Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
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Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
#2Meh. 13kmh is not a lot and these are only suitable for really smooth floors. Don't see the point though because these things are so big they must be checked in which is the first thing you do at an airport so they can't be used after that.
I also wonder how much useful space is left in them after the slide-out steering mechanism, batteries and motors.
I'd be more worried about tons of lithium batteries made to the cheapest price going inside the cargo hold.
Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
#3They need a new vehicle category? Why does an electric bicycle need a driver license in the first place?
Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
#4Meh. 13kmh is not a lot and these are only suitable for really smooth floors. Don't see the point though because these things are so big they must be checked in which is the first thing you do at an airport so they can't be used after that. I also wonder how much useful space is left in them after the slide-out steering mechanism, batteries and motors. I'd be more worried about tons of lithium batteries made to the c…
> I also wonder how much useful space is left in them after the slide-out steering mechanism, batteries and motors.
looking at the image in TFA, that looks about the size of a carry on which is much smaller than I was imagining. to counter, there's a Visa commercial running as part of the Olympics with Simone Biles next to her suitcase which is as big as she is. It is disturbingly large. Like, it can't be real, can it? Or she is just that little. Either way, I'm remembering the wrong parts of their commercial, but I could see a suitcase of that size being something Transformer-ish into something you and your family could ride
Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
#5Meh. 13kmh is not a lot and these are only suitable for really smooth floors. Don't see the point though because these things are so big they must be checked in which is the first thing you do at an airport so they can't be used after that. I also wonder how much useful space is left in them after the slide-out steering mechanism, batteries and motors. I'd be more worried about tons of lithium batteries made to the c…
> I also wonder how much useful space is left in them after the slide-out steering mechanism, batteries and motors. looking at the image in TFA, that looks about the size of a carry on which is much smaller than I was imagining. to counter, there's a Visa commercial running as part of the Olympics with Simone Biles next to her suitcase which is as big as she is. It is disturbingly large. Like, it can't be real, can i…
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Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
#6They need a new vehicle category? Why does an electric bicycle need a driver license in the first place?
I think that part is wrong. You don't need a license to ride an e-bike in Japan.
However, what would be an e-bike in some other country would be classified as a moped in Japan, requiring a driver's license. In particular, the amount of assistance an e-bike can provide is limited, some power has to come from the rider to be classified as an e-bike. So it is possible that because of some quirks of the Japanese regulations, an electric suitcase would be classified as a moped, therefore requiring a license.
Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
#7They need a new vehicle category? Why does an electric bicycle need a driver license in the first place?
Part of the problem here is that it seems like you can't actually pedal this thing, which is to me (and a lot of lawmakers in the US) sort of foundational to the concept "bicycle".
The other problem here is that with ever-increasing electric motor technology, old standards like engine displacement, or even power supply (gas vs electric) are not great indicators of the maximum speed of these things. As it stands, while 13 km/h is not that fast (its a reasonable jogging pace), it is very fast if the user is zoned out on their phone, which happens all too often in e.g. airports or tourist zones.
Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
#8A license isn't needed for an electric bicycle. The law states that it is classified as an electric bicycle if it is only pedal assist and only up to 24kph (15mph). The issue arises when either there are no pedals, or it can be operated without using pedals, like these suitcases. Electric only operation moves the classification to a scooter, thus license needed.
https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/kotsu/jikoboshi/elec...
Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
#9Meh. 13kmh is not a lot and these are only suitable for really smooth floors. Don't see the point though because these things are so big they must be checked in which is the first thing you do at an airport so they can't be used after that. I also wonder how much useful space is left in them after the slide-out steering mechanism, batteries and motors. I'd be more worried about tons of lithium batteries made to the c…
It looks like it is just the size for carry-on luggage, with a removable battery with a capacity no higher than the maximum allowed. They obviously thought about these things.
They weight about 10kg though. It means if the airline imposes a limit on the weight of a carry-on, you probably won't be ably to put anything inside of it. But because the battery is removable, you can still check it in and keep the battery with you.
Re: Japan cracks down on use of rideable electric suitcases amid tourist boom
#10They need a new vehicle category? Why does an electric bicycle need a driver license in the first place?
Part of the problem here is that it seems like you can't actually pedal this thing, which is to me (and a lot of lawmakers in the US) sort of foundational to the concept "bicycle". The other problem here is that with ever-increasing electric motor technology, old standards like engine displacement, or even power supply (gas vs electric) are not great indicators of the maximum speed of these things. As it stands, whil…
I see a lot of scooters around here with vestigial compliance pedals, mostly driven by gig delivery drivers. The form factor looks more like a moped. No one would ever use those pedals. Clearly they're there to skirt some kind of regulation. I'm not sure what the fix is, but "able to pedaled" is kind of a ridiculous compromise.