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Twist & Go Green: Electric Bike of the Year

Question: where would you find a dozen bike journalists from Europe, plus a gaggle of electric scooters? Answer: at the Zolder Race Circuit in Belgium, where our job was to mark them all out of 10 for everything from range to recycling.

The event was organised by Zolder and supported by FEMA, the European umbrella organisation that brings together the BMF, MAG and other national rider groups. Aline Delhaye of FEMA was clear about why the first Electric Bike of the Year (EBOTY) needed supporting: “We think this is the right moment. We need to change the increasingly negative image of motorcycles”.

She pointed out that although powered two-wheelers have obvious green advantages over cars (less road space, usually better mpg, and less steel, rubber and plastic needed to make one), they have dirtier emissions. FEMA would like to see standard-test fuel consumption and Co2 labelling on all bikes and scooters, just as with cars.

Zolder Circuit too, had its axe to grind and its own reasons for organising Green Week, a whole list of events of which EBOTY was just one part. Over the years, a lot of houses have been built close by, so noise is an ultra-sensitive issue for the Belgians. “We have many noise issues, limits on decibel time,” said the circuit manager.

PROBLEMS

So, improving the image and green credentials of powered two-wheelers, keeping Zolder’s neighbours happy... plenty of good reasons why EBOTY should be kicked-off now. But the organisers had a couple of problems. One was that we were told to mark bikes on a range of 10 aspects. The trouble was, it was impossible to measure them all in the time available. Power consumption, recyclability, charging time, range... with nearly 20 scoots and bikes on show and just a day-and-a-half to test them in, this clearly wasn’t going to happen.

We all sat around a conference table and not for the first time I was glad that English is the lingua franca of Europe, whatever the French might like to think. Eventually, it was agreed that we would restrict marks to things we could judge on the day (like handling, performance and styling). Marks would be totalled up and averaged out for each scooter. We’d also do a range check on the top two scooters in each category, of which there were three: those limited to 15.5mph; to 31mph; and 31mph-plus. The mileage check was based on riding round and round a four-mile road circuit, outside the race track, most of it at 30-40mph.

So that was sorted, but the other problem was more serious. “Umm, some of the manufacturers have decided to pull out at the last minute,” said organiser Koen Wijckmans. You didn’t need to be a Sherlock Holmes to deduce that he was talking about Peugeot (which has just launched the e-Vivacity) and Piaggio (whose MP3 Hybrid was launched in 2009, but still hasn’t made it to Britain – and apparently wasn’t ready for EBOTY either). He might also have added Yamaha, which is planning to launch its EC-03 this summer. The electric car manufacturers, it has to be said, had made more of an effort for Zolder’s Green Week – 18 of them were there, including all the major names.

VARIETY SHOW

But never mind, it was a sunny day at Zolder and we had a whole range of scooters to test. There was a four-mile road route signposted outside the circuit, and we could even make use of the track itself, though that was of limited use with the slower scoots – have you ever ridden round a race track at a steady 31mph? Don’t bother, it’s pretty dull.

More to the point, here was a chance to ride some e-scooters that aren’t (yet) available in the UK. We’ve got used to dividing electric scooters and bikes into the Chinese-made majority and the very few (Vectrix and Zero) built in Europe or the USA. But there’s a new breed which seem to use Chinese bodywork and batteries plus European electronics, with the whole lot screwed together in the EU. The Austrian-made IO was one of these, and the little Vienna was quite impressive, with good acceleration up to 35mph-ish and a price of around £2350 in its native land. The bigger Manhattan was better still, showing an indicated 50mph and big enough for two-up comfort. In fact, it reminded me of the Vectrix, which is quite a compliment. IO claims to have half the Austrian market for e-scooters (which, believe it or not, is twice as big as ours) and I can see why.

The Govecs was in the same mould and the maker claims that everything except the battery is Italian, with assembly in Poland to keep costs down. Mind you, prices start at £3000, so you’re still paying a premium for all those European bits. The Govecs wasn’t quick, topping out at less than 30mph, but got up there reasonably well. Nice to see an integral charger as well.

Despite its recent troubles, the Vectrix VX-1 remains the daddy of electric scooters, now with lithium-battery variants promising more range (we’ll see...). Comfy, with good acceleration and effective regenerative braking, plus of course well built, though with a sky-high price. There’s a smaller VX-2 now as well; about the same size as a 125 but limited to 28mph. It got there quite quickly and has regenerative braking, just like its big brother and again felt well made. It’s even got the option of good ol’ lead-acid batteries.

What else did I ride? Well, let’s move swiftly over the Emco (the second time it cut out, I gave up) and the Noveco (felt cheap, with a nasty gap between twisting the grip and getting power). The Emax seemed very like the Vectrix VX-2 (hardly surprising, they’re basically the same scooter under the skin). Wish I’d had time to try the e-Solex, which is styled like the old Velosolex, beloved of French matrons and Gauloise-sucking youth. With a 400W motor, it won’t go anywhere fast, but it does look cool.

But hoot of the day had to be the Dumco GRACE. Terrible name, but stay with me on this. It looked and felt just like a mountain bike, but a hefty 1.3kW motor lurked in the rear wheel and a battery pack was cunningly hidden inside the frame. The result was a 47kg projectile that could rocket to 28mph (dull on a scooter, but seems mind-boggling on a bicycle). It’s as if your legs have been supercharged and it’s fun. Prices from £3600 and yes, there is a UK importer. For use on private roads only of course, unless you want to go through the hassle of registration, insurance and helmet...

WINNERS ALL-ROUND

So who won? We decided to judge on a combination of points awarded, plus the range on our road circuit. In the 31mph-plus category, the Vectrix VX-1 won on points – the IO Manhattan managed an extra half-mile of range, but was far enough behind on points to keep it in second place. Third place went to E-max. In the up to 31mph class, the Govecs S2.4 won, not on points but by virtue of its impressive 53-mile range, followed by the Vectrix VX-2 and Dumco Grace.

And EBOTY? A great idea which has come along at the right time – let’s hope that next year, the big names in e-scooters come too...