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The Rise of the Electric Scooter

blog.codinghorror.com

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Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#131

Post by nwalker85 »

Steltek wrote: post #62
mips_avatar wrote: post #39

I recently bought a Boosted rev and have been using it for my 1.8 miles commute. I strongly disagree with the author's 15mph limit. I think 25 mph is a more reasonable limit, otherwise you have cars aggressively trying to pass you on roads. At 24 mph (my scooters max speed), the cars on my commute (25mph speed limit), still try to pass me sometimes but it's a lot safer.

Or maybe cars should obey the speed limit, pass at a safe and reasonable distance, and not road rage at people? I mean, why does every new alternative travel mode need to work around the unacceptable and lawless US driver behavior? That all said, 25mph on scooter wheels sounds terrifying. I've seen some escooters with tiny adorable disc brakes. What's your stopping distance at that speed?

Because we design for worst case scenarios, not perfect utopias.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#132

Post by ikeyany »

notJim wrote: post #122
throw0101a wrote: post #70

Perhaps it's because I have a motorcycle, but every time I come across the word "scooter" what comes to mind is a Vespa-like vehicle. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooter#Vehicles * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kick_scooter * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooter_(motorcycle) I'm curious about the etymology for each type, and how both ended up using the same word.

This is something I rant about from time to time. The word scooter is ridiculously overloaded. I'm semi-interested in an electric vespa type scooter, but it's hard to Google for it, because everything about electric scooters online refers to kick scooters.

If you call them mopeds that should clarify any ambiguity.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#133

Post by ocdtrekkie »

egypturnash wrote: post #115
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder where the cost savings (and carbon savings) would really wash out with those lifestyle changes though. Like not shopping in bulk, having to spend both the time and travel to the grocery store more. Having to have some things duplicated at work and home which I otherwise wouldn't. Presumably many people evade carrying stuff home from the store by having everything delivered by Amazon, but that brings a whole…

If you actually live in the city the grocery store is not gonna be a huge schlep the way it is in the burbs, and this may be coloring how you think about those changes. When I was in Seattle I had a Safeway two blocks away and a Trader Joe’s three away. Very walkable distance, so I didn’t keep more than a few days worth of stuff in the kitchen as a rule; walking for six minutes each way is really not a hassle at all.…

That's all true, though I usually stop at a grocery store on my way home, so I'm not spending a lot of travel time. Honestly the worst part of grocery shopping is getting out of the store with your stuff, because of checkout lines. I suppose if you're not stocking up though, you may be able to get away with express laning it more often than I do.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#134

Post by closetohome »

mips_avatar wrote: post #88
djrogers wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At 25MPH, a tiny crack or lip in the concrete would equal a very expensive faceplant. And it's not really even a matter of skill or reflexes - the tiny wheels of the current electric scooters are just not capable of handling imperfections at speed.

That's why you need bigger better wheels. I agree that going above 15 on a Xiaomi scooter is terrifying, but on the Boosted Rev, it's smooth as butter.

> That's why you need bigger better wheels

Or just one big one! https://onewheel.com

I switched to one of these after having a few too many wipeouts on a longboard. It's been fantastic.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#135

Post by geddy »

mips_avatar wrote: post #88
djrogers wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At 25MPH, a tiny crack or lip in the concrete would equal a very expensive faceplant. And it's not really even a matter of skill or reflexes - the tiny wheels of the current electric scooters are just not capable of handling imperfections at speed.

That's why you need bigger better wheels. I agree that going above 15 on a Xiaomi scooter is terrifying, but on the Boosted Rev, it's smooth as butter.

Not only bigger, but inflatable rubber wheels. The small, hard rubber wheels that we used to rip when Razor Scooters were huge in the 90s were great if you didn't value your face.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#136

Post by ars »

beatgammit wrote: post #78
TulliusCicero wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's become somewhat popular in the US, despite the US having no cities with good bike infrastructure. Convenience is a hell of a drug. The way I see it, this increased uptake could help drive greater investment in bike lanes and walkability. Politically, it's always easier to spend money on things people already do than on things they might do if you spent enough.

Ideally, we'd have carless urban centers, with only buses, light rail, and small vehicles (bikes and scooters) allowed in a certain radius. This would allow greater density in the downtown area, eliminate most pollution, and promote general health, yet for some reason, nobody seems to propose it. It could even be coupled with free mass transportation in that region, since costs for running such a service would likely…

> The toughest nut to crack

And you somehow managed to completely forget that families with small children exist.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#137

Post by ars »

Steltek wrote: post #57
s_y_n_t_a_x wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just about choice, it's a safety issue. https://www.consumerreports.org/product-safety/deaths-tied-t... > Earlier this year, a CR investigation—which tabulated injuries from 110 hospitals in 47 U.S. cities—found that at least 1,500 riders had been injured since e-scooters were introduced in late 2017, and there were four fatalities. Since then, CR has identified an additional four deaths.

No, the safety issue is cars. Take away cars and you take away 99.9% of transportation's ~40,0000 annual fatalities.

No you don't, you'll just replace them with something else.

Assuming of course you are not increasing people's travel times with your new device.

If your plan is actually "make everything slow and take forever", then sure you can get rid of fatalities.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#138

Post by dmix »

com2kid wrote: post #87

I am amused this is still a topic of discussion in America. Visit China sometime, electric motor scooters (larger than the kids versions we have here[1]) and motorbikes are everywhere, the large majority of small vehicles on the road there are now electric. It is super nice, the streets are far cleaner and quieter than just a few years ago. One huge benefit China has is an existing infrastructure for smaller vehicles…

> Meanwhile in America we paint a tiny narrow bike lane on the road and pretend the white line is going to stop accidents.

Separated bike lanes can be equally dangerous and more inconvenient for cyclists. If you can swing around a slow/stopped hazard then it’s not much better. It’s only good for the newbie riders who are scared of the road.

The best arrangements are sharrows where both parties are sharing the road with constant reminders to cars to be aware of their surrounds and respect cyclists.

Otherwise I 100% agree with you regarding electric vehicles.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#139

Post by peterwwillis »

egypturnash wrote: post #118
peterwwillis wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a great point. I see people bringing up lots of questions and concerns about these devices, but it's missing a critical point: these were designed with specific use cases in mind. They are only useful for people in cities to go short distances. And within that scope, they are an excellent addition to other transportation options. What you mention is actually what I want to build next: micro-mobility for large…

> If I buy a trunk load of groceries from the Wal-Mart 6 miles from me, I want to be able to bring it home. Have you considered an electric bike plus some kind of trailer, or an electric cargo bike? Or even an electric trike.

Yes, and that's a great general purpose solution. The problem comes when you try to market this as a replacement for a car, and then it doesn't work. The platform is too narrow, some require lots of fiddling to get right, you don't have a comfortable seat, you're open to inclement weather, you have to already have a decent e-bike, etc. Taking a lot of time to find your own solution is one thing, but providing everyone a one-size-fits-all (remember, the intention is to prevent people from needing a car) involves a lot of considerations. With every change you have to reconsider the whole design, because even small changes significantly affect the ride.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#140

Post by hcho »

ikeyany wrote: post #132
notJim wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is something I rant about from time to time. The word scooter is ridiculously overloaded. I'm semi-interested in an electric vespa type scooter, but it's hard to Google for it, because everything about electric scooters online refers to kick scooters.

If you call them mopeds that should clarify any ambiguity.

Mopeds are sub 50cc motorized bicycles though.
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