History of electric scooters
Wim Ouboter and Micro Mobility AG (1990–2026): the Swiss line of the modern scooter
A standalone historical profile of the Swiss inventor Wim Ouboter and Micro Mobility Systems AG: the folding aluminium prototype of 1990 with inline-roller wheels, the founding in Küsnacht (1996), the Kickboard with K2 Sports at ISPO Munich (1998), the Micro Scooter (1999), the partnership with JD Corporation and Razor USA for the North American market (2000), the counterfeit crash of 2001 and the pivot to the premium children's segment (Mini Micro / Maxi Micro), the eMicro one with motion control and EPFL Lausanne (2013–2016), the legalisation of electric scooters in Switzerland on 18 July 2018 (Micro Eagle and Micro Condor), the BMW E-Scooter electric collaboration (September 2019), the present-day Merlin / Condor / Falcon line, the Microlino microcar as a parallel branch (production from 2022 in Turin), and why two heirs to the same invention — mass-market Razor in North America and niche Micro in Europe — diverged in their engineering choices despite their common root.