An eGO-centric View of the World

People who ride an eGO Vehicle seem to have an 'attitude.' You see it in the cool, breezy way they curl around a corner and quickly come to a stop with the head tilted back, ever so slightly and a satisfied grin on the face. Somewhere between the need for speed and the convenience of a bike, the eGO scooters have found a niche of very dedicated fans. The built in rear rack makes it easy to sling on a set of panniers (ok Texans, Saddlebags!) or folding baskets and go foraging at the local farmer's markets or make an errand run without having to fight car traffic.

Its quiet, dual belt drive creates the snappy acceleration that this scooter is known for along with a throttle activated regen that works both as a braking system and recharging the batteries. And yes, you can actually see a difference in the battery level on the 10-bar battery gauge.

Jesse Trissel, pictured here, enjoys his 15 mile round trip commute through north central Austin to the shop just south of Lady Bird Lake. He alternates between the scenic Shoal Creek Hike and Bike trail and faster streets. The Shoal Creek trail links almost 5 miles of parkland and paved trails to the downtown area, a very convenient N-S route for many commuters and recreational riders. 'Leave your senses free to experience the world around you, ride an electric scooter!' is his enthusiastic motto.

Summertime blasts into Austin when the calendar still says we're in the middle of spring, but that doesn't slow down an avid scooter rider. A few basic strategies will help keep your eGO going strong through a long summer. First, check your tire pressure--low tires are the arch nemesis of range and speed. Low tires also make the motor work harder to get you down the road from the increased rolling resistance and that additional work generates more heat. And more heat is not what you want for optimal motor life and performance. The smart design of the eGO motor includes an internal temperature sensor that signals the electronic controller to automatically slow the speed of the scooter to about 5 miles an hour while the motor cools down.

Our scooter tech Jesse, has experienced this and recommends that rather than be flustered by the delay while the motor cools, prevent the event - 'Chill on the hills' especially when the temperature outdoors is 90 F or more or there's high humidity. He says its just as simple as backing off the throttle a few mph to prevent overheating. Also, when the weather is hot, wait a half hour or so to let the batteries of any electric scooter or bike cool down a bit before charging. Hot batteries can be damaged by charging or not charge correctly. However, better designed chargers, like that in the eGO wait for the battery temperature to drop before starting the charge cycle. Of course, there's lots more to say about chargers and batteries, but Jesse and I are getting ready to do a side by side test of the eGO classic and LiIon scooters so we're gonna go ride! Ciao!

Its a Brand New World!

It has occurred to me that most people don't realize just what an amazing world of Electric Vehicles exists beyond the fabulous (and expensive!) Tesla Car. So this blog is going to be focusing on anything related to getting around with electrified wheels-- be they 2, 3 and sometimes 4 wheels! I also want to introduce you to some of the folks who use them, those who make them and what's under the hood so to speak. Electric vehicles like what I work with every day are incredibly simple, elegant machines that are easy to care for, easy to use and best of all will not run up your electric bill. Allow yourself to move past the poor quality, cheap stuff that was sold at street corners a few years ago. Envision a comfortable, quiet way to commute instead, that uses less natural resources to make, consumes less $$ in maintenance, doesn't pollute the air or water with the whole item recyclable at the end of its life. Even if you can't 'see' the environmental impact; the value from not stressing from nasty traffic snarls, creeping traffic and inhaling gas fumes are all symptoms that we can connect with on our daily treks.

The public's obsession with mileage belies the fact that 80 to 85% of us travel less than 30 miles per day. Allowing that some professions require long distance travels, in general, an electric vehicle will cover the distance for less $$, no pollution and a few pennies to recharge. Take a look at Alien Scooters, where the total focus is electric vehicles. Welcome to my world! the world of electrics.