Journey to getting an electric moped (A1, A2 class)

The Silence S01 - my preferred option.

Silence a Spanish outfit are now delivering the S01.

It has a 5.5kWh battery with a 115km range and a 100kph top speed.

It has one of the largest battery/range in its class also one of the largest underseat storage capacity too.

It's also using LiFePO4 battery which is a pro for me. I'll get back to this later. Battery has a built in trolley, charger and 55W heater.

Pros:

It has a larger battery with minimal cell degradation. LiFePO4 doesn't care if it's fully charged - since it really doesn't increase degradation. Silence have scooters, the S02, that are 3 years old have done 40,000km with just 3 per cent cell degradation.

The built-in battery trolley with pop-down wheels and pull-up handle with built-in charger is a great system given how limited storage is on a scooter. The battery also has a built in 55W heater to prevent the cells from being damaged in freezing temperatures.

Bike is 2m long and larger than other scooters. The NIU NGT is only 1.8m. This makes a big difference if you're carrying a pillion passenger.

It has a powerful motor, 7KW continuous, 9KW peak motor that's well-able to carry two people.

Lights are supposedly very good at night. Once reviews from owners come in we should be able to confirm this.

Acceleration is very good when needed. 0 to 50 kph in 3.9 seconds. Not many vehicles are going to be quicker off the line.

It has 2 USB charge ports and a 12V supply for powering accessories. More than others as far as I can tell.

Hook for bags.

Silence have been a company since 2012 and manufactured over 7,000 non-S01 units last year.

Silence have thousands of scooters in Spain in fleets.

Motor has reverse which is nice as direct drive motors have cogging.

Cons:

Price is likely 7k Euro by the time I import it.

Likely to be no dealer in Ireland and this has warranty implications, as it's supposed to be serviced at regular intervals to avoid voiding the warranty. This is going to be true with all electric scooters though.

Early pre-production series model owners have reported issues with the top speed being under 90kph instead of 100kps. You'd expect it to less than indicated, but not that much. This will probably be addressed in the production models.

There have been problems with handling reported by some customers of pre production series.

Poor communication by the manufacturer has been noted by customers.

The foot rests for pillion passenger are almost directly underneath the passenger. Normally the foot rest would be further forward. This may be uncomfortable during longer rides. Only time will tell if this is an issue.

The scooter is one of the largest in its class. It is also quite high and the pillion passenger is seated higher than the rider. This will mean more drag at higher speeds and less range.

It may take some time before top case manufacturers release a custom bracket for the scooter. Even though storage is very good, you'd still need a top box if going on long journeys or touring - you'd need to carry a type 2 adapter for the AC charges (ECars and EasyGo networks) and that would take up room.

Spec sheet attached.

NIU NGT

This comes from a Chinese company that produce a large volume of electric scooters. It's quite a relatively compact scooter at 1.8m long, boasts a top speed of 70kph and a retail price of 4,500 Euro on the continent. Range is about 80km to 90km hitting 70kph according to reports.

Pros.

It has dual 60V(not a nominal voltage) 35Ah batteries for a total of 4.2kWh. One contained in the base of the scooter underneath the riders feet. The other under the seat. You can charge the batteries on-board the scooter or carry one or two indoors with the external charger. The batteries are made by Panasonic.

It's got a pretty well-designed app with all the integration you'd expect. However, all of the scooters have similar app functionality. The GPS works off US, Russian and Chinese satellites so it should be very accurate if dual GPS on your phone works to within 0.3m.

The rear hub motor is 3KW nominal and made by Bosch.

It has self-cancelling GPS- based indicators.

NIU have been around for a good while and are quite popular in Europe.

It uses a FOC controller rather than just a sine wave controller. This should mean good low down torque and smooth acceleration.

One of the cheaper options while still being a relatively premium offering.

Foot rests are further forward compared to the Silence.

USB charger and bag holder.

More affordable than the Silence.

Cons

A max speed of 70kph means motorway usage would be quite intimidating. You'd really have to avoid motorways.

Very little storage with the second battery installed under the seat. You can operate with only 1 battery, but the speed is limited to 45KPH and the range is halved.

A top box is mandatory if you want to carry items without resorting to using a rucksack.

The charger is external and quite bulky. This would need to be carried with you on long journeys.

There is less room for a pillion passenger as the scooter is 20cm shorter than the Silence.

Lights are reported as being poor at night by owners and the colour LCD display is also too bright in darkness.

Some customers have reported issues with the throttle and with the ECU battery.

https://www.niu.com/en/n-gt/

sgalvin wrote: »

Not sure of your age group but the license thing has changed quite a bit in the last 10-15 years.
If you’re over 24 you should go directly to an A licence rather than having to do it again later after an A1/A2.

I did my A test on a 180cc scooter in ~2002 as there was no point doing the A1 test and have a full A license.

Have you looked at the BMW c evolution as an option. Insurance will be easier to get and there is one on autrader for £7k.

I ran a scooter (Gilera Runner SP 180 2-stroke) for a few years and fast scooters are not cheap to run.
Service intervals are short and they eat tyres.
Service 2-3000km
Rear tyre 1500-2000 km
Front tyre 6000 km
Crankshaft 9,500km

The more upright are windy and noisy at speed.
Fuel consumption at high speed was horrific. I never saw more than 40-50 mpg at speed. Electric or petrol they are not aerodynamic.

If you are only looking for a simple commute, look at a moped type 4 kW
much cheaper and you can ride on a car License and in heavy traffic not much slower. Loads of these in Paris.
For touring, look at at something else.

Why are you looking at a scooter in the first place?

The BMW had a 100km range when new. The new version has an 160km range.

That bike for 7k GBP is going on 5 years old, so I'd expect the range to probably be 10% less by now.

It's more expensive than any of the options I've looked at and the bike is going on 5 years old. I don't really know enough about it to comment further.

The wheels on the C Evolution are just a little larger than the Silence. Front wheel is the same size.
Silence S01:

Wheels (front and rear): 120 / 70-15 // 140 / 70-14

BMW C Evolution:

120/70 R 15 at the front and 160/60 R 15 at the rear

Gilera Runner SP180:

Front 120/70-12 Rear 130/60-13

I'm in my 30's. I need to do a separate driving licence for a scooter. I plan on doing the À2 test as I've no interest in riding a full-blown electric motorcycle like a Zero. I won't be hitting the throttle hard from standstills. I'll probably limit whatever option I chose to mode 2 in towns (45/50KPH).

I work at home and live in the centre of town. I don't have or need a car at present. Everything is within walking distance. I'll only be using the scooter to visit family and friends and perhaps to do some touring on the AC network, but that aspect would be a tertiary usage at best.

The App Scooter is a Dutch offering from Etergo.

The 95kph version with 3 battery modules costs 5,306 Euro. It has arguably the largest underseat storage with 50 litres of capacity and just under 3.5kWh of battery with 3 modules. The belt-driven motor seems to have a peak output of 7KW.

Pros

Battery system is very clever with each of the up to three modules running under the rider's feet. The batteries are accessed via the under seat storage with no impact on storage capacity.

The display is one of the niciest. It's really head and shoulders above every other scooter. Connectivity like the rest is excellent but unlike the other options, such require your phone, this is standalone.

It has impressive 2x 10W audio speakers so you can annoy everyone just like the fossil scooters.

The portability of each battery module with over the shoulder straps is probably next to the Silence in terms of convenience.

95kph top speed means you can use it on motorways and it's second fastest on the list only behind the Silence.

It's a little longer than the NGT at 1.86m and foot rests have a normal position for the pillion passenger.

Cons

Etergo have no scooter experience. They are a new start up.

It's a belt driven motor which means it's going to be noisy compared to a hub motor. The belt will also need to be replaced at set intervals.

The battery offers one of the lowest capacities at less than 3.5kWh. I'd imagine a range of 50km at 95kph, may be a little less.

https://etergo.com/appscooter

The Outlandish Choice - the NIU TQi

This is a self-balancing trike that's expected to release late this year. There's little details known.

It has a roof like the BMW C1, a top speed of 80kph and a probable range of 100kph at 80. It has autonomous driving functionality, an airbag, adaptive cruise control, radar, all-round cameras and self-parking. Motor is a 10KW hub motor from Bosch. It has level 2 charging and two battery modules that can be removed.


I can't see it being cheaper than 10k Euro and can't see it offering much storage compared to a normal scooter.

Link to press release. Will update accordingly.

https://www.niu.com/en/m/ces-2020/

b.c wrote: »

moto4u do an electric scooter that might suit

There's a Dubbin-based supplier called Lion for the NIU NGT. Their website is elion.ie. The only issue is that their price is 5,600 Euro which is 1,100 Euro more than the standard price in other European countries. It's much cheaper to purchase the bike in the UK and have it delivered.

daymobrew wrote: »

I had a giggle the section on the Silence S01 page about Driving Modes:

Save petrol!!

Yes there's a few inaccuracies. Motor is 9KW peak is some places or 11KW peak in other places. Typically peak output is measured electrically not at the wheel in the ebike world. 9KW is probably peak powerat the wheel with 11KW is the electrical peak drawn from the battery, I'd guess. You're going to be losing efficiency both at the controller and at the motor.

Battery capacity figures are not consistent either.

0lddog wrote: »

Is the unit in the original link similar to the one in

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=112105427&postcount=26

?

That's the Silence S02. It's designed for delivery businesses. You need a separate trolley for removing the battery and I don't think it has a built-in charger.

I believe it has a larger battery at 6kWh compared to the S01. Max speed is 80kph but the range is less than the S01 mainly due to the large rear box. That version in the link seems to be modified from the delivery vehicle. The delivery version is strictly a single seater.

https://www.silence.eco/s02/

colm_c wrote: »

What is the appeal of an electric scooter OP?

If you have limited mileage/usage requirements, then you should broaden your search and get something fun, electric or not.

I also wouldn't rule out a zero, you are above 30, you may look ridiculous on a scooter, although depends on the machine.

Have you even ridden a motorbike before?

Aesthetically, ergonomically, and practically-speaking, I feel scooters are superior to motorcycles. Motorcycles have never held any appeal from a young age.

I would imagine that when I've the electric scooter how other people view me on a scooter would be very low down on my list of priorities.

Who would judge me? Motorcyclists?

I have strong dislike for fossil motorcycles and fossil scooters. I can't understand why they haven't banned new sales yet knowing what we know now. They are only somewhat better than the real emissions of diesels and that's really saying something.

Perhaps unsurprisingly I've never ridden a motorbike. However, I've ridden a high power ebike. It was a lot of fun and soon of the electric scooters mentioned here should be a lot more capable.