1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Folding E-scooter

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by bwilson4web, Nov 6, 2016.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,064
    15,372
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Not quite sure how to handle this one:

    [​IMG]

    I like the concept but I'm a little leery of a startup. Yet folks put $1,000 down for a Model 3 Tesla. Still, this is the solution for the gap between EVSE and places we want to shop. Hopefully our hard working, well-paid moderators can figure out where this belongs. For me, it was news but . . .

    Bob Wilson
     
    #1 bwilson4web, Nov 6, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2016
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,861
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    is that a seat on the pro?:eek:
     
  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,064
    15,372
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Not one I'm interested in. When one is 80-90% of the total weight, I'm thinking mobility is more important than trying to get some 'seat time.'

    My caution is I don't want to see another 'hoverboard' disaster. They are using a more standard battery but these are not toys.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #3 bwilson4web, Nov 6, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2016
  4. Prius Maximus

    Prius Maximus Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2004
    929
    774
    1
    Location:
    Northeastern IL
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I was expecting one of these in a george Jetson briefcase

    [​IMG]
     
  5. bhtooefr

    bhtooefr Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    1,396
    1,489
    0
    Location:
    Newark, OH, USA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
  6. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,590
    11,211
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,861
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    who needs elio?
     
  8. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,590
    11,211
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    People that don't have white dress socks?
     
    bisco likes this.
  9. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2008
    426
    443
    0
    Location:
    Denver CO
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Get a Boosted Board. Great company, up to 14 mile range (the smaller battery is approved for airline travel, has a 6 mile range). Depending on options is 18 mph - 22+mph. While it's electric you still have a bit of movement riding it so it's not being completely lazy and it's easily portable if you're getting on and off a train or whatever.

    [​IMG]

     
  10. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,668
    6,481
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I'm starting to see a lot of those hub-drives in e-bikes.
    I like the tech, but there are legislative and real-world hurtles to overcome.

    The kid on the Eon made it up the hill in the staged vid, but I also noticed the (chase?) motorcycle behind him.

    The motorcycle in the video had lights, horn, suspension, adult sized wheels and tires, real brakes, and the rider had something we call ATGATT (all the gear, all the time.)
    MOST importantly....it had a registration, which triggers insurance, license and the SECOND MOST important thing, that being a chance for local governments to reach into your life and shake you down for some more tax money.

    The Eon?
    Not quite a vehicle.....illegal as heck on almost any city sidewalk and probably most college campi.

    I have 2 motorcycles and a golf cart.
    No....I don't play golf. I have an image to uphold and I already know how to cuss, but golf carts are standard supplemental transportation in my neighborhood.
    I'm also going to get an e-bike as soon as the hippies get done paying for all of the development costs.
    Some e-bikes are foldable, and all are more or less street legal-----barely, if only because there is enough structure in place for a few reflectors a light or two and real-world brakes.

    Eon?
    Not enough there there.
    BUT...............kids are gonna love them!

    YMMV
     
    #10 ETC(SS), Nov 7, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2016
  11. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2008
    426
    443
    0
    Location:
    Denver CO
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    How I read this was "buy them now before the government gets their hands on it"
     
  12. bhtooefr

    bhtooefr Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    1,396
    1,489
    0
    Location:
    Newark, OH, USA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    As far as electric bicycles go... there's a group lobbying to get them treated like bicycles by the states. They've succeeded in California, they're working on New York now. (And, many states do already treat them like bicycles.)

    [​IMG]

    There's also an existing federal law as far as what can be sold as a "low-speed electric bicycle" - 750 W maximum, 20 mph maximum without pedaling, must have pedals, essentially. The states cannot prevent LSEBs from being sold, but they can prevent them from being used. (Note that many states allow S-Pedelecs, a European classification for 28 mph e-bikes, too.)

    Electric scooters, OTOH, are a really nasty area legislatively, because they're not bicycles, so they end up being unlicensed, unregistered, impossible to register (because they're closest to motorcycles legally in many jurisdictions, but aren't legally able to be registered as one) motor vehicles due to not fitting into any other category, in most jurisdictions.
     
    RCO and Robert Holt like this.
  13. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2008
    426
    443
    0
    Location:
    Denver CO
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Why would you want to register your electric scooter as a motor vehicle?
     
  14. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,668
    6,481
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    A skateboard is not a bike.
    I suspect that, at present, they're 100-percent DOT illegal for road use.

    Even bike paths, lanes, and sidewalks are problematic (as illustrated above.)

    As far as dot.gov making them illegal?
    They already are....except for "off road" use or in places like my subdivision where people regularly use golf carts for supplemental transportation.
    They're illegal as hell, but LEOs put up with us because we self-regulate.
    I remember one of "those" parents had their crotch-fruit zipping through the neighborhood on a mini-bike----sans helmet, lights, and a regard for the speed limit.

    ......lasted about four hours.

    To be able to ride them legally on the street.

    Bikes (meaning bicycles) require no registration...because they're bikes.
    People forget that we've already been through all of this before in the 70's when mopeds came out.

    Most states have very specific laws about e-bikes and scooters.

    The eon?
    Is a skateboard.
    Very different, even with the $49 accessory pack.
    Speaking of skateboards?
    Any idea how long those wheels will (won't) last on public roads? :)
     
    RCO and bhtooefr like this.
  15. bhtooefr

    bhtooefr Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    1,396
    1,489
    0
    Location:
    Newark, OH, USA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Basically, the general structure of laws in most states works something like this:

    Vehicle: Anything that goes upon a road - in some states, this excludes human-powered vehicles and bicycles
    Motor vehicle: Any vehicle with a motor, although some states have exceptions for electric bicycles and mopeds
    Motorcycle: Any two or three-wheeled vehicle with a motor, except some states don't count electric bicycles or mopeds as motorcycles (other states count mopeds as a sub-class of motorcycle)
    Bicycle: A two or three-wheeled vehicle with pedals, and some states include electric bicycles here
    Moped/motorized bicycle/scooter: Some sort of limited motorcycle, sometimes requires pedals, sometimes doesn't, sometimes has a displacement or power limit, sometimes doesn't, sometimes has a speed limit, sometimes doesn't.

    If it doesn't fit into a category, and it has a motor, then it's illegal to use. If it doesn't have a motor, it may be legal to use.

    For instance, in my state, most e-bikes actually are illegal to use on public roads - they need to meet the motorized bicycle standards (which are set up for e-bikes), and the state must type approve that model. Oh, and it must have some equipment that e-bikes don't usually have, to be type approved in that category. And, no access to any sort of bicycle infrastructure, and 35 MPH roads max (with a 20 MPH limit on assistance), where a non-powered bicycle can use bike lanes and such, and no limit on the speed limit of the road it uses.
     
    RCO likes this.
  16. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2008
    426
    443
    0
    Location:
    Denver CO
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    If you're talking the boosted board, of course it depends on a number of factors, 2 - 3 years though seems to be the average expected life. Front wheels are $27, drive wheels are $80, full set is $105.
     
  17. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2008
    426
    443
    0
    Location:
    Denver CO
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    `
    I'd be curious to read the law on it, because it's my understanding that laws make things illegal, not legal. So if there isn't a law saying an electric scooter or skateboard is illegal, then it's legal. Of course there are probably laws applying to what can be ridden on sidewalks or bike paths and how fast you can be going, but I would have no fear of legal repercussions riding an electric powered anything at speeds under 30 mph on the bike paths or streets of Colorado without registration.
     
  18. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,668
    6,481
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
  19. bhtooefr

    bhtooefr Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2016
    1,396
    1,489
    0
    Location:
    Newark, OH, USA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    The general rule is that roads are closed to everything that isn't a legal vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian.
     
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,861
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    those things look dangerous as all get out. i they were around 50 years ago, i probably wouldn't be around today. how much do they cost?