Airbags for E-Scooters in Production Tests

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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31st January 2020

In a bid to stem the growing cases of injuries suffered by e-scooter riders, a safety specialist manufacturer is testing the first airbag system for the vehicles.

Autoliv has announced that it has completed the first unique crash test with a concept airbag for e-scooters. Initial results indicate the e-scooter airbag reduces injuries to an e-scooter rider’s head and chest. It says this is the next step in a focused and continued effort to provide safety solutions within the area of micromobility.

The global popularity of the e-scooter has seen them become a regular feature of life in urban environments being light enough to carry up into high-rise apartments and offices to be charged both at home and work. Yet, as the number of e-scooters rapidly grows in many cities, so does the need to provide safety systems for those using them.

The tested concept airbag will complement the pedestrian protection airbag, PPA, previously introduced by Autoliv. Whereas the airbag for e-scooters is mounted on the e-scooter, the PPA is mounted on a vehicle and deploys along the A-pillar/windshield area. This makes it the only airbag to deploy on the outside of a vehicle. Working together, the two airbags offer increased protection for drivers of e-scooters specifically in the case of a head-to-head collision with a vehicle.

Additional safety solutions within the area of micromobility are currently also being evaluated. One example is the integration of e-scooter driving behavior and unique user insights in the Autoliv Safety Score application. The result of these different efforts is a more comprehensive holistic approach to improve safety in an increasingly micromobile society.

Jordi Lombarte, Autoliv CTO, said: “In a world where there are still too many casualties in the transport system, and when society is evolving rapidly to new ways of mobility, Autoliv is researching new solutions to make the journey safer to anyone’s destination. This first e-scooter test is a good example of the commitment of Autoliv to save more lives, exploring new solutions for one of the new ways of mobility.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_