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Electric scooters gain ground in Switzerland

A general view of newly launched India s first intelligent two-wheel electric scooters, in Bangalore, India 05 June 2018
Electric scooters are credited with being clean, quiet and economic since electricity costs ten times less than conventional fuels. Keystone

Electric scooter vendors have reason to be optimistic — the numbers point to rising demand in the Europe Union and Switzerland.

Between January and May 2018, Switzerland sold 380 electric scooters, more than a two-fold increase relative to sales over the same timeframe last year, according to Motosuisse.External link 

The European Association of Motorcycle ManufacturerExternal links (ACEM) said demand for electric motorcycles in the first quarter of 2018 increased by 51% in the European Union.

ACEM emphasises that electric motorcycles and scooters are still a niche product. However, further growth is expected in the future.

NZZamSonntagExternal link examined the trend and printed these industry figures in its Sunday paper edition. 

At the Zurich branch of the electric scooter dealer E-Move MotorsExternal link, Gianni Sentina had to double the shop space because business is booming.

Electric scooter sales doubled in the past twelve months, he told NZZamSonntag. 

Founded in 2012, the company has branches in Bern and Basel. It is gearing up to open new stores in Winterthur and Geneva.

Marcel Büchler, at the helm of Zweiradcenter ToggenburgExternal link, reports a similar spike in sales. “For the younger generation, electric propulsion is perfectly normal,” he says.

Markus Lehner, media officer at the motorcycle industry association Motosuisse, confirmed there is a growing demand for electric scooter in certain areas.

“In cities, the number of scooter used for shorter journeys will increase considerably over the next few years,” he predicted.

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