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With the world economy facing one of its worst recession since the great depression, consumers are cutting down on their spending in order to weather through this tough period. One of the major spend items in our modern life today is on transportation. Although the price of oil has come down tremendously in the past year, it’s still considerably expensive to own a car and keep in running for our daily errands. While we may not be able to completely do without cars especially if we have a family with young kids but we can certainly have an alternative backup mode of transportation. I’m talking about electric scooter, like its namesake it’s runs completely on electric without using gasoline at all although nowadays they have the hybrid ones which can run on both. Electric scooters are not expensive, the price ranges from USD350-USD4000 depending on the type and model. Most people can still afford this especially if it means reducing their spend on petrol or gasoline. Furthermore electric scooters are also environmentally friendly, relatively quiet so it’s great for reducing the noise levels in our cities as well. Electric scooters can run up to 20 miles an hour although some of latest model can do faster than that. Some people might think that this is nothing as compared to the powerful gasoline bikes and cars. While it’s true that the speed is nothing to shout about however think of the gasoline/petrol that you can save every time you use your electric scooter. If you are single or do not have any kids, electric scooters are perfect vehicles for you to get around even to work especially if you live less than 10 miles from your work place. Parking is also non hassle as it could fit into any small space or corners so you do not to pay exorbitant amount of parking fees.

There have been a great interest in electric scooters in the recent years and a few new companies have entered the market. Two of them that have entered the market in the last month in a hope to cash in drivers that are being hit by the high price of petrol, combined with the increasing desire to cut down their carbon emissions. Ego and E-Max, both of whom launched their scooters last month, have had great success since they started selling their vehicles. E-Max has sold about 200 of its more powerful £2,760 vehicle in the last three weeks. One of the most popular electric scooters is Xtreme scooters. The price range for a new  Xtreme electric scooter is between US150 to 900 depending on the model. If you want a speedier scooter, I would recommend the Xtreme-XB500 and for the entry level, the Xtreme  X10 will be a good buy. Further more, most cities especially in the UK nowadays are offering free parking for electric scooters and its kind in order to encourage the people to switch to this type of transport. Another extremely popular scooter is the Ego. priced at about USD1000, the Ego’s bike looks astonishingly cheap and people might be willing to experiment with it to keep their cost of living low in the coming days.

Some of the electric scooters also have a motor-protected circuitry that enables the scooter to move ahead and gain speed even before the assist starts working. So when the throttle-switch is released, the unique design of the electric scooters allow the motor to coast or “freewheel” in a way most commonly seen in regular bikes. The electric scooters can be truly enjoyable as they have an easy acceleration that helps them to glide smoothly through heavy winds as well as climb hills smoothly.

There are obviously different types of scooters and I’m not talking about the brand or model but the general classification of electric scooters irregardless of the manufacturer. The first type is zappy or the lower end (entry level) scooter which can reach a maximum speed of 10-12 km an hour. Next is the flyer which could do up to 20 km an hour and it’s gaining popularity due to its maneuvering simplicity.  Finally the most advance type is the Voloci where it comes with many modern features like selectable performance models, quick-swap battery packs, key ignition.

How then does an electric scooter operate? It’s combination of electrical power from the batteries and feed it to the motor which the heart of the scooter. The speed is handled with a variety of switches and together with the handlebars and brakes provides the handling of the scooter. Some of the newer electric scooters come with computerised controls just like the modern cars to make the ride even smoother and safer.

The best way to know whether electric scooters are for you or not will be to try out one at your nearest showroom or retail shop. I can guarantee that once you ride it, it’s difficult to give it up. I was also once a sceptic but after seeing my friends and colleagues enjoying themselves with their scooters, I just didn’t want to be left out!

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