Electric Bikes

**norrissee** · July 6th, 2006 04:17 PM

sherwin! wats up?

hehehe

got any ideas on electric scooters? driving 2km everyday from work to home is not a fun thing, too short for fun and not to mention the traffic... (and i dont have a stereo inside the car)

**baludoy** · July 7th, 2006 01:51 PM

i've seen some chinese made electric scooters that sells between 25-30k. they don't look at all any different from the gas powered ones (except for the extension cords heheh). then there are the japanese thin framed ones w/ the seat as the bulkiest item on the scooter. i've seen one or two running around here in the village. unfortunately, i have had no experience w/ those scoots yet

but yes, i do think it would be practical for you to own one considering the proximity of your workplace

btw i've seen some ads in the sports section of some newspapers selling those stuff too

**CaRGirL** · August 27th, 2006 09:26 PM

ok po ba ito??

Smart Bikes: Electric Powered Vehicles

as per Phil. Star (dated Aug 25), prices range from 20k-60k.

**niky** · August 27th, 2006 09:58 PM

Grabe sagad na ako sa maximum load ng ibang models diyan... :lol:

Parang medyo crude yata yung battery tech niya, pero a 20 km range isn't bad if you live close to your work.

**orly_andico** · August 28th, 2006 09:49 AM

i read that star article and emailed the supplier luckylou*pldtdsl.net

he is distributing the products from Luyuan and Dones. 31500 yung 350W.

*niky: the Luyuan product is quite high-tech: it has regenerative braking and claims an 80km range, after which it needs to be charged for 3-8 hours. it uses 4x 12V 10Ah batteries, which cost 4800 to replace (need to replace every 2 years). since it's 10Ah, 48V (480Wh) assuming a 25% charging efficiency, one would need ~2kWh to fully recharge it. That's about 20 pesos worth. So even if you can run 40km for 20 pesos (half the claimed range) that's still only 0.50/km. Then assuming you run 3000km a year (or 6000km/2 years) that's an additional 0.80/km for a total opex of 1.30/km.

compare with say a Getz. 12km/L and 43 pesos/L = 3.58/km not counting maintenance. or a Honda XRM, 50km/L = 0.86/L. so the electric scooter is not cheaper than a gasoline powered scooter because of the battery replacement issue.

the only problem right now is that according to the LTO, electric scooters need to be registered but as per the supplier (luis), there is no advice yet to the local LTO offices. so they probably can't be registered just yet. more opportunity for kotong cops i guess..

**ghosthunter** · August 28th, 2006 10:10 AM

the problem with the LTO, cops and the dealers is that they all have a different view on the electric scooter.

The dealers point of view is it's not a "motor vehicle" since it does not have a fuel burning engine. The LTO/cops point of view is it looks pretty much like a typical scooter/motorcycle and so they will flag you down to check your registration papers.

**theveed** · August 28th, 2006 11:41 AM

Seriously considering a 2-wheel transpo nadin hehe... just computed na at current fuel rates, 6-7K/mo of fuel cost is absurd.

**orly_andico** · August 28th, 2006 11:46 AM

*dabid,
we're all in the same boat hahaha.

i have a friend with an AT sentra, because it's AT mileage is around 5-6km/L. so parang 2.0 na manual. anyway he bought a honda wave. it's definitely a lot cheaper to operate. but as he said, don't expect comfort. yes it'll get you there, but you won't be in good condition when you get there. not to mention the scariness of it.

personally i'd rather commute (FX) than 2-wheeled transpo. mas comfy pa rin kahit mahaba pila. just need to get up earlier. safer too..

**theveed** · August 28th, 2006 12:23 PM

Lakas sa gas sentra nya ah, AT Altima ko (2.0) gets 6.5-7 city...

Ako I'm not really looking for comfort, 5-6km lang each way ang byahe ko from house to office hehe, via semi-private roads like Greenmeadows/Julia Vargas naman hehe.

Although right now, I'm sticking to Jeep + FX, mura lang eh hehe.

**niky** · August 28th, 2006 03:12 PM

Sentra ATs kinda suck... and it'll also depend on your engine and driving habits. If you're used to the pull of a 1.6 manual and you're driving a 1.3 AT, get used to horrible mileage. If you know how to max them out, it's not that bad, but still, a 1.6 AT can get 6-7 km/l in bad traffic. Especially with the super-powerful aircon on those things.