Chronology of the electric scooter: the early period (before 2010)

Scootify 8 min read

The modern electric scooter is not a 2010s invention. Its technological foundation accumulated over more than a hundred years: from the first hub-mounted electric motors of the late nineteenth century to mass-market children’s electric scooters of the early 2000s. This section follows the key milestones up to 2010 — the period when the format was established but the mass-market boom was still ahead.

1895: Ogden Bolton’s hub motor (the technological foundation)

On 31 December 1895 American Ogden Bolton Jr. was granted US patent No. 552,271 for an “electric bicycle”. The design used a six-pole brushed DC motor mounted inside the rear wheel hub, powered by a 10-volt battery at currents up to 100 A. Bolton himself patented a bicycle, but it is his hub motor that underpins most modern electric scooters.

Sources: Google Patents: US552271A; Patent Yogi: Ogden Bolton Jr. 1895.

1915–1921: Autoped — the first production motorised scooter

The first mass-produced motorised stand-up scooter was the Autoped, manufactured by the Autoped Company in Long Island City (New York, USA) from 1915 to 1921. The patent was held by Arthur H. Gibson; Joseph Merkel — creator of the Flying Merkel motorcycle — contributed to the final design.

The rider stood on the platform and steered via a handle on the steering column: tilting forwards engaged the clutch, tilting backwards disengaged it and applied the brake. The petrol version’s top speed was about 32 km/h (20 mph). The German company Krupp also produced licensed units between 1919 and 1922 and their version reached ~35 km/h.

In 1918, Eveready Battery Co. invested in the company and a battery-powered Eveready Autoped with a range of about 12 miles (~19 km) reached the market. This device became the first mass-produced electric stand-up scooter in history.

Notable users included the Newark traffic police (1922), British suffragette Lady Florence Priscilla Norman (a 1916 photograph survives), and the United States Postal Service, which used the Autoped for mail delivery.

Sources: Wikipedia: Autoped; Smithsonian Magazine: The Motorized Scooter Boom That Hit a Century Before Dockless Scooters; Silodrome: The 1915 Autoped — The World’s First Powered Production Scooter.

1922–1980s: a pause caused by batteries

After Autoped production ended, electric stand-up scooters all but disappeared from the mass market for half a century. The main reason was the lead-acid battery: heavy, short-range, slow to charge. Petrol-powered mopeds and scooters developed in parallel (Vespa, 1946), but no proper successor to the Autoped emerged in the stand-up electric format during this period.

1985: Steve Patmont and the Go-Ped brand

In 1985 American Steve Patmont patented and began manufacturing a motorised stand-up scooter under the Go-Ped name. The first models were petrol-powered, but Go-Ped preserved and developed the “stand-up scooter with an engine” form factor itself during years when the category was a niche.

Source: Rider Guide: What Were The First Electric Scooters?.

1990–1999: Wim Ouboter and the rebirth of the kick scooter

In 1990 Swiss entrepreneur Wim Ouboter built a folding aluminium kick scooter on inline-skate wheels. The idea came from an everyday problem: getting from his Zurich flat to his favourite sausage stall, Sternengrill — too far to walk, too close to justify the tram.

In 1997 Ouboter founded Micro Mobility Systems AG, and in 1999 the two-wheel Micro Scooter reached the market. At peak demand up to 80,000 units sold per day. This kick scooter became the platform onto which an electric drivetrain would soon be bolted.

In parallel, in 2000 the North American company Razor USA (working with JD Corporation and Micro Mobility) launched the Razor A — more than 5 million units sold in six months, and the product earned the Toy of the Year award. The modern scooter form — a folding T-shaped aluminium frame — was now locked in.

A detailed profile of the Swiss inventor, the founding of Micro Mobility AG, the 2001 counterfeit-driven collapse, the pivot into a premium children’s segment, the electric range (eMicro one with motion control, Merlin, Condor, Falcon), the 2019 BMW E-Scooter collaboration, and the Microlino microcar as a parallel branch — see the Wim Ouboter and Micro Mobility AG (1990–2026) article. A profile of the North American branch — see the Razor USA article.

Sources: Micro Mobility: Success Story; Wikipedia: Kick scooter; Wikipedia: Razor USA.

1996–2006: Peugeot Scoot’Elec — a parallel branch

In 1996 Peugeot Motocycles brought the Scoot’Elec to market — an electric scooter in the classic seated-moped layout, one of the first commercially successful production electric two-wheeled vehicles in Europe. A 2.8 kW DC motor, an 18 V / 100 Ah nickel-cadmium battery pack (Saft), a range of ~40 km at 45 km/h, mass of 115 kg. Production ran intermittently until 2006 with about 3,500 units made.

The Scoot’Elec is not a stand-up scooter, but it is worth noting: it demonstrated that the electric two-wheel micromobility segment was viable as a production product.

Source: Wikipedia: Peugeot Scoot’Elec.

2001: Go-Ped ESR750 — back to electric stand-up

In 2001 Go-Ped released the ESR750 — an electric stand-up scooter with a chain drive, pneumatic tyres and a motor that was powerful for its time. The machine targeted adults, delivered ~30 km/h, and opened up the “adult” electric-scooter market rather than the child-toy one.

Source: Rider Guide: What Were The First Electric Scooters?.

2003: Razor E100 — the mass consumer product

In 2003 Razor USA added an electric version to its line — the Razor E100. A 100 W chain-driven motor, a 24 V lead-acid battery, up to 10 mph (~16 km/h), up to 40 minutes of continuous ride time. This was the first mass-market consumer electric scooter — inexpensive, aimed at children and teenagers, with simple control through a twist-grip throttle.

The E100 effectively shaped how the end consumer pictured “the electric scooter” by the late 2000s: a children’s or teen vehicle, limited power, limited range.

Source: Wikipedia: Razor (scooter). A detailed profile of Razor as a company, the full E-Series / Power Core / Black Label / EcoSmart Metro / E Prime / Dirt Rocket / Hovertrax line-up, ASTM F2641 as the dedicated safety standard for the children’s class, and the full CPSC recall history — see the dedicated article.

What was in place by 2010

On the threshold of the 2010s:

  • The technological base is ready: the hub electric motor (from 1895), the folding-scooter form factor (from the 1990s), a compact electric drivetrain (from 2001–2003).
  • Market perception is limited: the “adult” segment is held by niche brands (Go-Ped); the mass consumer product (Razor) is perceived as for children.
  • The barrier is the battery: lead-acid packs delivered short range and high weight. The switch to lithium-ion cells, which would sharply change the market, would happen in the next decade.
  • Shared mobility does not yet exist: the dockless-scooter idea as an urban service (Bird, Lime) would emerge only in 2017–2018.

Put differently, by 2010 the electric scooter exists as a category, but not yet as mass urban transport. The next chronology section — the 2010–2020 decade — shows how it became one.