Is the “programmed durability” of electric scooters an industrial revolution?

An electric scooter made in France, but cheaper than its Asian competitors. This is now possible thanks to the concept of “planned sustainability” that a company in Aisne has decided to put into practice.

The bet of mob ion, which produces two-wheelers, looks like a small economic revolution. Neighboring the imposing Familistère de Guise, where the utopia of an ideal working-class town took shape in the middle of the 19th century, Mob-ion wants to pioneer a new conception of industrial manufacturing and the use of products.

Easily changed and reused parts

At the heart of the project, the idea of ​​replacing the logic “produce, consume, throw away” with “dismantle, repair, remanufacture” for as long as possible. And thus move from planned obsolescence to “planned durability”. This concept has even become a registered trademark of Mob-ion which takes into account the life cycle of each of the components from the outset,

To build its 50 cc electric scooter, the start-up turned factory uses parts that are two-thirds “eco-designed” so that they can be easily changed and reused, sometimes for up to 20 years. And with nearly three-quarters of the components made in France, the scooter has obtained the “guaranteed French origin” label.

“In any product, components that do not have the same lifespan coexist, explains Christian Bruère, president of Mob-ion. Some are in polymer with very short lifespans, others in stainless steel have an almost eternal longevity. », Hence the importance of promoting and facilitating dismantling.

Fewer welds

Copper, for example, “will be very expensive” in the future, so “making a motor with a copper stator (static part) designed to be reused life after life, that makes a lot of sense”, specifies the boss of the society. Behind him, leaning over an engine, a team managed to reduce from eighteen to three welding points, thus facilitating the recovery of parts.

Soon, production by islands, where an employee rides a scooter in three hours, will be replaced by lines, from which 5,000 vehicles must leave.

“Planned sustainability” assumes that the company remains the owner of the scooters. Mob-ion has therefore opted for long-term rentals or sales with a take-over contract after 24 or 48 months. After use, the vehicles will be dismantled on an integration site and their parts remanufactured.

“Competitive and French”

An on-board electronic unit also lets you know when to change the parts exposed to wear, depending on the use of the scooter. Most of the 500 machines already produced have been rented to meal delivery companies. But “with this level of mistreatment, we will not be able to go as far as the sustainability we want”, notes Thomas Thueux, director of finance and operations.

Mob-ion is now targeting local authorities, associations committed to mobility or even campsites and hotels. As well as the inhabitants of rural areas where mobility problems hinder employment, such as Thiérache where the company is established.

By betting on the duration of the pieces, instead of cutting the entry prices, Mob-ion can be “competitive while being French”, emphasizes Christian Bruère. For the economist Christian Du Tertre – whose work inspired the boss of Mob-ion –, the Aisne company has made the leap towards “the economy of functionality”, consisting in selling “a solution that articulates it with services”, rather than a product.

But this model, where he sees a new horizon for the industry, supposes, according to him, a questioning of the current financial system, based on short-term profitability. And a cultural revolution for engineers “still marked by the production of the new”.

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