The 7 Best Electric Scooters: From Prototypes to Production Models

Oh man, I want a Vectrix!!

I would love a Vectrix as well. But for that price I would want it to have lithium ion batteries. That would make the bike lighter and would almost double the mileage.

This is just so crazy TreeHugger would post a story about this when yesterday I was searching for electric motorcycles.

Hey, that's my Emax picture! No worries. I gave it away years ago along with the rights, but you owe me half a mouthful of tea. :-)

Emax went bust, had the manufacturing bought up by Kasea, and is available again as Kasea. I believe someone is attempting to revive the Emax name with a newly designed scooter, but I don't know the status of it.

Z-20 finally made it after years of delays along with the R-20 sold by the same company.

I don't believe the the Ikoo is real. I know a lot of escooter people and no one I know has ever ridden one.

Other scooter models currently available: E-fun and Extreme scooters like the XM-2000.

The Volta, a Vectrix-class scooter, should be available soon. Prices should start around $8k.

Check out http://visforvoltage.org/ for much more about escooters, ebikes, and electric transportation in general.

Vectrix Electric Scooter with solar panel mods. Humm am i the only one who can dream?

It would look like a ground running tie fighter from star wars.

Unfortunately i think you have to have plates and tags for it in Indiana USA if they allow it on the roads at all. Since there is no fuel tax revenue from it.

Now lets see if they can mod it.

D~W

I just finished researching electric scooters over a 6 month period to decide which to buy. Sadly, I'll be waiting.

For instance, go to V is for Voltage and read about the scooter you are considering... Like this EVT post for the R20, which is the retro styled version of the Z20 identified as a"best" scooter. http://visforvoltage.org/blog/hubert/3306

To summarize, 15 of 21 broken in 3 months. All recalled by dealer, at his expense, because they were to dangerously unreliable, no support from manufacturer.

I was seriously considering 3 of the ones on that list and they were all fatally flawed. In particular, watch out for the battery life. All the ones I looked at used AGM batteries in series, but lack charge equalizers which drastically reduces their lives. You'll see all sorts of battery modification heroics in the V is for Voltage forums to correct this.

I think the best one on the list is Honda's electric scooter because they decided not to build them and waste all those resources.

Not to be a complete wet blanket, one of the Chinese manufacturers is present on the board under the name "mountain_chen". He appears to have a sincere interest in improving the designs and the patience of Job when dealing with customers.

Personally, I nearly decided to get a Vespa, but the noise annoys me as do the projected maintenance costs. So I'm going to wait until September, check what mountain_chen is turning out then and review my options then.

The Vectrix seems far and awya the best scooter in this post. I'd ride any of them tohelp save our beautiful world, or atleast help to preserve it for some time

I recently ordered one of these.

http://www.electricmotorsport.com/store/ems_electric_motorcycle_gpr-s.php

Does anyone know what kind of mileage The piaggio mp3 scooters get?

What about the Enertia? Only $2000 or so more than the Vectrix. It's an electric motorcycle rather than a moped, though.
I recently rode an electric moped at a green expo. What I liked about that one was that the battery could be taken out easily and taken upstairs to my apartment for recharging. Would that work for any of these?

Zap's vapour-ware?

You all need to take a look at China. I bought a scooter here about 4 months ago, It can go 45kph and has a range of 80km. Price?? ~330 USD...

It can be done... produce a cheap useful electric scooter for the US/European market...

We don't need ultra long range or high speed. All you need is something that can hit 35-40 kph and do 3 round trips to work so you only have to recharge twice a week.

That will take care of 90+ % of the average person's travel...

> what kind of mileage The piaggio mp3 scooters get?

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/motoring/story/0,,2045930,00.html says 70mpg

Vectrix have shown an electric tilting three wheeler like the MP3:
http://www.gizmag.com/vectrix-electric-superbike/8395/picture/40173/

And there are stories about an electric or hybrid Piaggio:
http://www.infomotori.co.uk/a_ENG_20768_1.html
http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/hybrid-piaggio-mp3-for-7000/

I've no idea when or if there will be production versions though.

if they can only go that fast may I politely suggest you all just keep grinding it out on your bikes?!!?!?

@nuvi: Zap's vapour-ware?"

Nope. There are a bunch of Zapino riders over on visforvoltage. Many think it is best of breed of the cheaper electric scooters.

. @ Jesse ~>China. I bought a scooter here about 4 months ago, It can go 45kph and has a range of 80km. Price?? ~330 USD...

Hey ..That sounds great. I want one. Tell me how to find your supplier please.

Awesome, our whole company is thinking of getting electric scooters. This article should help with the research.

I bought an eGo electric bicycle at the Electric Cyclery in Laguna Beach CA seven months ago. It has been a great alternative to driving in Pasadena. My kids ride to school and I run errands on it.It looks like a very small moped but doesn't require a moped license, goes 25 miles on the flat up to 22 mph, takes on big hills with ease, charges on a regular computer cord and outlet, and uses a standard type battery that last 2 years. I think it was a great deal at $1400 new. For someone driving 5 miles each way to work each day, it would pay for itself in about a year. On town streets, I usually get door to door in about the same time as driving and it is a lot more fun and easier to park. It accelerates surprisingly fast on its 1.9 hp motor. The first thing I warn friends about when they want to try it out for a ride is not to hit the throttle too hard !

I've gotta get my hands on the Vetrix, although within a few years the electric car options will be sweet. Decisions... decisions...

I've been wanting an electric scooter that comes with a solar charging station when you buy it. I don't want to mess with buying separate pannels, inverters, etc. etc. and trying to gerry rig a charging system for the scooters battery. I would like a scooter/solar charger system all in one package so I can come home, park the scooter, and plug in the charger cable. Even better would be to buy two charging stations and set on up at work too. I don't expect to get 100% charge from solar on a regular basis, but would like to get at least some "juice" from the sun. Anything like this out there?

It seems like at these prices, speeds, and ranges, a number of the electric assist bikes you've covered belong in this list as well.

...battery will recharge to 80% in 1.5 hours...

I own that E-MAX you're showing - no way can it be recharged that quickly. After about 1500 - 2000 miles you need to give it a full 4hr charge, top it off for about 2 more hours to have enough "oomph" in the battery for another day or two of errands.

Still - it's the right thing to do, and loads of fun, too!!
The Vectrix is by far - extremely far- the best machine out there, yet it's got enormous tech challenges (growing pains- that is, if the company survives the first 3 years in business...)

Had the Vectrix not such a dismal rep (I traced it literally every day on Visforvoltage.org) I would be riding it by now.

And, by the way, loose that notion of "it'll pay for itself in xyz amount of time" - what car pays for itself??

A year pass for the Metro Gold Line pays for itself when exactly ?

Just get the stuff, the planet is the one thing to honor here.
If we all pull together, maybe we can avert the very worst - and still have a stable currency that buys us anything in about 2-3 years from now.

Does anyone have more information about/experience with the e-classic?
http://www.eclassic.nl/

It's priced at 1.999 euro here in Antwerp, Belgium
http://www.evstart.be/produkten/scooters/e-classic/index.html

I am the factory Rep here for Mountain Chen. I use Lithium batteries only.
Any body interested can contact me.

I am the factory Rep here for Mountain Chen. I use Lithium batteries only.
Any body interested can contact me.

Wal-Mart is selling electric scooters from Schuinn they run for a fraction of what the Ikoo cost and it has the same range and speed we purchase one to go from the house to the university where my wife teaches and it works pretty good. For about 300 dollars you cannot go wrong, and the retailer will give you your money back if it was not up to your standard. We got the 500cd series because of the bigger tires. I would recommend this method of transportation for more information go to their web site WWW.CurrieTech.com http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8467097

Thanks for the first adopter market, because they're all too much money, be-cause of the battery. Until high density "solid-state" li-ion batteries are put into production to replace the liquid gel state-of-the-art type like a123, EVs will be remain a hard sell vs equivalent internal combustion.

In light of the fact methane from cows are a worse greenhouse gas problem than vehicle exhaust, it gives the powers that be in control of energy r&d expenditures one more reason to postpone the mass production of the type of nanotech battery chemistries that would put internal combustion on the heap of history, and spell the death throws of the oil economy.

McCain's hollow promise of a $300 million bribe to the EV industry to help support the production of better batteries, is a weakly veiled scheme to sway EV fans into supporting his croonies and their mad plan to riddle the planet with nuclear power plants!

Out of the frying pan into the fire, to quote Sierra club president: "to support the nuclear renaissance, is like giving up smoking, and taking up crack!"

One scooter thats cheap here ( in the uk ) and seems pretty good is the Sakura s50 , it also has regen braking though the charging hours are longer.

I ride a Honda Rebel 250cc. I've changed the rear sprocket from 33 to 30 teeth. (better economy and speed on the highway). I run it with Mobil 1(greatly improves engine live and lasts 3 times as long..saving petroleum (recycle all my oil). I drive sensably and get 90 MPG. I think all small motorcycles are geared for zip and don't achieve the economy they are capable of. At 250cc it has all the power one needs to go 60mph for short stretches of the Ineterstate around the city, so I'm not limited to driving on all the back slow streets in all the stop and go traffic. I can carry two when needed and have a small removalable container for shopping. The small motorcycles and scooters of today are well engineered and will last if maintained and run responsibly. You won't have the cost of battery replacement in the future either. Wait for battery technology and engineering to catch up while riding proven technology.

Just have to echo Courtney-if I think of looking for something, I can be sure Treehugger has found it and researched it for me....then all the commenters will provide me with further detail. Thanks!

Yes very nice, but what about the ones you MISSED!!

www.boomrides.com showcases the Zero and others too.

Please come see the future of transportation there.

Environmental Solutions Development Manager, boomrides.com

If you are able to drive a 2 wheeled vehicle, why not get a real motorbike instead?

>> If you are able to drive a 2 wheeled vehicle, why not get a real motorbike instead?

Silly! Because (1) I won't be spewing CO2 into the atmosphere, (2) I can charge for free at my office, (3) I can charge overnight for free from my electric utility credit energy because our home solar panels generate far more energy than we consume, (4) no maintenance, (5) it's quiet, (6) it's a babe magnet, and (7) it's way cool!

To be truthful, I think I'm going to simply slap a 36-volt, brushless electric axle motor on one of my bikes and purchase a 37-volt, 10-amp lithium ion battery. My bike commute is 20 miles (36 km) and the electric motor would cut the 2-hour commute by about 30 minutes. I absolutely hate driving. I have almost 50,000 miles on my primary bike, mostly commuting. (I wouldn't put the electric kit on my primary bike.)

P.S. I used to have a Honda CB-125. I still have fond memories of that bike. And a Rebel is definitely a wonderful replacement for a 3,500 kilogram (that's 4 million pounds for you Bush-lickers in the U.S.) Ford Extinction. But's it's still pumping out the carbon!

It's awesome and simultaneously depressing. The most practical scooter runs just under 10 grand, and... given the size and top speed of it, odds are good that if there isn't legislation concerning electrics, there will be, and an operator will find themselves having to get a motorcycle license, as well as insurance and a plate.... more money to spend.

That's all beside the point. It bothers me that all of these, especially the Vectrix, are little more than toys for the elite.... the rich kids playing revolutionary, trying to do something better for the environment, yet for all the wrong reasons.

I'll stick to my gas-burning honda express in the appropriate months. It's 25 years old, gets excellent gas mileage when you take it easy (about 125mpg), and can be carried over the shoulder if need be. It's not the greatest thing for the environment, but it's better than most cars. Plus, it's a HONDA. Meaning that I won't have to fumble around and find parts for it because it was made by a Chinese companiy that might not exist after six months.

If Honda actually stepped up to the plate and came out with an electric rather than just a prototype, the whole industry would end up following the lead and these devices would become completely practical in the US. There would be a clearly laid out infrastructure to support it, and if you've ever needed a carburetor for an oddball motorcycle, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

The bottomline to all of this? If you want to be green, ride a bicycle above everything else. You can criticize my Express all day long against these electrics, but it's only used for trips that surpass 5 miles. Everything else is pedal powered.

I was thinking of buying a XM-3500Li, but have not been able to find any reviews of it by owners. No mention in this article or the 30+ comments. Has anyone out there bought or tested the XM-3500Li?