EDPM: How can professionals convince more people?

11% of French people are regular users of EDPM (22% have already used them). Faced with the expansion of new mobility solutions, the authorities have decided to give a name to these vehicles, they are the EDPM. These are the Engins de Déplacement Personnel Motorisé, which made their appearance in the Highway Code on 25 October 2019. In 2019, 934,000 machines were sold for 194.1M€. Upon leaving containment, the sale of these machines has seen its figures accelerate.

What is the EDPM?

According to Elisabeth Borne, the development of EDPMs “meets a need for mobility”.
Electric scooters, hoverboards, gyropods and motorized skateboards are EDPMs.

An EDPM must meet different issues according to the Highway Code. It must be:

  • “A vehicle without a seating area, designed and constructed for the movement of one person and without any facilities for the transportation of goods,
  • equipped with a non-thermal engine or non-thermal assistance,
  • has a maximum design speed of more than 6 km/h and not more than 25 km/h,
  • which may include accessories such as a small basket or pannier”.

The most sold machines are the electric scooters since a few years.

EDPMs must not travel more than 25 km under penalty of a fine.

Key figures to start with

An increase in sales of more than 105% has been seen between 2018 and 2019 around the electric scooter. As a result, many products have emerged and seen their sales explode.

After containment, 72% of 18-34 year olds plan to travel by EDPM, noting that 38% of French people believe that these vehicles are a barrier to the health crisis.

Initially, MPETs were considered dangerous, but time-saving modes of travel. Today, EDPMs are a source of autonomy for its users that is not dangerous.

Knowledge of the regulations by the French

Only 57% of French people know about the existence of a regulation. Among them:

  • 37% do not know that the speed limit for MPDs is 25 km/h
  • 21% do not know that riding on sidewalks is prohibited
  • 38% do not know that it is forbidden to ride 2-up on an EDPM

Safety equipment

Certain equipment is mandatory on the EDPM. Many people are not aware of these rules.

  • Wearing a helmet: 9% of freelancers wear it compared to 86% of owners
  • Wearing a reflective equipment: 15% of freelancers wear it against 62% of owners
  • Wear different accessories for additional protection (gloves, …): 11% of freelancers wear them against 58% of owners

An opportunity for you, professionals

EDPMs are now an important part of urban mobility. Following a 105% increase in sales of electric scooters, and as previously mentioned, more than 72% of those surveyed plan to travel by EDPM in the future.

A majority of people are interested in these new products.
The EDPM were previously called NVEI (New Individual Electric Vehicle). The terms evolve from year to year following the technological advances in mobility.

It is important to inform your customers of the different rules set up by the Highway Code. Indeed, these machines have imposed themselves in the city without any specialized infrastructure being in place.

The novelty and the atypical side of these machines represents a selling point for you. Users will have the opportunity to try new things while staying on a safe mode of travel.

It is important to point out that bicycles and EDPMs have many similarities. They are light, quiet, do not produce CO2 and above all they are fun vehicles. These are assets that you must put forward to win over your users.
These machines allow to promote multimodal travel, that is to say that the user uses several modes of transport for the same journey.
The objective is to put micro-mobility at the service of hyper mobility.

Note that these machines will not replace the bicycle fleets, but rather they will be complementary. This will give you the opportunity to introduce new and atypical modes of transportation.

Thanks to the corona-pistes, the tracks created during the Covid-19, the users of soft mobility have many tracks to move. The EDPM are prohibited are the sidewalks (under penalty of a fine of 135€). The road remains a dangerous place for “small vehicles”, so these tracks are pleasant for your users.

Since January 2020, the objective for the FPMM (Federation of Micro-Mobility Professionals) is to develop micro-mobility in 3 axes:

  • Evaluate the impact of EPDM on energy savings,
  • Raise awareness and educate the organizations’ staff,
  • Establish a micro-mobility barometer open to all interested parties.

This shows that EPDMs are in the center of attention in the field of mobility.
Be careful, as manufacturers or operators, you must respect the speed limit. If your vehicles exceed the speed limit of 25 km/h, you can be fined up to 30 000€ and imprisoned for one year, so be careful!
To allow your users to know their speed, integrate to your EDPM a mobile application or a counter that will allow them to calculate their speed.

Customized connectivity solutions allow you to integrate connectivity into your motorized fleet with customized support.

Sources: Study conducted by Smart Mobility Lab in March and September 2020. Smart Mobility Lab and WDFW press release (April 29, 2020).