for both shared and privately-owned e-scooters.
Now, it’s not all bad news, there are already some companies that are focusing on selling solar powered stations - we’re yet to see them in real life, but it’s reassuring to know that it’s at least in the near future plans. Here are some of the companies we’ve found that are currently offering these products:
Benefits of Solar Charging for E-Scooters
So why Solar? Well - strictly speaking, it would just be great to see public charging stations - solar or not. But we think it should be done right from the start. Installing solar charging stations from the getgo has multiple advantages for riders, operators, and cities:
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Sustainability → reduces the total carbon footprint and supports sustainable transportation goals. Without getting too technical, electric scooters currently do a great job at reducing emitted carbon emissions (they don’t emit any CO2 when in use), but for sustainable transportation, it’s also important to avoid carbon emissions - in this case from burning fuels to create electricity to power up the scooters.
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Accessibility → Solar powered stations don’t rely on being connected to the grid, which makes it easier to place them in more locations like parks, transit hubs, or underserved areas that would otherwise be difficult to connect.
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Cost savings → over time, renewable energy reduces reliance on costly electricity from the grid.
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Efficiency for shared e-scooters → Solar charging stations offer a promising alternative for fleet e-scooters, especially where the battery swapping model exists - mostly due to limited grid access.
Innovations in Charging for Micro-Mobility
To understand the future of e-scooters, let's first consider the broader micromobility landscape, including more established forms like e-bikes and shared bikes. Developments in these areas often foreshadow what we can expect to see in e-scooters.
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Charging Lockers → A potential solution to the lack of a standardized charging port for e-scooters is the implementation of charging lockers. These lockers would feature an internal outlet, allowing riders to secure and charge their e-scooters. Although riders would still need to carry their chargers, this concept addresses the current charging challenge. Some areas have already begun exploring similar initiatives.
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Charging Stations → On almost every highway there’s rest stops with restaurants, bathrooms and a gas pump. Imagine this but for micromobility vehicles. Well, while not widely available, New York City is piloting Deliverista Hubs which is essentially this. A place where riders can come in, charge their e-bikes (maybe it will expand to e-scooters as well) and take a break.
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Integrated mobility hubs → Changing the way we see transportation. Integrated mobility hubs offer multiple transportation options in one same location, making it easier to switch from one to the other, easily and with less interruptions. Hubs should include public transportation, cycling, e-scooters, car share, EV charging and even parking.
These innovations are bringing us closer to renewable energy-powered mobility ecosystems.
Challenges in scaling micromobility Charging Stations
It’s not all Of course, challenges remain:
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Standardization → Currently, the main obstacle is the current diversity of charging ports for privately owned scooters and e-bikes. This lack of standardization makes it challenging to establish universal charging stations - and well - you get where this is going. Riders would have to carry their own chargers defeating the whole purpose.
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Space requirements → For charging stations to be effective, they need to be installed in key locations. For example, placing them outside a subway station would allow commuters to leave their e-scooters to charge and pick them up on their return. Similarly, stations outside shopping malls or grocery stores would enable charging while users run errands. However, most of these areas are already developed, which would necessitate a significant restructuring of current city infrastructure. While achievable, this is not an immediate solution.
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Weather dependency → Now, speaking about solar charging stations specifically, it’s a no-brainer to say that it wouldn’t work everywhere. Definitely, yes for sunny climates, but if there can be days of clouds and no clear skies, then relying 100% on solar is probably not the answer.
The Future of Solar-Powered Micro-Mobility
As cities push toward sustainable transportation, solar charging stations could be the key to unlocking a greener, more accessible scooter ecosystem. By reducing reliance on the grid, they make e-scooters more resilient, affordable, and aligned with global climate goals.
The future could look like this: smart solar hubs across urban centers, powering fleets of e-scooters alongside bikes, EVs, and even public transit—creating a seamless, renewable energy-powered transportation network.
A Bright Future for Solar-Powered E-Scooters
Solar charging stations aren’t just an upgrade; they’re a game-changer for the next generation of e-scooters. By combining renewable energy, micro-mobility, and smart cities infrastructure, they offer a scalable path to cleaner, more efficient urban transportation.
As technology improves and adoption grows, solar-powered e-scooter charging could become the standard—turning today’s experiment into tomorrow’s everyday convenience.
