This looks nice and doesn’t seem much more expensive or any less practical than the gasoline ones. Are there other electric scooters out there?
Looks cool, the only electric scooters i’ve seen here are the ones that old people use and not very attractive.
Be good if they could get imported
I saw someone selling electric scooters right outside the Takosymaia mall in Tienmu, it looks like the one your link describes.
But seriously though, why would any Taiwanese pay 100,000nt for a scooter when you can buy a used car for less than that? and a used scooter costs in the 10,000 range?
If there are electric scooters priced reasonably (like 40,000 new) then Taiwanese may jump on it, otherwise to pay 100,000 for an electric scooter most Taiwanese would just think “It’s cheaper to buy old gas scooter and buy gas!”
Until there are electrical outlets that are convenient for recharging I don’t see why you would get one. As far as I know they are underpowered, expensive and it’s a PITA to recharge. I do like the environmental benefits but that doesn’t make it worth it to me.
They sell them across the street from Kaohsiung arena but I’ve never stopped in to look.
Is there really that much spare capacity in the Taiwanese power grid to handle a wholesale switch of Taiwan’s scooter fleet to electric?
You can charge the battery in your house, then stick it in the bike. There are lots of shops selling electric scooters in Taiwan. They are not so expensive here, imported from China I guess.
[quote=“catfish13”]This looks nice and doesn’t seem much more expensive or any less practical than the gasoline ones. Are there other electric scooters out there?
engadget.com/2010/04/06/yogo … e-battery/[/quote]
Damn! I wouldn’t mind one of those!
If any of you don’t care about looking cool, electric bicycle isn’t a bad choice. According to the scooter shop owner I spoke to, the battery life for scooter is only around 5000 km and then you’ll need to get a new one for around 10000 NT, ouch.
This is the price list I got for electric bicycle:
LAfree Sport by Giant
Bike:23800 NT
Battery:8000 NT
The Merida Electric Bicycle
Bike:20500 NT
Battery:2000 NT
You only need to charge the battery in your own house, but it is a bit on the slow side, no more the 30km/hr if I remember correctly. 
But the good thing is, even if the battery’s dead, you can always pedal. 
Well, definitely not the coolest set of wheels but I am pretty happy with my electric bike that I’ve had for the last ten years. I don’t ride it often but I usually can get about 20 km depending how I ride.
[quote]Is there really that much spare capacity in the Taiwanese power grid to handle a wholesale switch of Taiwan’s scooter fleet to electric?[/quote] If you charged the battery at off peak times (night) then this wouldn’t be an issue.
Fantastic. I can stuff my scooter into the elevator and charge it in the middle of my living room. An electric scooter/car is a decent idea for those living in places where houses are common but I would guess that 90% of the population here lives in apartments that don’t offer access to electrical outlets in the parking garages (or sidewalk) where the scooters are parked.
We have one which we bought several years ago.
Pros –
*no need to drive somewhere to get gas before running our errand. *Lower environmental impact, including noise.
*Seems cheaper to operate, am not really sure
Cons
*acceleration is constant output, there is no reserve power like you can get with a gas vehicle by jamming on the accelerator to flood the engine with gas. Hence uphill speed may gradually drop off as you climb until it halts. Some inclines it cannot get up at all, or cannot with two people on board.
*limited range. Very limited, and far less than as advertized. Just reduce what salesman tells you by ~40%
*can’t take it anywhere because you can only recharge after many hours, so can’t drive to english class for two hours in another town and then drive home on new charge
*weighs more than gas powered scooter, I think.
*no sound means people, especially pedestrians, DO NOT know you are there. Really stupid things can happen
*declining battery life. Your gas scooter’s performance drops off only marginally over time, compared to the decline in performance of the battery scooter
*added weight has big effect on performance – that second person or case of beer will be felt.
Caveat: our scooter is now relatively old, so more modern scooters probably have much better performance.
I don’t have one but I know these scooters are very popular in China now. I think they must have improved an awful lot by now.
Fantastic. I can stuff my scooter into the elevator and charge it in the middle of my living room. An electric scooter/car is a decent idea for those living in places where houses are common but I would guess that 90% of the population here lives in apartments that don’t offer access to electrical outlets in the parking garages (or sidewalk) where the scooters are parked.[/quote]
This kind of comment pisses me off. You get some advice clearly indicating you only need to charge the battery, not the scooter…so you are being annoying or else can’t read English.
I would really love to go green on this front, but the ability to accelerate to create a safe distance from other vehicles and to get out of pinches is just too important. Maybe someday they’ll have good hybrids that can overcome this problem, as well as range and steep hills?
Fantastic. I can stuff my scooter into the elevator and charge it in the middle of my living room. An electric scooter/car is a decent idea for those living in places where houses are common but I would guess that 90% of the population here lives in apartments that don’t offer access to electrical outlets in the parking garages (or sidewalk) where the scooters are parked.[/quote]
This kind of comment pisses me off. You get some advice clearly indicating you only need to charge the battery, not the scooter…so you are being annoying or else can’t read English.[/quote]
What’s the battery weigh then?
How do I know? Get a electric bicycle if weight is a concern…
Lots of people live in large apt. blocks with designated parking too.
[quote=“headhonchoII”]How do I know? Get a electric bicycle if weight is a concern…
Lots of people live in large apt. blocks with designated parking too.[/quote]
You made it sound convenient to carry this battery around a couple of times daily (although it is more convenient than getting the scooter into the apt). And I doubt that most apt buildings have free electrical outlets (or pay ones) in the parking area.
I got a motorcycle so I can take a passenger (not happening on an electric bike and probably not on an electric scooter) and tour Taiwan. Otherwise I ride my bike and get rid of the extra cost (and breakdowns) and get exercise. And overall I see less functionality (no passengers, lower speed and no long weekend trips) but all of the cost. It’s great for environmental reasons but my bicycle is even better. And most of my motorcycle usage wouldn’t be replaced by an electric scooter.