Electric Scooter On The Road In April

[asmi]

interesting.. but i believe electric motors RPM is limitless.. More battery power added.. surely can pump the RPM. provided the engine doesn't heat up and blow.. lol.

[barefoot]

195kg? goosh that is like twice the weight of my current bike

[Figila]

can use to go for nearby shops

[Dafanshu]

must park in motorcycle parking lot bo? or park anywhere

[contrarian]

The Zecco scooters are registered like any other motorcycle. These will need a 2B licence, licence plate etc.

[ProFatSir]

who will buy it?maybe bata(buy and throw away)

price are ex.

funny

[jtzx]

yup agree.. maybe those rich rich Dudes out there will get it for sure.

[Marcheline]

Impractical describes it best. With that kinda weight, speed and hassle.. Notwithstanding a mileage of 50km on a 2-hour charge.. Daiimmmnnn.. They really took a big gamble entering into the Singapore market, where practicality and kiasu-ism is the first order of the day.

[DeusExMachina]

Looks like a good neighborhood trotter. I could use it to ride to the town center or something like that. Or if my workplace is within 5km from home.

 

Anything more than that is a serious pain in the ass....

 

 

But it's gotta be cheaper than that. $3K max.

[heaven51]

yup agree.. maybe those rich rich Dudes out there will get it for sure.

 

From the news EIGHT of those rich rich Dudes already place the order...

 

 

 

Anyone one from our forum, pls share with us why or what makes you purchase this GREEN bike ???

 

Comeon...

[contrarian]

If I live and work downtown in the city, this would be great. No need to think of petrol (and downtown doesn't have many petrol stations), good for stop-and-go traffic on flat roads, hardly ever go at more than 50km/h, no exhaust to injure you, someone else pays for the power at the electrical socket. Perfect complement to another bike for longer trips out of town.

[Constipated Face]

Using electric scooters here isn't that 'green', actually. We generate electricity using non-renewable and polluting fuels.

[midreef]

Actually, if they can design such that the battery is portable and light. That will be good. You can remove the battery and bring it to office to charge. And hopefully if the battery is about 5kg, it beats moving a 195kg bike.

[DeusExMachina]

Using electric scooters here isn't that 'green', actually. We generate electricity using non-renewable and polluting fuels.

 

True. But here's the logic.

 

Those power plants are going to continue turning anyway whether or not you use the electric scoots. So whether you plug it into the socket or not, it's not gonna make a diff there.

 

But if you do plug it in and take one normal scoot off the road, you reduce your carbon footprint. And if everyone does it, there ya go.... it makes a diff.

 

I'm not against the concept of the scooter.

I just don't like its mediocre performance for that kind of price tag.

[racingter]

Looks like a good neighborhood trotter. I could use it to ride to the town center or something like that. Or if my workplace is within 5km from home.

 

Anything more than that is a serious pain in the ass....

 

 

But it's gotta be cheaper than that. $3K max.

 

 

i want i want..i like the yellow one..u buy one i buy one....

[darren_soh86]

Using electric scooters here isn't that 'green', actually. We generate electricity using non-renewable and polluting fuels.

 

true. but power plants can generate electricity at a higher efficiency. so less energy is wasted compared to we burning e fuel in the gas engine..

[heaven51]

Come on AH GONG...

 

Built more infra-structure, lower the GREEN BIKE cost and

we will be on our way to keep the EARTH GREEN !

[paperger85]

WAH...Use electricity one arh? Can you imagine what the electricity bills will be like?

[VidaK]

hmmm... maybe just need to ride the scooter to a junction when its red light

 

*attach tow line to the bike in front*

 

lol...

 

ok nvm things doesn't work that way... but if I'm pushing my reserve (and luck) at 2nd link will I then carry a tow line...

[yinghai]

they should be inventing hybrid bikes just like hybrid cars.. this way, we wont even need to charge... take a prius going 40km/litre.. maybe a hybrid bike can go 100km/litre.. better than having to wait for the battery to be fully charge 2 freakings hours when youre late for work or you forgot to charge and died on the road... theres so many hybrid bikes in the other countries.. i dont understand why arent they bringing in those bike instead..

[Lucky21]

It's a good start to save the Earth but most 2b bikes fuel efficiency are very good or even excellent, so I dun think I will consider to get a electric scooter.

 

But I do support the idea of hybrid bikes which seems much more practical.

[skytrek]

Electric scooter hoping to spark eco two-wheelers

 

Story Highlights

Electric scooter developed with same price and performance as petrol models

Engine's developers say it is much more effectual than other electric motors

Huge scope for electric scooters, primarily in Asian cities, if made affordable

 

By Dean Irvine

CNN

(CNN) -- Much has been made of the electric car driving to the rescue of ailing automobile manufacturers and saving the planet at the same time. But what if that eco-savior came on two wheels instead of four?

 

 

Lean, green electric machine: KLD is hoping to kickstart the electric scooter industry with its new engine.

 

A high price tag, a limited range, sluggish performance and the tendency not to work when they get wet, have meant that electric scooters are a rare sight on the roads.

 

However, KLD Energy Technologies, an electric engine company based in Texas, believes that its new electric motor can overcome all these problems and kick-start the sector. It's teaming up with Vietnamese motorbike manufacturer Sufat to produce an affordable electric-powered scooter that has a performance just as good as a normal petrol-powered bike.

 

"We chose Vietnam [to launch the bike] because there are 22 million scooters in a country of 85 million people. That's a lot of people riding scooters in a contained area and the pollution is a concern. All governments in southeast Asia are looking for solutions [to pollution problems], but so far there hasn't been one. We believe that we've found that solution," Christian Okonsky, founder of KLD Energy Technologies told CNN.

 

Rather than looking at making batteries more efficient, KLD has improved the performance of the engine itself. The company has built an engine using nano-crystalline composite materials, which it believes is 10 times more efficient than traditional iron core motors, giving an output of 2500 hertz.

 

Together with a computerized motor control, the KLD engine is compatible with any type of battery. Top speed of the KLD scooter is about 55 mph, which is almost double that of many electric scooters and delivers twice as much torque, accelerating from 0 to 50 mph in ten seconds. The engine also doesn't require a transmission.

 

The range on a full charge depends on the type of battery used, although in tests KLD says that its motor system extends the distance a battery can go before a charge is required by 40 percent.

 

Cost-efficiency of components and years of technological development have created the engine KLD has the sole license to produce.

 

"The nano-crystalline material was developed 20 years ago, but it was incredibly expensive and people couldn't figure out how to use it in a motor. Even 10 years ago a computer, to run this kind of high frequency engine, would have been more like the size of a desk top computer. The magnets we use today that cost 20 cents 10 years ago would have cost $4 to $5," said Okonsky.

 

Vectrix Electrics is another company that has been developing electric scooters, so far selling only in North America and Europe. While the performance of its scooters is comparable to KLD's, their models sell at a much higher price tag around $11,000. Earlier this month Vectrix reported financial difficulties and has been forced to make staff cuts.

 

Okonsky, however, remains positive that the KLD scooter engine will be successful and that there is a market for electric-powered scooters. By the end of the year KLD is aiming for 2,000 scooters a month to be produced by Sufat with its electric engine. The projected retail price is around $1500, only slightly more than Sufat's existing bikes that sell in Vietnam for between $800 and $1250.

 

"Among two-wheelers a scooter is the best for electric drive," auto industry analyst John Wormald of Autopolis told CNN.

 

"A motorcycle is too performance-driven, so it's not really suitable, but a scooter would be. For many electric bikes with very limited battery capacity, the power is just an assist and the battery can be heavy which isn't great, if you're cycling."

 

Yet the market for electric bikes -- the pedal variety with a battery pack -- has been booming, particularly in China. According to the China Bicycle Association, sales of electric bikes in China stood at 58,000 in 1998, compared with the 20 million recorded just a decade later in 2008. Watch the report on electric bikes ».

 

However, rather than replacing cars, the majority of electric bikes are affordable substitutions for bicycles, as Chinese cities continue to grow and daily commutes get longer. Their impact in reducing pollution then is open to question, as car sales in the country continue to rise.

 

Ultimately the real eco-credentials of electric vehicles depends on how the electricity is generated, but for helping to relieve vehicle exhaust-filled streets, especially in Asia's two-wheel dominated city centers, electric mopeds could go a long way.

 

As the idea of electric vehicles as viable substitutions for petrol-powered ones becomes more widely accepted, Okonsky's bigger challenge will be convincing skeptics that the old problems of electric scooters have been overcome.

 

"I'm always asked, 'What happens if I go through a puddle, will it still work?' The answer is yes," Okonsky said.

 

In fact, Okonsky says that they've tested their engine underwater and it still works. Expect a video of the trial on KLD's Web site soon.