I have a 4 mile commute to get to my workplace. I have a teenager who has started to drive, so we are thinking of getting a third car. Riding a bike would be nice, but I am finding it hard to get motivated to actually follow through on the plan. An electric scooter makes a lot more sense. I am a little concerned about finding a low-traffic route, but I think that can be arranged.
The EVTA Z-20b electric scooter costs only $3000 delivered. It has a range of 30 miles with a top speed of 45 mph (72 kmh). They claim it takes only 2 kwh to fully charge. It seems incredible that it can travel so far on so little energy. Did they leave off a 0 or something? I just got my electric bill and I owe $27.61 for 225 kWH: ($27.61/225 kWH) = 12.27 cents per kWH. 2 kwh would cost only $0.25. How is that possible?
Let’s approach the problem another way. The motor generates 2500 Watts. At 30 mph it would take one hour to travel 30 miles.
(2500 Watts) * (one hour) = 2.5 kWH,
which is in good agreement with their claim. Assume 1 kwh of coal based electrical energy produces 0.97 kg of Co2. If traveling 30 miles requires 2.5 kWh, then the amount of CO2 generated is
(2.5 kWh)* (0.97 kg CO2/kWh) = 2.4 kg.
My Corolla gets about 30 miles/gallon. One gallon of gas generates 9 kg of CO2.
(2.4 kg / 9 kg ) * 100 = 27%.
The electric scooter and driver weigh about 227 kg, while the Corolla and driver weigh about 1270 kg.
(227 kg) / (1270 kg) * 100 = 18%.
The scooter weighs 1/5 as much as the car. Hence, a lot less energy and about 1/4 as much CO2 is generated as compared to a gas powered economy car.
Updates:
Spreadsheet showing a comparison between the EVTA z20b, the Enertia, and the Myers Motors NMG.
Video of conversion of gas powered motorcycle to all electric.
What is the matter with the US? 5% of the population burns 25% of the fossil fuel. We have allowed ourselves to be led into a war so the multinational oil companies can control dwindling oil reserves. Oil prices are well above $100 a barrel due to the continuing war and new demand from the developing economies such as China and India. Profits of the oil companies are through the roof. Truckers are striking. Airlines are going bankrupt. What really bugs me is that NOBODY has undertaken an effective plan to break the oil habit in transportation. Tesla offers a high performance electric car affordable by a handful of people with movie star incomes. As long as most of our electrical energy comes from coal, the only way electric vehicles make sense is to greatly reduce the mass. Yamaha and Honda seem to be in the development stage. They have the leverage to produce on a mass scale, but, so far, only for the Japanese market.
The Enertia Electric Motorcycle costs 4 times more then the z20b, but has superior batteries and greater power output.
