Electric scooters

[zbigi]

Has anybody tried an electric scooter as a car alternative? Esp. in climate with all four seasons. I wonder how practical it is, esp. in winters. Roads around me are usually snow free most of the winter, so the main difficulty would be the cold, and maybe some rare treacherous ice patches.

The goal of course is to not carry a ton of steel and other materials around me whenever I need to go further distance. An electric bike could also be a possibilty, although I'd want a range of 80-100 km with a speed of 40-50 km/h, which I assume the bikes can't do (and probably wouldn't be too safe on them anyway).

[Seppia]

I have a short range, super light electric scooter (the Unagi One).
I mainly use it in the summer months here in Miami when it’s too hot to walk the 30mins I have to work.
I can see the utility of electric scooters in cases like mine.
But if you need to ride 80-100km at speeds of 40-50km/h don’t you buy an actual scooter?
Main advantages VS the electrical scooter:
Doesn’t have an expiration date due to the battery
Probably less environmental impact over the full life cycle
Easier to resell should you need to move on
Comes from very well established manufacturers that have clear warranties and broadly available repair centers

[mathiverse]

Edited: Given you're talking about a Vespa-type vehicle, the link I posted wasn't related.

[zbigi]

There seems to be a word collision in the English dictionary regarding scooters? It seems to mean both a very light vehicle that you stand on (basically a two-wheeled skateboard with handle bars), and a small motorcycle (where main difference is that you sit on it, it has much larger and sturdier wheels, much larger mass, and is a couple times more expensive). I'm considering the latter, as the former seems more suitable for short commutes in the city (whereas I'd be going between cities).

I'm thinking electric over gas-powered, because you can get electricity for free if you have solar panels, and the drivetrain is mechanically very simple and requires no maintenance. I wouldn't be going on it too often, so batery lifespan is perhaps less of an issue (but it's obviously something to I should research further).

The whole concept is part of me loosely sketching my "back to the land" lifestyle change scenario, where I buy a plot of land in the outer suburbs, and have to commute somehow to friends and family from there. Car is an obvious choice (or even public transport, before the decline sets in and public services get cut), but I'm trying to figure out if there are leaner options.

[chenda]

There seems to be a word collision in the English dictionary regarding scooters? It seems to mean both a very light vehicle that you stand on (basically a two-wheeled skateboard with handle bars), and a small motorcycle

Yup. And you now get electric scooters of the first type to confuse things further (a well known influencer was killed in London a few years ago when on one and was hit by an articulated lorry)

[zbigi]

I've found a new category of products - minicars. They're basically something between regular cars and motorcycles (scooters). An example:

https://iamelectric.pl/produkt/motorowe ... any-ariel/ (Polish only)

Apart from range, it seems to be a reasonable compromise. It uses around 5 kWh per 100 km, which is maybe 15% of energy consumption of a really economic car. Unlike motorbike, it's reasonably weather-proof - being three-wheeled makes it safe to drive on bad roads and in bad weather. And obviously, having a chassis protects from wind, rain, snow.

The price is around $7k, which is half of what a smallest petrol car (like Fiat 500 or Mitsubishi Space Star) would cost around here.

[chenda]

Looks like a sexed up reliant robin.

[zbigi]

It uses around 5 kWh per 100 km

Which is roughly what a human uses when walking! So, I guess the main "wastefulness" of such vehicles is not their high energy consumption per se, but rather the fact that a human would never casually walk 30 or 40 km to see a friend for an afternoon.

[ducknald_don]

I've found a new category of products - minicars.

Microlino is another. Great for around town but I'm not sure I'd want to take one on the motorway.

[zbigi]

The cheapest models starts from 18k euros. That's more than a small petrol city car.

The problem with these cars (and, to lesser degree, with what iamelectric.pl sells as well) is that they try to be consumer gadgets, and not cheap and practical transportation options. Hence, the iamelectric cars have metallic paint and alloy wheels, which look cool, but are completely unnecessary. Also, they have a tablet with basic infotainment, as well as heating.

Hopefully, eventually someone will be selling much cheaper bare-bones models.

[loutfard]

I don't think you'll find much cheaper. Have a look at the Piaggio APE series. More barebones. Produced in India in significant volume. Gasoline or diesel, not electric. Still 8k€ and up. http://www.piaggiocommercialvehicles.co ... 23_APE.pdf .