Speed ​​​​is added to electric scooters – Newspaper Kommersant No. 165 (7366) of 09/08/2022

The Research Automobile and Automotive Institute of NAMI presented the final version of the rules for certification of electric scooters, unicycles and other electric means of individual mobility (ESIM). The basic rules have been preserved from the first edition – a factory-installed speed limiter up to 25 km / h and automatic deceleration in parks and squares. Of the innovations – a forced speed limit of 8 km / h with the simultaneous inclusion of a headlight in the “pedestrian mode” and blocking the engine of a folded electric scooter. At the same time, NAMI proposes to classify all devices accelerating over 25 km / h as mopeds and motorcycles.

The institute presented the first edition of GOST with the requirements for ESIM in the spring, Kommersant was told in May. According to this document, the Ministry of Industry and Trade wants to certify all electric scooters, unicycles and other devices imported into the country. The main requirements of the first edition are a speed limit of 25 km/h “wired” from the factory and automatic braking in “slow zones” (parks, squares; should be determined by satellite coordinates). The document also described methods for testing electric scooters and checking their individual components. But during the public comment period, NAMI clarified the standard. “Kommersant” got acquainted with the final version.

Initially, it was assumed that all ESIMs from the factory would have the “pedestrian mode” function with a forced speed limit of 6 km / h. It should turn on automatically in certain places. Now the limit has been increased to 8 km/h, and simultaneously with its activation, the headlight will turn on on the device. Another new norm is blocking the engine of a folded electric scooter (there are folding models by analogy with bicycles). The Ministry of Emergency Situations asked us to indicate in the instructions for the ESIP the inadmissibility of charging in residential premises, and the developers agreed to prescribe such a recommendation for manufacturers.

Some of the ideas received during the public discussion were rejected by NAMI. Thus, the Association of Micromobility Operators proposed to extend the GOST only to electric scooters with a speed of more than 25 km/h, or to introduce separate rights to manage them. But NAMI believes that the option he proposed is in line with “international practice”, and devices capable of accelerating faster than 25 km / h should be certified as mopeds or motorcycles (they need category M or A rights to drive).

The NAMI test center has indicated that some of the tests for devices included in the standard are costly for manufacturers. But the developers believe that these costs are “justified”, since the widespread use of ESIM carries great risks for road safety.

The GOST materials also mention the idea of ​​introducing a mandatory sound signal to support visually impaired pedestrians, but NAMI considered that this would increase the “general noise level” in settlements. Whoosh proposed introducing a mandatory orange reflector, but the GOST authors replied that international standards do not provide for such a color.

The rules for the import and movement of electric scooters, we recall, have been discussed for several years against the backdrop of an increase in the ESIM fleet and the number of accidents involving them. The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Internal Affairs prepared the relevant amendments to the traffic rules, which, however, “hung” due to the requirements of the regulatory guillotine. But, as Kommersant told on September 6, this obstacle was recently removed. In anticipation of federal regulation, the regions independently negotiate with car sharing operators about “slow zones”. And the traffic police catches users of powerful (from 250 watts) electric scooters, fining them as users of mopeds and forcing them to pass tests for intoxication.

In the metropolitan department of transport, Kommersant was told that in 2021 they turned to NAMI and the Ministry of Industry and Trade in order to develop a standard for means of individual mobility, as well as recommendations for users. “The approval of a unified GOST and technical regulations will make it possible to consolidate a single definition of ESIM and introduce mandatory certification for them,” they say in the deptrans. “Thanks to the new GOST, movement on ESIM in the city will become much safer.”

The representative of the Electro.club community, the head of the “Center for Individual Mobility” Mikhail Denisov draws attention to the position of NAMI regarding electric scooters with seats. The Institute is confident that they should be considered mopeds and should not be allowed to drive on sidewalks. “This is disrespectful to senior citizens who use a SIM with a seat. There are a lot of them,” says Mikhail Denisov. “The seat means comfort and stability. The same scooter can be with or without a saddle, the essence does not change. But in US, unfortunately, they think differently.

“The very fact of finalizing GOSTs is a good process, electric scooters also need regulation at this level,” the Whoosh press service says. “But the standard must take into account reality and existing practice.” The company believes that GOST should contain different requirements for the ESIM of individuals and rental electric scooters. Automatic deceleration in parks, Whoosh noted, today only works in sharing, and there is no system for regulating the speed limit for personal devices.

In accordance with the national standardization program, the GOST developed by NAMI is planned to be approved in September 2023, Rosstandart told Kommersant. The Department of Transport of Moscow expects that the document will come into force this year.

Ivan Buranov