The home of automatic scootering

Twist & Go Green: The e-MO - One kilowatt wonder

There’s a new breed of electric scooter on the way that claims to do just that, but what’s so different? Well, take the typical restricted electric scooter; it looks exactly like its petrol-powered counterpart (truth be told, the bodywork and chassis are probably identical and come out of the same, nameless, Chinese factory). It’ll typically have a 2kW (around 2.5bhp) motor and weigh 100kg or more (especially if it uses good old-fashioned lead-acid batteries). In other words, it’s a petrol scooter adapted for e-power.

This new breed of scooters is quite different. Designed from the outset for battery power, they do without the traditional scooter bodywork, have a lighter chassis and are skimpier all round. So they come with a much less powerful 1kW motor, which (in theory) means they don’t have to haul around such a big bank of batteries, but can still keep up a reasonable range. And if they can still manage 30mph, why bother with all that surplus power? Better still, having a lighter battery means you should be able to lift it out and take it indoors to charge – no more fiddling around with unfeasibly long extension leads, or manoeuvring the scooter to get within reach of a mains socket.

It all sounds great in theory, but does it work in practice? The Ecity e-MO is the first of these low-power scoots to go on sale; it’s got that one-bar electric fire motor (1kW, if you weren’t paying attention earlier), a simple steel chassis and a 48v lithium battery that’s light enough to lift out for charging. It’s claimed to tip the scales at just 55kg, or about half the weight of a traditional looking e-scooter with bigger motor and heftier batteries.

The scooter’s made in Taiwan (not China), which explains why it costs £2195. The manufacturer is Eaton Power Tech (nothing to do with David Cameron’s schooldays), who apparently make quads for Yamaha, which is a good sign. If you really insist, you can save 200 quid by opting for a basic version which has just one rear shock and a drum front brake.

Being free of bodywork, the e-MO looks more like a 1970s moped than a modern scooter and it’s unashamedly a single-seater, so if you impress anyone outside the pavement cafe, they’ll have to catch the bus back to your place – just as well, because the 1kW e-MO doesn’t have a lot of spare power.

SMILEY FACE

Like any e-scooter, getting going is simple and virtually silent. Turn the key, press a button and the digital dash lights up, accompanied by a little chirrup that should have bystanders looking for their mobiles. If you’re of a cheerful disposition, you’ll like the dash, because it presents a smiley face (the mouth is the battery meter and the eyes are warning lights, so when it starts winking at you, or stops smiling, it’s time to get worried)...

Twist and go, like you do, and with a slight graunch from the motor (perfectly normal) you’re off with barely a hint of milk float whine. It all sounds good, except that the e-MO’s miniscule power delivery makes it painfully slow off the line. This isn’t much of a problem on quiet roads, but edging out onto Ladbroke Grove, I soon began to feel the need for more oomph.

There are two problems here. One is a gap of a second-or-so between twisting the grip and getting power (pretty unnerving when coming out of junctions or onto busy roundabouts). Then there’s the acceleration, which is so gentle that I felt like giving it a helping push-away with the legs. Up to 10-15mph it’s no faster than a bicycle (a half-decently fit cyclist with good reflexes would have no trouble beating it away from the lights). More worrying than humiliation by pedal power are the Transits, taxis and Toyota hybrids you can feel breathing down your neck. Fortunately, the e-MO is so small that you can happily use cycle lanes and advanced stop lines and I don’t think cyclists will mind because you’re not much bigger and faster than they are.

Let’s not overstate this; given time, the e-MO will work up to an indicated 25-30mph in almost complete silence (the indicators have a loud tick-tock to warn pedestrians that you’re coming through). Only when I got to a hill did that 1kW max make itself felt again and one steep-ish gradient forced the scooter down to a 15mph crawl and back into the cycle lane. Believe it or not, there’s also an eco setting that delivers even less performance, though it’s hard to see the point of that unless you’re in limp home mode with a near-flat battery. They tell me a 2kW version is on the way, which given its low weight, sounds like fun.

Performance apart, the e-MO rides pretty well. With 14in wheels and reasonably grippy tyres it feels secure, and less likely to get upset by potholes and manhole covers than a smaller-wheeled scooter. Brakes are a miniature disc up front, and a rear drum, which might be puny on a 125, but hauled this 55-kilo midget to a stop very quickly indeed. The rear shocks crash a bit over speed humps, but the front forks felt nice and well damped. In fact, the whole thing feels quite well screwed together, as you’d expect, being made in Taiwan, and as you’d certainly want when paying several hundred pounds over the price of a Chinese scooter.

The lack of bodywork means less weather protection than a traditional scooter, but the benefit of its ultra-step thru shape and light weight is that it’s very easy to hop on and off. In the back streets off Ladbroke Grove, I got caught at the wrong end of a 50-metre section of one-way., so I just stepped off the e-MO, trotted it up the pavement, stepped on again, and away. Try doing that with a Burgman!

One of the e-MO’s big selling points is that, unlike e-scooters with bigger batteries, the power source can be lifted out for charging indoors. At 8.3kg, it’s still no lightweight, but it’s still far more convenient than having to run an extension lead. My only reservation is that the lock holding the battery in place looks a bit flimsy and a replacement costs £850...

On the website, Ecity claim a 20-25 mile range and importer Danny Tendler reckons on 15-20. That’s about half the amount claimed by bigger-batteried 30mph scooters, but that’s the price you pay for the convenience of a smaller, lift-out battery. In the event, Danny’s claim was almost spot-on. On a very cold day (which doesn’t do range any favours) and using full power nearly all the time, the scooter bleeped an ‘I’m running low’ warning at 25km (about 15 miles). By this time the dash’s smile had shrunk to a sort of tortured grimace. Still, the scooter kept going, slipped automatically into eco-mode and got me the 3km back to base without conking out – let’s say an honest 17-mile range.

For most commutes or shopping, it’s enough, so long as you charge up every day. The lithium battery has an 18-month/7500-mile warranty and Ecity claim it’ll last for 1000 charges. If electric bicycles with lithium batteries are a guide, that projected life is very optimistic (though typical of importer claims) and it’s a bit worrying that so many e-scooters now depend on lithium. It’s that, or the heavy, old-tech lead-acid, which have an even shorter life, though they’re a hell of a lot cheaper, and easier to recycle. There’s just a 12-month warranty on the controller and motor, and two years on the rest of the bike.

As standard, the e-MO comes without any means of carrying stuff, but it’s pretty cheap to kit out, with a topbox for £83, bicycle style panniers at £45 and a centre bag (which can hold a spare battery) at just under 20 quid. Ecity reckons that if the battery lasts its 1000 cycles, then the e-MO costs a mere 4p/mile to run. In fact, that’s quite honest of them, because there are plenty of electric scooter importers who point out that their bikes are dirt cheap to run (a full charge costs pennies), but neglect to mention that after a while you’ll have to replace the battery.

So what about the e-MO? As most readers will know, any 30mph restricted scooter is no fun to ride on a busy road and the e-MO is worse. You feel vulnerable, especially pulling away from the lights or across a busy junction. But if you can keep off the main drags and don’t mind the leisurely performance, it should have its uses, and the lift-out battery is a real bonus. The e-MO costs a lot more than a bargain basement Chinese electric scooter, but you are paying for what looks like decent quality from an established manufacturer. Personally, I’d rather ride an electric bicycle in town and get some exercise into the bargain, but then I’m also a cyclist and actually like the idea of pedalling a bit – weird, huh? For those who don’t, the e-MO could fit the bill, but keep off those main roads.

TECHSPEC

MOTOR: ELECTRIC, DC, 1KW
BATTERY: 48V LITHIUM-MANGANESE
BRAKES: DISC (F); DRUM (R)
TYRES: 2.25-14 TUBELESS
WEIGHT: 55KG
BATTERY WEIGHT: 8.3KG
SEAT HEIGHT: 760MM
BATTERY WARRANTY: 2 YEARS/7500 MILES
PRICE: £2195
CONTACT: 020 7193 7970 (WWW.ECITYWHEELS.COM)

WORDS & PICTURES: Pete Henshaw