E-Max Electric Scooter Arrives from Germany
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 10.27.05
The E-Max is an electric scooter from Germany, which has been used in that country for many years. It is now available in the U.S., and several people have received their bikes. Early reports are quite positive — apparently the claimed performance (speed and range) are accurate and that the build quality is excellent. The batteries use a silicone chemistry rather lead, nickel, or lithium.
The standard E-Max offers a 1500 Watt sealed brushless motor and a range up to 40 miles depending on rider/cargo weight and terrain. The e-Max has speeds up to 30 mph. It will 80% recharge in approximately 1.5 hours. The suggested retail price for this bike is $1,995. The Sports Edition option has a 2000 Watt sealed brushless motor, a custom controller and a new Hillock Seat. The suggested retail price for this bike is $2,750. :: E-Max USA, E-Max in Germany and E-Max.US
I love this. I think it's great. I want one. I just harbor concern about the safety of scooters. I have a lot of friends that did a lot of damage to themselves on scooters, one broke his neck. I just want a few more wheels. Is there a small electric vehicle with more then two wheels in mass production that is similar in price and quality?
A lot of people don't realize that scooters should be treated like motorcycles, not bicycles. Most scooting is done on streets with cars and go a lot faster than bicycles. That said, bike helmets won't do squat if you fall and hit your head. Motorcycle helmets are more appropriate and safer. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (http://www.msf-usa.org/) has rider courses which allows scooters. Riding a scooter is not like riding a bicycle; the MSF course should be suggested to all new scooter riders.
This scooter looks suspiciously like the Chinese scooters I used to sell.
"The batteries use a silicone chemistry rather lead, nickel, or lithium."
Does anyone have any information on silicone battery technology? So far I’ve read that they are much more eco friendly then conventional battery technology, but I have no idea how. Does anyone have any idea what the pro's and con’s of silicone batteries are or how they stores energy?
I have an eMax and can attest to its quality. On the surface it looks like the cheap junk out there, but to a certain extent all scooters look similar. The components are all very good and the fit and finish is good. As a result the price is more than double that of the cheap junk. After riding it for a week I decided I didn't need a car any more so I sold my Subaru. No looking back now.
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Safety is always foremost in my mind. You have to ride it more like a motorcycle than a bike, but I have been known to shift into an empty bike lane to let cars pass. I only recommend riding one where the speed limit is 40mph or less -- preferably 35mph or less. Fortunately the is exactly my situation. It also helps to take motorcycle safety course. It is like a defensive driving class times two.
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The only information on silicone batteries I have found comes from the manufacturer: www.guineng.com/index0.htm
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I agree with the need for a helmet. Full face. At first I thought it was overkill, but my motorcycle buddies swore it might save my life and my face. I was made a believer the first time a bee bounced off the face shield at 35mph. Thwack!
I'm sure David Wiley will not mind that we have more info about him and more to tell you about E-Max electric scooters. See New Energy News (Oct 2005): Switching Gears and Going Electric and Electric Scooters: The Perfect Second Car? Fuel Economy and Ecology: Green Means Go!
Please be aware that the E-max 2000Watt sport's
speedometer reads 5 mph OVER the ACTUAL speed of 32mph. This can be confirmed by radar gun, GPS unit or your own car ! Otherwise it is a nice scooter.
If you want to be safer you must get closer to the speed of traffic. The only other E-scooter
is the Proton which has an actual speed of 38mph. Or you can get a Go-fast E-bike called Black-Cat that can go up to 40mph !
These are still in testing but interested parties can email admin@forsenusa.com for info
and get on waiting list.
Isn't E-Max the European wing of Lashout? Either way it's great to see high quality, powerful electric scooters hitting the US market. The more the merrier in my opinion! Keep 'em coming!!!
I have put 600 km on my E-Max so far including commuting trips as long as 17 miles on hilly terain. While there are some fit and finish annoyances, (I'm replacing the shoddy steel front wheel with a alloy one) there has only been one problem so far - a failed battery gauge. However, the dealer/dsitributor, E-Max USA has been very responsive in replacing it under warranty.
While it looks just like one of those generic 50cc chinese scooters, the frame is beefed up and the electric hub motor drive is appears to be rugged.
I put a size-larger tires on it, which removed most of the speedo error, improve the ride on my rough streets and yield a bit better top speed of 34 mph (25-30 mph on 8 percent hills). In the city or 2-lane suburban roads, I keep up with traffic just fine - only on steep hills (12 to 18%) have I moved over to let cars pass.
Th silicone-lead batteries show no apparent loss in performance (charging or discharging) at temperatures down to a bit below freezing - which is as cold as I can stand riding it for anything but very short trips.
Note that they are silicone-LEAD batteries - so they still need to be disposed at a recycler similar to a car battery.
I just got an emax sport and I've gotten it up to 45+ mph. That's on a 10-15 degree incline. Not sure what the top speed really is on a flat straight away yet. yeah, these things are great!
If 30mph is all the speed you need, then buy the emax. If you need more power to go up hills or go 40mph in traffic so u dont get run over, save your $$$$.
A new hot E-scooter will be tested next month. Results will be posted on electric-scooter-world
It is great to see the electric scooters now for sale. Americans are the most spoiled people in the world ..they want everything cheap ...just like the big houses with no payment or low teaser rates ...Now we see the mess we are in ... Back to scooters...The manufactures shold strive to build good products so that people have some confidence in driving & its life span ... an electric scooter with 4-5- miles range should be able to meet the needs for many of us to do the local driving ...& not having to run our gas guzzzling cars ...
It is great to see the electric scooters now for sale. Americans are the most spoiled people in the world ..they want everything cheap ...just like the big houses with no payment or low teaser rates ...Now we see the mess we are in ... Back to scooters...The manufactures shold strive to build good products so that people have some confidence in driving & its life span ... an electric scooter with 4-5- miles range should be able to meet the needs for many of us to do the local driving ...& not having to run our gas guzzzling cars ...
only 40 mph? their website (http://www.e-max-ltd.com/technology/index.php) claims 80 - 100 kph.