We Should Not Call Small Electric Vehicles 'Scooter' Anymore

People often think that a vehicle having a small-size electric vehicle as well as a battery will be called a scooter. Well, in fact, it is not always correct anymore. 

On Thursday, an engineering association called SAE International which creates standards for the autonomous vehicles has announced a classification system for e-scooters, or "powered micro-mobility vehicles", as well as other smaller-sized electric motors.

The reason for such classification is because the term "scooter" so far has been understood for many types of vehicles. For example, human-powered scooters, battery-free scooters, small mopeds scooters, and even lightweight motorcycles are all considered as "scooters". Not to mention that many companies like Lime and Birds also call their products as scooters too. Overall, the term “scooter” is quite confusing to understand. 

As more and more varied devices and vehicles join the market, which includes the autonomous scooters in the near future, SAE has come up with a complete classification system with specific conventions and characteristics for each vehicle.

For now, recognizing the "scooter" type will become much easier. No more generic phrases like a scooter, a skateboard or a bicycle. You now have powered bicycles, powered seated scooters, powered standing scooters, and so on.

It may take a long period for us to get used to the new “scooter” terms, but at least they will help us distinguish similar ones with each other.