Electric scooter

[KRS1]

a replacement battery just requires undoing a plug, just like opening a gas cap, or sticking your helmet or cargo under the seat - if someone designs it right.

people have been trained to do the least to get the most, plugging it in really isnt a big deal...its just that...people are naturally lazy because thats the way capitalism has conditioned us to be.

all of us have to eat atleast 2 times everyday...why should plugging something in that takes less than 10 seconds be any harder?

Edited November 15, 2013 by KRS1

[Madgee]

a replacement battery just requires undoing a plug, just like opening a gas cap, or sticking your helmet or cargo under the seat - if someone designs it right.

Maybe; but they don't design them that way so there must be a reason why not?

Batteries must be protected and clamped down, similar to a car, if they were easily accessible they become targets for theft. Most of the older style of e-scooters used to have removable batteries in the form of a large cartridge that could be lifted out of the bike in seconds, many owners experienced this design fault the hard way. Also, the weight factor of lugging these cartridges about to re-charge if living in an apartment with no external power points undercover, has to be factored in.

Experience owning one of these e-scooters first, then weigh up the pros and cons.

A good friend bought an expensive one in Aussie, thinking it would save him money on commuter costs and also be able to do his bit for the environment; after the initial thrill, he began to regret every hard earned dollar he spent on it! He gave the same reasons that I tried to tell him. Still, everyone's different.

Ya pays ya money - Ya takes ya choice! Enough said from me.

[KRS1]

a lithium ion battery the size of a 2 liter coke bottle is all you need, in an electric bike or scooter, and i can think of about 10 different types of latching mechanisms to secure the battery that wouldnt be any harder to deactuate than the kickstand on a motorcycle. Because one design didnt work, does not mean there are not other designs out there.

if its big bulky and heavy thats nickel hydride, or lead...lithium is light...i ride a bike (pedal power) almost everyday, and i bring it up and down the elevator...i could not do that with a scooter though, not because i couldnt, just because it would look funny.

http://www.endless-sphere.com for the latest in technology.

[RubberSideDown]

I remember watching an episode of 'Jay Leno's Garage' where he was showing his collection of steam-powered vehicles, and he had one of the last ones produced, which was a huge improvement over its predecessors and was actually way better than the recently-introduced petrol-engined vehicles that were available at the same time- he made a point that I think is relevant to the E-bike introduction- 'The last days of old technology are generally better than the first days of new technology'.

[wantan]

you say that you have an interest in these things so, no doubt, you have read the info on the 'Vivacity' e-scooter.

List Price: around 200,000 baht

Top Speed: 50kmh

Range: 60km

Battery Guarantee: 4 years

The OP asked about e-scooters so I'm dismissing e-bikes which are totally different.

Chinese crap of similar stats:

List Price: around 20,000 baht

Top Speed: 50kmh

Range: 60km

Battery Guarantee: 1 year

Absolutely no resale value anywhere.

I'd be the first to admit the build quality of most machines of Chinese origin would be inferior to those from Europe and the 'green' issues are open to debate.

The main issues with e-scooters are the range and charging issues.

Dealers recommend customers to only re-charge when the batteries are nearly exhausted to maintain the battery life, this is a constant frustration when you might need a full charge.

The simple fact of remembering to plug it in to re-charge is a pain.

A poster mentioned about keeping a spare battery?

They are not like an everyready battery to replace. On most e-scooters the batteries are located under the seat requiring the total removal of the seat and some wires unbolted.

JMHO, I would not recommend an e-scooter to the OP, too much hassle.

Thanks for your warning. People should be aware that there is some cheap crap sold. So better take your time and compare and check all pros and cons.

The Peugeot scooter uses lithium-ion batteries, which have no memory effect. So you can always charge your scooter.

The scooter costs something like 3500 Euro, so more like 140,000 Baht than 200,000 Baht. Thats a lot for sure.

Seems there are different versions of this scooter depending on the laws of the countries. This scooter is made to compete with small 50cc scooters in Europe which do not need a license (big white plate) and which are cheap in insurance. With 4kw i am sure this scooter would be able to go faster than 50kmh without restriction. And it has more torque than the average 125cc scooter.

I don't know if similar quality products are available in Thailand. If so, i guess they will be expensive compared to all the mass produced, cheap scooters available here. But i see other types of e-bikes and e-bicycles in many bicycle shops. So people interested in such things have something to choose from.

There are some valid reasons for using electric vehicles. Just think about why they are used on golf courses. People buying such things usually know what they do and how far they want to go with their bike. Its mainly for shopping and other short commutes, not for exploring the countryside.

[BSJ]

The batteries will improve with time. As for Chinese quality for electric bikes...........

[thairookie]

I will buy an electric scooter for two reasons:

1. no need to wear helmet

2. no need to register (therefore, no need to produce certificate of residence)

[aZooZa]

Just to summarise - if you buy an electric bike/scooter/trike, you don't need a licence, but you need insurance. Is that correct?

I'm a UK expat here on a retirement visa and have a full UK bike and car licence if that makes any difference.

Also, can anyone suggest an electric bike that can do pillion? VERY short distances only for shopping etc.

Thanks!

Edited January 15, 2014 by aZooZa

[ll2]

I will buy an electric scooter for two reasons:

1. no need to wear helmet

2. no need to register (therefore, no need to produce certificate of residence)

no need to wear a helmet?

why? bc it is an electric bike?

[guzzi850m2]

I am in China right now (Shenzhen) and so far I only seen electric bikes and they are cheap, app13k baht for the ones on the picture. This is what you can call mid of the range models.

They don't go fast, perhaps max 30 km/h and only expats on them seems to wear helmets of which there are surprisingly many.

I almost got hit by one as he came in the wrong direction and hardly any sound, ha-ha.

[brownknees]

My wife bought one,its Chinese and is pedal assisted .Claim is for 50k per charge,it cost 29,000 baht.Now heres the bummer ,we had the service rep out today as it started to run a bit intermittent on power .I thought maybe a loose connection but no ,seems the battery is no good and a new one is 4000 baht!Oh yes its only just above the six month battery warranty.Now my wife of course didn't bother to check things like a warranty!Also the electric motor has a 12 month warrantee so after she buys a new battery I may advise her to sell it!!!

[papa al]

You must be thrashing your bike, I get over 70km/litre from my cheapo 110cc Wave and run it on the recommended 91 octane gasahol, so that is an economy or just 50 Satang per km.

The bike cost 34,000 baht brand new and has been faultless over the 3.5 years we have had it. A 100 baht oil change every year, a tyre change every 3 years and I don't need a battery change as it has an easy kick start.

Are you sure about that? Honda claims 52.5km/l for the brand-new Wave 110, which is their most fuel-efficient scooter in the 100cc range- the older ones were under 50km/l.

http://paultan.org/2013/05/28/new-honda-wave-110-kapcai-launched-by-boon-siew/

My Wave110i averaged 55kpl in town [one year logged] driving reasonably. 70 may be possible with hard tires, selecting tallest possible gear and slow steady speed.