With the recent growing interest in eco-vehicles, it is not difficult to find electric cars from companies like Tesla here in Virginia and Washington, D.C. It is also pretty easy to spot parking lots or charging stations for electric vehicles in shopping centers. 

Additionally, not long after arriving in Washington, the first thing that caught my eye when I went on a tour of the city were the electric kickboards and electric bicycles that were all over the street.  These eco-vehicles enable users to travel short distances through complex urban areas at low prices. They combine convenient shared transportation applications such as Bird, Lime, Spin, Lyft, so users are able to leave the vehicles wherever they want once they are done using it. 

Their services vary based on the usage time. For example, for the case of Lime, the starting fee is $1.00, and the scooters pay an additional $0.15 per each minute. Even if you aren't moving, you still get charged this per-minute fee. But unlike Uber or Lyft car services, there is no mileage fee for electric scooters and the only thing that matters is how long it takes.

 Here are some examples of how much a Lime will cost you: 

5 Minutes: $0.75 + $1.00 start fee = $1.75 total

10 Minutes: $1.50 + $1.00 start fee = $2.50 total

30 Minutes $4.50 + $1.00 start fee = $5.50 total

1 Hour: $9.00 + $1.00 start fee = $10 total 

Electric scooters are becoming more popular these days as the cost of using shared car platforms such as Uber becomes more expensive and it is more difficult to find drivers with the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of eco-vehicle and the Shared Economy has a greater environmental effect than simply replacing fossil fuels. This is not only because it reduces the total amount of carbon dioxide cars emit, but also because it reduces the total number of cars themselves which account for a large proportion of environmental pollutant emissions. Of course, these last mile transportations run from place to place creating additional problems such as safety hazards for riders and pedestrians, but this still can be improved by continuous campaigning to improve traffic culture or strengthening the related regulations like seat belt one to the car.

As the COVID-19 vaccination rate increases in the U.S., the daily life of the past gradually recovers and the number of vehicles seen on the streets is also increasing as well. As eco-vehicles are one of the most crucial solutions to solve the rising carbon emission, I think it is time to re highlight the importance of eco-vehicles.