Electric vehicle technology has rapidly advanced the past several years. Cars that are mass produced today are now capable of traveling over 300 miles on a single charge! The two biggest developments that has made this possible are superior battery technology and electric motor capabilities.
This technology has transferred rather quickly to the consumer space in the form of Personal Electric Vehicles (PEV). These are commonly known as:
Best Electric Scooters
ScooterSurfer.com is focused on bringing you the latest trends, news, updates, reviews, and buying guides on the best electric scooters available on the market. We also enjoy other PEV's, so we will also periodically cover Hoverboards, Electric Skateboards, and Electric Bikes.
Markets change as technology changes. So expect this site to grow and expand over time into other markets.
Who Uses Personal Electric Vehicles?
Naturally, as prices have come down, PEV's have become very popular with kids. A very long time ago, when I was young, I remember having one of those sit-in plastic cars that had a car battery that powered an electric motor. It was such a blast! That is the image that most people have when they think of a PEV.
Fast forward to today, things are completely different. There are Electric Scooters made out of carbon fiber, battery packs made out of state-of-the-art Lithium Ion batteries, and extremely powerful electric motors in a lightweight package capable of propelling a 225 pound rider to over 20 mph's.
So who buys PEV's today? The quick answer is kids and adults!
Why Are PEV's Popular?
PEV's can be for fun or used as an alternative form of transportation.
If a car is unnecessary for a trip, a bike is typically the second option for an adult. But a bike is big, bulky, requires a place to store it, park it, and lock it securely. Not until recently has there been a generally accepted alternative to a bike for an adult. That is the PEV!
PEV's are used for a variety of reasons, by different people, commonly for:
- Recreation
- City Commuters
- Students
- Tourists
What Are Electric Scooters?
Electric Scooters are basically a 2-wheeled kick scooter that has bolted on to it batteries and an electric motor to drive the rear wheel. They require the rider to balance on 2 wheels in a vertically-aligned direction, come with a handlebar for steering, and some form of a brake, commonly hand controlled. They are extremely easy to ride with practically zero learning time.
Adults love these as an alternative form of transportation. Mainly:
- Compact: The handle folds up, making a very compact package that doesn't require locking it up at your destination.
- Convenient: Very easy to take to work and plug in under a desk. And have long range to get you to work and home. Or if being a tourist, folding up and sticking in a backpack makes them perfect for sight seeing.
- Clean: No fuel, such as propane or gasoline. They don't leak, don't smell, and are lighter than fuel powered electric scooters. But they don't have the range that a fuel-powered scooter has.
- Transportation: It's easy to pack several of these into a trunk for you and your family/friends. Take them out at your destination and use them around town. No need for an unsightly and troublesome bike rack on the roof or back of your car.
What Are Hoverboards?
The word hoverboard was made popular by the awesome movie Back To The Future starring Michael J. Fox. In that movie, Marty used a Hoverboard to escape an angry Biff. This hoverboard was basically a skateboard, but with no wheels, and it floated on air. Thus, hover - board.
While technology has advanced tremendously, we haven't figured out anti-gravity yet. Today, Hoverboards are commonly known as 2-wheeled boards, but unlike an electric scooter, the hoverboard travels in a horizontally-aligned direction. I'm sure you've seen them as they were extremely popular 2 years ago with all the TV ads and all the kiosks in the shopping malls with vendors showcasing them.
Some of the common traits of a hoverboard are:
- Self-Balancing: The boards self-balance, and help the rider maintain an upright position.
- Super Compact: There is nothing to fold. They are fully self contained and are very easy to pack in a backpack.
- Cool: They are super cool to watch someone riding one of these!
- No Handle: There is no handle. You and the board balance and brake as one. As a result, there is a learning curve to these boards, and for some adults, a bit intimidating. But they aren't hard to learn.
What Are Electric Skateboards?
Electric Skateboards are usually longboard's with batteries and an electric motor to propel the board. These boards are also very cool. They use four wheels like a regular skateboard, but come with built-in propulsion as well as braking. These boards are awesome, it's about as close as you can get to surfing on the land.
The technology in this space is still under rapid development. And a lot of manufacturer's are looking to become the dominate seller in this market.
Some of the common traits of an Electric Skateboard are:
- Skateboarding: You should be familiar with riding a skateboard before trying an electric skateboard.
- Super Cool: These boards come in some tremendous packaging. They look so sexy. And the technology powering them are truly amazing.
- No Handle: Just like a regular skateboard, there is no handle. Usually the rider has a remote control device that wirelessly controls the motor for propulsion and braking.
What Are Electric Bikes?
Traditional electric bikes are bikes with batteries and an electric motor driving the rear wheels. Some are power-assisting and others are full propulsion. Nothing revolutionary here in regards to the form factor. They look and ride like your typical bike.
- Power-Assisting: the motor supplements the power generated by the rider's pedaling. In other words, it's much easier to go up hills with this kind of E-Bike.
- Full-propulsion: the bike doesn't require any pedaling by the rider for propulsion.
What we plan to focus on at scootersurfer.com are the next generation e-bikes, like the Swagtron above. It's a bike, but a different form factor that focuses on compactness, convenience, and style.
Some of the common traits of E-Bikes are:
- Bike: It's a bike. The rider needs to know how to ride a bike if they want to ride an E-Bike.
- Full-Size: Nothing gained here with an E-Bike. Bike size is the same, and in fact the weight goes up because of the batteries and motor.
- Practical: Commuters love the E-Bikes. It usually doesn't require licensing like a moped or motorcycle, and is a great alternative to those forms of transportation. For most older adults, it's less scary, and a way they can still enjoy bike riding with the grandkids.
When Is A Good Time To Buy A PEV?
Timing a purchase on new technology is always a challenge. It's like buying a laptop, in 12 months it'll be outdated, and you'll be wanting the new model. But at some point, you need to jump in. For each person that decision time comes at different times and hopefully we can help you decide when is right for you. Here are a couple of things to consider if now is a good time for you, focusing on Electric Scooters, but this can transcend any of the PEV's:
- Range: The range on some of the best Electric Scooters are 10-20 miles, depending on the weight of the rider. Most also give a run-time of 40 to 60 minutes.
- Recharge Time: Not all batteries recharge at the same rate. Common e-scooters use lead-acid batteries and they may take 12-24 hours to recharge. Premium e-scooters use lithium-ion batteries and can charge as fast as 2 hours.
Summary
Thanks for visiting ScooterSurfer.com! We hope our site helps you make an informed decision if a PEV is right for you, which type suits you, and if now is the right time for you to buy. And let's not forget where most of these PEV's got their start, kick scooters. If you learned something from our site, you can:
- E-mail: Let us automatically keep you up to date on the latest trends and new Posts to the site
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- Share: Spread the knowledge and Like or re-tweet us to your circle. You need friends and family to also buy one so you all can ride together!
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