I have been using an electric bike for 6 years now. It's an older model and has got a couple of rather heavy batteries, but it has been going and going. I have been using the electric power as a back-up to get up really steep hills and also when I am transporting a lot of groceries back to my house. It has almost completely replaced the car for me. It goes around 30km/h at its fastest and I can use it for many hours before I have to recharge the batteries. Electric bikes and scooters are becoming quite common here now and getting ever more sophisticated. Would you buy one?
Electric bikes and scooters are becoming very popular in our city, but they are also creating a few problems. I am a purist when it comes to cycling, so no scooter for me. As a means of commuting to and from work they provide an opportunity to be environmentally responsible and one can arrive in a timely fashion without being coated in sweat. Our problems arise from the definition of bike vs. motorcycle. Scooters are often seen using the bike lanes and as most of them are under power when operated, they tend to travel too fast for the bike lanes. Some are licensed as vehicles and are supposed to stay on the road surface, others are not. While they are increasing in popularity, without clear rules, scooters are too hazardous.
It depends on the practicability. If you are going to cover long distances, then am sure using other methods will be much fun rather than using a scooter or a bike. but if it is just around town and you want to snake through traffic, then a scooter will be so much easy to use. personally I would not buy it as there is no use for it in my life.
I think it would be a good investment. Nonetheless, due to fracking, gasoline in the US and Canada isn't a big deal for people who don't live far away from places of work, grocery stores etc. Myself, I live a little ways out in the countryside and I can reach the nearest town on 2 USD worth of gasoline.
The e-bike is also in fashion here and the most popular is the 3-wheels which can carry the driver and a rider plus a basket for cargo. It is sold for 30k pesos which is about $600. That is cheap and a practical investment to consider the mobility inside our village. But we are still hesitant as of now because it has to be tested by time. What if it breaks down and the after sales support is not good?
So far my research says we in America can't use electric scooters on the road. Electric bikes, depends on your State laws. I know you have to have a bike license to use it on Oahu. Recently, about a year ago or so, mopeds got to have license to operate legally on Oahu. Since the new laws there have been less mopeds on the roads. Mopeds can't go on freeways on Oahu ever. On Oahu, there isn't much bikes too that I've noticed so it's not as popular though we do have bike lanes that's mostly deserted when I pass by on the bus. I never heard of e-bikes or e-scooters till your post. As I've checked Walmart sells e-scooters. E-bikes seems a good way to save money.
I have one but I find I never use it. In the US it is less than clear where you are allowed to use it, and I feel to much of a spectacle using it--people really stare. I think here they are seen as more like toys for kids than a real transportation option. I went back to walking which is probably better for me anyway.
In my area those are not very popular right now as I haven't seen any. Most people here use the bus or motorcycles as means of transportation. It would be nice to own an electric bike here so I can go buy groceries and run errands that do not involve traveling long distances. One of my concerns is a how safe it would be to be roaming around in one here as the bus drivers are crazy and tend to run over many bike riders, as I have seen in the news.
@Dora M Happy to know that at least you are adding to pollution by using an electric vehicle. I would like to buy one but often put off by its very low speed. In our country riding a motorcycle with only 30 km/hr can invite accidents as the roads are not so developed and it is very congested too. But there are some good models being introduced nowadays in both four wheeler and two wheeler segments. I think in addition to saving on money it is more of an environment friendly initiative. Government should give handsome subsidies and tax benefits to inspire people buy electric vehicles. I heard that there are some pretty good ones coming up in four wheel segment which can go up to 90 kms with a single recharge and maximum speed is in the range of 60-80 km/hr. I would definitely buy one as an exchange to my existing vehicle.
Electronic bikes are popular in our place as well. I lived in a subdivision and I see most people have their own e-bikes whenever they go to the market, plaza, or just stroll. I find it very convenient and low cost since it does not need gas and you don't need to have a license to drive it since it's as good as bike I'm planning to buy myself one sooner since it will be a lot of use for me