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Special drone is supposed to recover hundreds of sunken e-scooters from the Rhine

According to WDR research, hundreds of electric scooters are said to be in the Cologne Rhine. That had caused a stir. Now the providers want to deal with the problem very quickly.

Last week, research by Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) caused some outrage. According to this, hundreds of e-scooters from the five large rental companies based in Cologne are said to be rotting in the river. According to a local construction diver, he and his colleagues have come across significant quantities of these electric scooters on every dive. A sticky mass is already emerging from many of them.

Reporting triggers a wave of indignation

However, distributors see themselves insufficiently responsible, according to the interview partner of the WDR. A rescue offer that had been requested was rejected by a rental company with the words that it was much too expensive and then the scooters would have to stay where they are.

After the reporting, the topic had developed a strong dynamic. The mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, had also positioned herself. After all, around 500 scooters are said to be in the section of the Rhine that can be assigned to Cologne city center.

The joint platform “Shared Mobility”, a merger of rental companies, has now announced that it will salvage all electric scooters that are located near Cologne in the Rhine at its own expense. The concerted action is scheduled to start on June 28, 2021.

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High-tech troops are supposed to pull scooters out of the Rhine

The lenders want to use a team of robots and underwater drones. First of all, the Rhine is to be scanned by drone in order to record the positions of the scooters. Sonar is also used. Florian Anders, PR head of the scooter rental company Tier Mobility, had already confirmed this to t3n at the weekend.

Once the positions have been clarified, a special drone with a gripper arm should pull the electric scooters out of the water. If this is not possible, for example because the scooters are in the deeper, current middle of the river, divers with special equipment should be used. How long the rescue operation will take cannot yet be said.

Riverside areas rather unproblematic

According to their own information, the rental companies have already recovered such scooters that were lying in shallow water near the shore. In Cologne, the KRAKE association, which works exclusively with volunteers and has since been contacted by several rental companies with a support offer, also takes care of scooters and other equipment that are easier to reach from the bank.

The rental company Bird also wants to improve its cooperation with the police so that people who throw scooters into the Rhine can be caught more quickly. What this cooperation could look like is still completely unclear.

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