If someone had told me a few years ago that I would be working for a Chinese manufacturer I would not have believed them. As a micromobility enthusiast with a vision to improve the health and functionality of city transport, in 2015 two friends and I launched a business to manufacture and promote electric skateboards. Despite some energetic lobbying on our part, the electric skateboard landed up on the wrong side of European transport legislation. But what was bad for e-skateboards was good for e-scooters, as cities across the US and Europe embraced e-scooters as a potential last mile solution.