Interested in E-Scooters? I love driving an e-scooter inChina. It's fun and a great way to stay cool, not that I'm not always cool. It does get too hot for me to want to walk, perfect weather for a scooter or motorcycle.

 The benefits to owning a scooter are clear.  There is no money outlay for fuel, no insurance, fun, environmentally friendly, easy to park and simple to maneuver.  You just charge the battery and off you go, and you never have to stop and get gas.  No worrying about traffic because you can ride around it, and simply recharge it between trips. They make economic and enviromental sense. Owning an electric vehicle leaves a smaller carbon foot print, even if your your electric source is coal fired generators. Gas powered vehicles run 20 to 60 % efficent, electric vehicles run approximately 90% efficent. Electric scooters emits no CO₂ or harmful exhaust gases like CO, HC or NOx. They are far superior to its gasoline engine counterpart in terms of well-to-wheel efficiency, which includes the energy used to mine and transport fuels; the energy lost during generation, transmission and charging; and the energy used to power the vehicle. As a result, as compared to using a gasoline engine motorcycle in the same class, using the electric scooter results in 60 percent lower CO₂ emissions.

 Operating costs are much lower ( I could only find Ontario stats). It takes eight cents to charge an electric scooter and drive 50- 70 kms, equivalent to 1500 to 2000 mpg on a gas scooter. 

 The e-scooter in my picture is something that is not available in China, just an example of what is available else where. It's Austrian, and can run 85 Kph, range 60 Kms, 300 volts and recharges the lithium batteries in 2 hours. Honda makes a nice scooter but range is only 35 Kms. These are nice scooters but maybe not practical for China. Scooters in China have a habit of disappearing or being damaged, luckily they are cheap in China. The Honda EV-Neo retails for $7000 for the fast charge model. Compare that to a Chinese scooter for $400. I'd hate to see my $7000 scooter held together with clear tape.

 I like the old Vespa style electric scooters. I don't know who makes the best one. Many small shops built them from identical body parts as well as large producers like Luyuan, quality who knows? Scooters are often re-badged to look like a brand name. My first scooter was a ''Yahama''. Scooters are relatively simple in building. A frame with a hub motor, batteries, throttle and a controller.

 I like at least a 48 volt 20 amp scooter, 60 and 72 volt scooters are also available. 48 volt 12 amp  and 36 volt scooters aren't enough for me. Voltage is neccessary for speed and amperage produces more distance. The smaller volt/amp scooters may also have a smaller hub motor. Smaller hub motors are 350/500 watt. Larger hub motors are 500/800 watt. They look bigger and should have the wattage stamped some where on the wheel. Larger watt scooters usually have fatter tires ex 3:00x 10. The skinnier tires do not ride as nice and handle like a bicycle. Lesser wattage scooters aren't suitable for carrying passengers and have a harder time climbing hills.

 Batteries can be diffierent qualities. The standard batteries are lead-acid. They are heavy, approximately 70 lbs for a set. Lithium batteries weigh about 15 lbs per set, last longer and recharge  faster. Lead acid batteries will take about 400 charges but start loosing power after 4 months. Lithium batteries will take about 1000 recharges. Weight loss increases speed and range. There is also silicone batteries. Lead acid batteries contain sulfuric acid which is a hazardous destructive pollutant.

 Consider distance that the scooter will run on a single charge. You can only drive so far and then the scooter must be recharged. This is probably the biggest disadvantage compared to a gas scooter. Gas scooters just add gas and go. The size and weight of a scooter affect range and speed as well as battery size and condition. Older batteries will loose range. Heavier scooters and girl friends will also shorten your range. I like a mid-sized scooter, the lighter weight makes them quicker. They are easier to muscle if you want to move them. It's easier for a woman to drive. I wanted a red scooter, but when I bought my first scooter I never got past the first white one that I saw because my girl friend liked it. I had that scooter for a day before she asked if she could borrow it for a week. Yeah, she and the scooter came back.

  Batteries tend to disappear at night. I blame this on the rats that are out and about at night. They seem to carry anything off with them. Batteries that are in the floor are easier to steal. You have to have a brace welded up or keep a Rottweiler chained to the scooter at night to keep your batteries and scooter safe at night in China. The alarms do nothing because no pays any attention. Scooter alarms are always going off. The batteries on my white scooter were under the seat, harder to get, and they still disappeared twice in a month.

 I look for other options on my scooters like aluminum front wheel with disc brake. The stamped steel wheels are too easy to bend and drum brakes don't work well in rain or deep water.

 When I shop for a scooter, I just went to multiple shops, compared the scooter and price. I ruled out the higher price stores and went back and haggled with the lower priced stores. Don't forget to test drive the scooters. Now all I want is a Batman full coverage helmet to go with my Bat-eBike.