Electric scooter startup Zipp Mobility has received approval from the UK Department for Transport to have its e-scooter included in trials across the UK.

The UK government plans to accelerate trials of rented e-scooter schemes as part of a strategy to explore less congested and greener methods of urban transport in response to the Covid9 pandemic. All regions are now permitted to launch e-scooter sharing schemes in partnership with scooter firms.

Zipp Mobility says it is already talking to a number of UK councils to secure e-scooter licences.

Chief executive Charlie Gleeson said: “Receiving approval from the DfT is a hugely encouraging affirmation of what we are striving for at Zipp. Not only does this confirm confidence in the safety of our e-scooter, it also reaffirms that our bid for a more sustainable, responsible and transparent approach to the industry is one that is being readily welcomed by authorities." 

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Zipp scooters feature an aluminium frame, 10-inch airless tyres, a swappable battery, dual braking, a wide base and a low centre of gravity. The scooter is also equipped with nano-septic handlebar wraps that reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by 99.98%, the company says.

Gleeson founded Zipp last year as a NovaUCD startup, and the company is an Enterprise Ireland HPSU client. the founder is a graduate of UCD’s Lochlann Quinn School of Business and in 2019 completed NovaUCD’s mentoring programme for student entrepreneurs and the UCD VentureLaunch Accelerator Programme for early-stage startups.

In June the venture announced it had closed a €300,000 investment round led by a London-based VC and by private angel investors.

Photo: Zipp Mobility team (l-r) Will O’Brien, Ben Duffy, Robert Coyle, Charlie Gleeson, Síofra Brady and Lorcan Brophy. (Pix: Saiful Haque)