Electric Bikes vs. Electric Scooters: Dawn of Justice

An electric bike or electric scooter? If you are about to join the electric mobility world and are puzzled about which vehicle fits you best, this article might make the choice easier for you. Both electric bikes and electric scooter have their pros and cons.

Electric scooters are more affordable, designed to be smaller, lighter and easier to manage than an e-bike

People who live in congested urban areas are starting to look for simpler, lightweight forms of transportation to get to and from where they need to be. Spending hours per week, stuck in traffic while your car spews out fumes are becoming a pain for a growing number of people, and they are turning to alternative mobility devices like e-bikes and electric scooters as their vehicle of choice. If you have been thinking about making that switch, you may have wondered which of the two is the best option. This article prepared by Falcon PEV takes a closer look at both to help you decide.

Electric Bicycles (E-Bikes)

One of the advantages of e-bikes is your comfort level. Given that an e-bike comes complete with a seat, you are likely to be a little more comfortable than you would be with an electric scooter. On the other hand, there are a lot of electric scooters nowadays that can also be equipped with a seat, so comfort is no longer a unique e-bike advantage.

Despite the comfort, you will still get a decent workout as e-bikes require the use of the pedal-assist function rather than a fully automated system. That means the rider would still have to pedal an e-bike for the motor to function.

Cycling has long been considered a great way to stay in shape, and while you won’t have to pedal all the time with an e-bike, you still have the option of getting in a little bit of a workout if you want to by adjusting the power level of the motor. However, there are different mini e-bike models available these days that are fully automated.

Just like conventional bikes, the possibilities of electric bicycles are countless. Almost any bicycle can be converted into an e-bike. Whether you choose to buy a complete bike, or you would like to build your own, there is a wide selection to choose from, ranging from compactly foldable bikes to full suspension mountain bikes.

Electric bikes are your choice if the following features are important for you:

• Usually higher price, especially when it comes to specific road and mountain bikes
• Moderate to high weight (ranging from around 14 kilograms to 28 kilograms)
• More complex configurations, which mean higher maintenance costs
• Depending on the type, they are suitable almost everywhere. Can be used in cities, long distance roads, uphill and downhill off-road tracks, etc.
• Big size compared to electric scooters (except bikes with folding design)
• No need for a licence

Examples when an electric bike can be a good choice for you:

• Long distance rides on- and off-road. Good quality bikes from trusted manufacturers can usually take 80-120 kilometres with one charge.
• Just like an electric scooter, an electric bicycle with folding design can be packed in the car trunk without taking too much space and assembled whenever needed.
• Up and downhill rides in the hills. You can even explore places which would be almost impossible with conventional bikes.
• In most countries, there are no special licences required for electric bikes, and they can be used like regular bikes and go where bicycles can go.

The downside to owning an e-bike in some places for example in Singapore is that you do need to get your e-bike inspected and tagged according to the regulations and register yourself as an e-bike rider.

Electric Scooters (E-Scooters)

As great as e-bikes are, not everyone is able to ride one. While many people learn to ride a bike as a kid, there are also plenty who have never learned. An electric scooter is an excellent option for those folks, as learning to ride on an e-scooter is much easier than learning to ride a bike as an adult.

However, this is also not the only reason to make this particular choice. Electric scooters are also designed to be smaller, lighter, and easier to manage than an e-bike, to the point where people who work in an office can easily store them under their desk there while they work. This means that there isn’t a concern about needing to find a place to chain up their ride, hoping upon hope that it will still be there when they get out of work at the closing time.

The third advantage of e-scooters is that being lower to the ground in a standing position, the e-scooter rider is able to seamless hop on and off the scooter. An e-bike user will find dismounting the bike a bit more challenging.

Electric scooters are a great choice if you are looking for the following features:

• Affordable price
• Low weight
• Low maintain costs
• Mainly used in an urban environment
• Great portability and storage capability (You can easily park it under your desk!)
• Unlicensed, hence quicker to adopt
• No need for a licence, inspection, and registration

Here are a few examples when the electric scooter can be a good choice for you:

• You are living 5-10 kilometres from your workplace and use it for daily commuting
• You live in a big city far from your workplace, but you can easily hop on and off the bus/train whenever needed
• A foldable design makes it possible to keep it in your car or boat and take it out whenever you need to use it. You can park your car on the city outskirts and approach the centre by electric scooter.
• The compact design also makes it a perfect choice for sightseeing in a crowded city.

Electric scooters, in general, are a great way to have a taste of the electric mobility lifestyle without paying too much. Of course, there are electric scooters that can cost thousands of dollars, but they mostly serve some special purpose that is not required by everyday riders.

In most countries, electric scooter usage is generally unlicensed. That means you do not need to get a license to use an electric scooter. In most places, electric scooter specification is also regulated by authorities to a certain speed.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

There are definite pros and cons that need to be weighed when you have to make a decision between an e-bike and an electric scooter. Both are great ways to get around without leaving a huge carbon footprint, and both are excellent choices for people looking to get OUTDOORS!

At the end of the day the decision that you make will more than likely come down to a personal choice, and there really isn’t a bad one to make. Hope this article helps you get closer to your decision.

This article was prepared by Falcon PEV. You can access here the original version of the article: part 1 and part 2.

Joyor Scooter is the company that drives the new electric mobility concept in Europe by bringing to the market the widest range of electric scooters for any taste or need. Joyor is an electric and foldable scooter designed for personal transportation and leisure. Fast, durable, solid, safe and easy to ride, Joyor is designed in the Netherlands. With Joyor Scooter you can enjoy revolutionary transport made to offer a unique experience at an irresistible price.