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The Rise of the Electric Scooter

blog.codinghorror.com

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Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#141

Post by patthebunny »

dmix wrote: post #138
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 wi…

You know what’s dangerous for cyclists? Other drivers.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#142

Post by alberth »

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…

Many massively large companies today, simply saw traction for a particular product/service in one country (market) and then adapted it to their own country (market).

What might be a new "innovation" in our country could be old hat in another.

Nothing wrong with that at all.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#143

Post by UnFleshedOne »

peterwwillis wrote: post #60
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #43

As a suburban dweller who doesn't go into the city much, it's still surreal to hear so many stories about the electric scooter craze, to know its happening thirty or forty miles away... And I've literally never seen it. I do feel its a good companion to public transit in theory, though it still lacks everything I want from you know, just having a car: Somewhere to put stuff. I never commute light enough to live off a…

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…

Electric shopping carts? Here we sometimes have walmart's shopping carts parked 1-2 km away from wallmart...

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#144

Post by ryan_lane »

powvans wrote: post #40
TulliusCicero wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walking is slow. Walking a mile takes around 20 minutes. If you walk a mile to the transit station at the beginning and walk a mile at the end, that's 40 minutes of travel time before you even factor in the bus/train trip. Of course, walking is to be encouraged where practical, but it has a very short effective range compared to a bike or scooter. Scooters and bikes drastically extend the effective reach of transit s…

There's also the issue of weather. Many of us live in places where it rains, heavily and frequently. Or it's extremely hot and humid and the result of walking is that you arrive at your destination soaked in sweat. I love to get out and walk in my neighborhood whenever possible, but walking even half a mile in the summer heat in Atlanta in work appropriate clothing is going to wreck your appearance.

I used to live in the south (New Orleans) and their idea of work appropriate clothing is absurd for the weather. Long sleeves, ties, etc. Worst part is that no one wants to wear them, so they buy the cheapest, sloppiest looking version of them, which is worse than just letting people dress casually.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#145

Post by walshemj »

tick_tock_tick wrote: post #59
shafyy wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been biking for 2 years in SF and disagree that it's impractical for short trips. Why do you think that?

You have the deal with the bike afterwords. Go for brunch in the mission and your friends are going back to the outer sunset with a scooter just fold it up and put it in the car with a bike either hope it's there when you get back, bike all the way, or go home then head over alone.

The answer is a Brompton or other folders you can even get an electric Brompton now.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#146

Post by afterburner »

modo_ wrote: post #63
shafyy wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been biking for 2 years in SF and disagree that it's impractical for short trips. Why do you think that?

I use a bike to get around SF the majority of the time as well. But lately I've been switching it up and using a skateboard for short trips. Riding the bike definitely isn't 'impractical', but the skateboard is so much less of a hassle. You don't have to bother carrying a lock (or walk to the corner to find the nearest pole to lock it to for that matter). And, don't tell my Mom, but not fiddling with a helmet and lig…

I feel like it's easier for a skateboarding miscalculation to slap you hard on the ground than a bike. A bike has really good brakes compared to a skateboard. Sure you don't need the helmet?

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#147

Post by walshemj »

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.

Yeh don't call a Vespa a Moped, might not go well in some areas.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#149

Post by walshemj »

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.

Robot has a review of the new Electrica Vespa here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cswc9YtNJYw

The problem is in CA any Scooter even a 50 cc requires a full bike licence.

Re: The Rise of the Electric Scooter

#150

Post by afterburner »

eldenbishop wrote: post #38

I rode a non-electric kick scooter (Xootr) for three years working in downtown SF. It is by far the best form of transitional transport there is and superior to bikes for 99% of actual real world travel. It was easily 4-5 times faster than walking and more importantly suddenly made the entire city open due to how insanely efficient it was for "glueing" together various forms of public transport. I could hop from tran…

> Some people say walk, but it's too slow and a 1/2 mile "walk" section on a complicated transport route would be impractical on foot.

Wait, are you being serious? That's less than a 10 minute walk, and you probably need the exercise anyways... And SF has fantastic walking weather compared to most of the world.

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