Why are gas prices still rising and what is the future? Micromobility takes the stage

Fuel prices remain a major topic of discussion. With the possibility that families will be spending $2,000 more a year on average in their homes, people are budgeting for higher gas costs and cutting spending in other areas, as reported by CBS News.

According to Morning Consult, one in three American adults say they reduced their car usage last month; most giving the reason of the soaring gas prices. Why are the prices spiking and what is the future beyond this mess?

Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy's head of petroleum analysis revealed to CBS MoneyWatch that the astronomical gas prices we see today have really come from the "COVID-19 pandemic, with Russia's war on Ukraine pushing prices higher in recent weeks... Everything was upended by COVID. If it hadn't happened, we would have been in a different situation."

Today's fuel prices are still below their peak in 2008, but many are still drastically affected by the rising fuel prices; and it doesn't look like they will go down any time soon as the Russia/Ukraine war continues. Many people simply have to look for alternatives. Could micromobility be the answer to our future?

In a nutshell, micro-mobility is lightweight and small vehicles that run at speeds below 25 km/h. Micromobility devices include electric scooters, electric bikes, hover boards and electric skateboards.

The term micromobility is starting to become common in urban transport. Many believe that it is the next step to transforming the transport sector.

In a recent survey by McKinsey, the public seemed favourable to micromobility - especially now with the continuous increase of petrol.

The findings show that the future is, indeed, bright. Almost 70 percent of those 6,000 respondents in the survey said that they were willing to use micromobility vehicles for their commute.

Globally, 40 percent of people who took part in the survey, said that the bike would remain their favourite method if they were to give up the car.

The willingness to use small vehicles was highest in countries with a long tradition of micromobility. These include countries such as Italy, fan of the scooter (81 percent) and China, fan of the bike (86 percent). The moped is also popular in China, where authorities do not require drivers to have a license or insurance coverage for small vehicles.

But only 60 percent of US respondents said they would consider micromobility. This is mainly because they have traditionally relied on private cars or public transportation for their commutes.

People in the United Kingdom and China were the most reluctant users of e-kickscooters. The reason? According to McKinsey, this is probably because both countries either banned those vehicles because of safety concerns or only recently approved them.

With an e-scooter or an e-bike, commuters can go to nearby bus and subway stations without needing to use a car. They are collapsable so will easily fit on the bus.

There have also been a number of innovative and, quite simply, genuius mocromobility designs. In Hannover, 2019 the micromobility expo showed a man riding a prototype of a Volkswagen electric load wheel.

The trade fair also saw this unexpected design. Love it or hate it, it certainly has its advantages. This is the microlino electric city car made by micro.

Or what about this futuristic design that was on show at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 7, 2020. This is the Smacircle S1 folding micro-mobility bike. This could be the future

The use of electric transport such as scooters or bikes will help to resolve congestion and air pollution. A study by e-scooter sharing company, Lime, found that the city of Paris was able to save a significant amount of emissions in a year by implementing shared e-scooter schemes.

If more people start to use micromobility systems, it will help reduce air pollution. Especially in highly congested cities and countries such as India and Pakistan where pollution is among the highest in the world.

Compared to buying and owning a car, micromobility devices are relatively affordable. Aside from the lower initial costs, these devices do not need fuel or major maintenance, lowering the cost for users. Shared e-scooters and e-bikes are also an affordable option.

Micromobility devices come with serious safety concerns, which is why some cities and governments are still reluctant to promote them. These devices are considered unsafe as they do not offer any real protection, unlike the airbags in a car for example.

For one thing, the parking of micromobility vehicles in public spaces is not regulated by law, which, in itself, can cause real problems.

However, if organisations and legislators can create proper standards and guidelines for the use of micromobility, safety concerns and incidents could be reduced.

The purpose of micromobility is not to convince drivers or public transport users to switch to miniature electric vehicles. It is simply to integrate micro-electric vehicles into our day to day in order to start saving money, resources and reducing emissions. Sounds like a good idea?