Because it's sometimes lonely hugging mesquite - the 2017 MH Survey [Updated 9-6-17]

[Lonely indeed - no responses came in]

 

It's been a good run so far.

Our second post - has it really been four years?

Okay, it's not that lonely, but parts of it are really anonymous. Mesquite Hugger tends to get between 25 and 100 visitors per day, but it's incredibly rare to hear from any readers. The only message I receive comes in the form of how many clicks a particular post receives. This week, a post from last year about Comuta-Cars is getting a lot of attention, but I have no idea why or by whom.

I'd love to know things like:

So, who the heck are you?
 How the heck are you?
What brought you here to this low-rent blog?
Did you find anything helpful?
Is there something you'd like to see more of? Less of?

If you'll click on the link below, you'll go to a quick (or not-so-quick) survey. No, I'm not trying to be creepy and get all up in your grill by collecting personal info and email addies(I always use the hippest lingo!), please just leave a first name or nickname and tell me roughly where you live - town, state, country, etc., and then answer any (or all) questions that tickle your fancy.

The Big, Honking 2017 Mesquite Hugger Survey (Click here to start)

The survey will be open for seven days. Shortly after that I'll publish a summary of the responses that are socially presentable.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this blog, and thank you for answering the survey. May you know peace and mirth today!

Fossil Free Friday - Electric Scooters

Since Grizz, Mendi, Fester, the Loi-Yer, Double K, and Melissa are headed to the Texas United Scooter Rally this weekend, it seemed like a great day to throw a few electric scooters up for Fossil Free Friday.

Grizz' red Vespa and the Mesquite Hugger E-Vespa

  

Earlier this week, Derek Markham posted about a new electric German scooter. (Or should that be "German electric scooter"? Where's Noam when I need him.)

Derek Markham article on TreeHugger

I'm always excited when I run across a new electric scooter so I popped on over and found a pretty standard little scooter that

• looks a whole lot like a 2006 Yamaha Vino
• has a 28mph top speed
• 30 miles of range
• is available only in Europe. Snagit.

 But, then I remembered that we have a similar scooter available over here. The Genze 2.0.

And the Genze may not be all retro-Yamaha stylish, but it's got a nice list of virtues:

• It's vastly slightly faster (30mph!)
• It has the same range - 30 miles
• No insane Teutonic import tariff -  it's made, or at least assembled, in Ann Arbor Michigan!
• It has a removable battery pack, too!
• You can buy one (in Texas) for less than $3000!
• And, it's a 2-wheeled pickup truck! (You know me and electric pickups.)

(A pretty small pickup truck)

The pickup bed even inspired a weekly contest!

So there you have it - two emission-free electric scooters to help you get off the gas, keep it in the ground, clear the air, and generally make the world a less stinky place.

May you live in a less stinky place that you helped to create!

PS. In case the Genze 2.0 is not your thing, be sure to check out the Fido (my favorite), the Boxx, and the Monday Motorbike. - three very different approaches to electric scooters.

Fossil Free Friday: Updates on Electric Scooters and Such

In the quest for a vehicle to help us move on...the quest for an oh-so-cool pair of eco-friendly wheels to haul us about!

Fido (An electric scooter built by vintage scooterists)

This one is hard for me. You see, I have loved the Fido since before there was a Fido. And the first photo brought me in even closer.

Yep, it was love at first sight!

 

I love the idea of it -  a very simple and elegant form designed to do what you need it to and to be repaired by the average human being. I love the reality of it - it's a very practical machine that has a realistic range and realistic speed and lots of little perks to make it perfect for lots of jobs. I have never met them in person, but I am a big fan of the people who dreamed it up, invested their lives in it, and have now built it. Jeb Gast, the Fido founder, was a big inspiration to me when I decided to build my electric Vespa and he has continued to impress me since. I even love the old building they restored for the factory and I wish they were a little closer so I could swing by and check out their coffee digs. I can't imagine a cooler scooter company anywhere.

Check out the Fido Useful video

 

But that level of coolness comes at a price. I can't imagine what they have had to invest to get this thing off the ground and I know that a 72 volt, 35 amp-hour battery pack is a big investment in itself.

Check out the cool 'stache! and the teaser video

On the more personal side, I know my own finances and have known all along that I can not afford to buy ANY new electric scooter. But I have held onto a hope of buying a new Fido all through its development. And I held onto that hope until the price was finally announced. The first batch is up for pre-order with a price tag of $10,500. When I found that out, I realized that the Fido is out of my reach and I worry that it will be for many others as well. I wish them great success and hope that they find buyers who are able and willing to make the investment for a very cool and capable machine.

Monday MotorBikes (Formerly the Bolt M-1) (An electric moped built by vintage mopedders)

Love it with the spoked wheels

While I've never looked at the Fido and thought - hey I could build (a reasonably acceptable version of) that, I have done that with the Monday. [If you're ambitious in that way, check this out: 1977 Mopeds Indigan Roller. Just order that without the gas motor, add batteries, a motor, some brackets, a controller, and a throttle. ;-) Everything is so simple on the internet!]

That looks like fun to me!

To be fair, you'd spend a lot of time and money doing it, but a reasonably acceptable version (with a lot fewer cool features) could be built in a garage.

but it's pretty cool with mags too

On the other hand, for $6,000 you can buy this rather cool bike with very few headaches and lots of cool features like Bluetooth this and USB that and keyless other stuff. (You know you love instant gratification.)

The Monday is definitely an interesting machine as far as it capabilities. It's a 20mph e-bike in Economy mode, but it's a 40mph motorcycle in Sport mode. (I believe that Sport mode doubles the voltage from 24-48 volts.)

It is a very cool machine, and $5,995 is an attainable number for some of us.

Motochimp

Now, let's go a little goofy! Double K sent me this link this week and I knew I had to share it with you!

A Video with a lot of photos and a British voice-over

 

48 volt, 350 watt, 19 mph, all the usual stuff

 

Just your friendly neighborhood MotoChimp

 

I haven't found anything to indicate that it's headed to the US any time soon, but goshdarnit, it's adorable!

 

Can't you just see this thing in a Gorillaz video?

 

Other Bits of Related News this week:

 

Piaggio announced that they are finally getting ready to produce an electric Vespa.

 

Zero Motorcycles announced their 2017 line-up.

 

I think that's everything.

 

May you find your gas-free ride and may the air clear.

Fossil Free Friday: Electric Scooter Jones

  

Lots of years and smiles traveled on this scoot

 

I rode the old scooter to work this morning. I really enjoyed the ride to work this morning - sort of.

Part of it was simply the joy of a beautiful morning at 40mph. And part of it was the mirth of a vintage scooter.

Life is more fun on a scooter! (Find it here.)

People embrace vintage scooters in a way that they seldom embrace other forms of transportation that get noticed. People wave, smile, and ask friendly questions. The old bike doesn't carry connotations of entitled wealth, hooliganism (or wanting to be viewed as a hooligan), or an attempt at compensating for undersized appendages. Young men (not on a Harley) often yell, "Get a Harley," but that's about the biggest form of negativity we face. And it's not like a bicycle where drivers often resent your intrusion into their domain.

Find it here

 

[There is one weird little thing with driving a scooter - people in cars and trucks race you everywhere you go - there's some stigma about being seen going slower than a scooter, no matter how fast a scooter may be.]

Riding an old scooter around can be extremely enjoyable! But if you are like me, there's a big elephant in the room (or on the scooter). It's that gasoline and emissions thing. Old scooters may get great mileage, but they are very messy in the way they go about it. It's definitely not the vehicle for a Mesquite Hugger who wants to save the world. I ride mine very little and do not feel good about it when I do.

But I sure miss all of the good stuff that comes with riding one. Most of middle-aged life feels like obligation, busy-ness, and fixing things that break. It would sure be nice to scoot and smile guilt-free from one obligation to another. (Sigh)

I will get there one day. Until then, I keep my eyes open and do a lot of dreaming. I dream of building my own. (The Silver Pigeon twins). I dream of buying a new retro-vintage scooter.

(Fido. Bolt. Scooterson. Schwalbe.)

Or picking something up that's cheap and readily available.

 

Do you think this electric scooter would make my butt look fat?

Do you think I could pull off this look?

 

And then there's this guy who really did build a green Vespa. Hmm...

 

How about you? What green transportation are you jonesing for?

 

May you find it, and may the having be better (for all of us) than the jonesing.

Fossil Free Friday: From the Roley Poly to the Rolley Scooter

Yesterday I ran across a link on Endless-Sphere about the Scooterson Rolley (Rhymes with holy). At first, it seemed pretty gimmicky, but the more I looked at it and learned about it, the more intrigued I became.

 

While this is not the best part of the scooter, my favorite part is that it does not need a kickstand - it is self-balancing - just like Weebles!

 

A rather cool new European/British electric scooter

The attached video is very informative and explains a lot of the features:

Check out the Video

 

Man, that's a fat tire!

 

 

If my math is right, it has a 36 volt 11 amp-hour battery pack. The range is up to 30 miles and the top speed is either 16 or 20 miles per hour. The info on the motor setup is a little vague - one or two hub motors at 250 or 500 watts. The hydraulic disc brake setup is impressive, and the level of control vs. simplicity is very appealing: no pedals, no throttle; just kick-kick-sit. And it gets to know you and does not talk to strangers (without your permission). Yep, this thing is pretty cool.

 

 

Anyone hiring?

 

I really want to ride one of these! Yep, my dream job is just to go around test driving funky electric two, three, and four wheelers. This one is definitely on the I wanna ride it! list. Just FYI, I also want to test ride the GeoOrbital Wheel, the Spira Foam Car, the RadWagon, the FlyKly scooter, the Boxx Scooter, the Bolt M-1, the VanMoof, the Genzes, a Yuba elMundo, and (of course) the Fido Scooter.

 

May you find yourself some cool green transport, and may you call me if you need someone to try out your cool new machine!

 

Communal Electric Scooters - Gogoro and Scoot Network

I have admired the Gogoro from afar, but I have resisted writing about it here. I love the idea. I love the design. I love the scale. I love the low-carbon mission.

But I have figured it's an idea that would stay on the other side of the world.

Until now. There may be hope for electric scooter fans in the US (all ten of us).

The deal with the Gogoro is that it's not just a cool scooter - it's a cool scooter that comes with its own infrastructure that keeps you from worrying about range anxiety or charge times. The creators of the Gogoro focused on swappable batteries and battery swapping stations - the whole package. Yep, you scoot around until you're low on electrons. Then you pull over to a battery swapping station. You swap out two small-ish battery packs. Then you hop back on and scoot away fully charged.

It's a cool idea, but you need several scooters and several battery stations to make the whole thing viable. And this is America where we don't much care for scooters and electric vehicles aren't faring that well either.

Gogoro article from Fortune

If you read through the article you learn that (a) the Gogoro is going like gangbusters in Taiwan, (b) that they are headed to Amsterdam next, and (c) then they are looking at the States. You also learn that (d) they had a presence this year at the CES (Consumer Electronics show) in Vegas, (e) they would like for you to nominate US cities that would be great candidates for a Gogoro network, and (I am really jazzed about letter "f") they are looking at selling Gogoro scooters with chargers for people who do not live in a place where there is a network. Yep, there is a lot of exciting news there. Gogoro fans rejoice!

As a DIY sidebar, I have this goofy dream of being able to build my own vintage scooter that take advantage of the Gogoro battery swapping network. My (unfinished project) ElectroPigeon and I could very happily hop on that scootwagon.

So, North Americans, if all of this scooter network infrastructure talk has you drooling and dreaming and such, you are (sort of) in luck. On this side of the planet (San Francisco), there is a setup that's vaguely similar. Really, it's more of a bike share program that features electric scooters, but it's still pretty cool.

Scoot Networks

 

Yep, you can pretty easily find yourself scooting around the city by the bay on a bright red electric scooter. I wonder if they have locations near the City Lights Bookstore (one of my lifetime dream destinations)...

 

May you find yourself electrically scooting about a beautiful place (or your dingy home town) and enjoying the ride sooner rather than later.

 

PS for those of you who read yesterday's post:

 

Here is what greeted me when I logged in this morning (and it felt much better than watching an odometer roll over on a car):

 

 

PPS for Knippa - Can we set up the Lubbock Gogoro battery swap station outside your oh-so-cool scooter workshop?

 

 

 

Good News Everyone: Flykly, Copenhagen Wheel, and Fido

Emails from Fido and Superpedestrian came in this week, and Flykly has a new product and a new kickstarter to kick it off.

Simple and cool: the Fido

I will start with my favorite. Jeb Gast and crew (all of whom I hope to meet someday) are entrepreneurial scooter heroes to me. I have followed Jeb's story for years because I have followed electric scooters in the states, and he has been present throughout my searches. I first discovered him running a shop called Soundspeed Scooters in Seattle. He worked with gas and electric scooters there and even created a conversion kit for turning your old Earth-hating Vespa into a beautiful green machine. If you google "electric Vespa" you can still find lots of info about those Seattle days and scoots.

But Jeb (apparently) discovered the same thing I discovered when I converted an old Vespa to electric - they don't make the ideal electric scooter. I went looking for better candidates to convert; Jeb decided to create a better scooter. So, he designed such a beast and then set off on the daunting task of going from an idea and one machine to a full-fledged manufacturer of a high-quality, user-friendly scooters - the Fido.

And, if you know vintage scooters, you will probably recognize vintage design elements adapted for a modern machine: the simplicity of the old Cushmans, the simple maintenance of the Vespas with their easily removable wheels, and the strength and simplicity of the Lambretta's tubular frames. Did you notice that I used the world "simplicity" too many times? Well, that was part of Gast's plan. He wanted to build a machine that the end user could easily maintain and even repair if need be.  Good shops to service scooters are hard to find and afford, so he wanted to build a scooter for the common human being with simple tools.

I look at lots of electric two-wheeler plans and companies, and I admire this machine and company more than most anything I have seen. I hope they thrive, and I get excited each time I receive an email update from Fido. Which I did this week. There was news of lots of testing, a new employee, and updates to their really cool digs in Kalamazoo. They report that they are heading into pre-production. Yes, I am excited for the Fido team!

Check out the Fido blog here and enjoy the short video of the Fido in action.

Flykly Smart Ped: What a great idea!

Flykly has a new product out, and this one is a scooter, and it makes a lot of sense. I will readily admit that I am not a huge fan of kick-n-go scooters. If I were 37 years younger I would be a big fan, but being the oldfatguy that I am, they just don't hold that much appeal, but the new Flykly scooter might just get me past my oldfatguy prejudices.

Folded Flykly

It's a small, foldable machine that could help you with mid-distance or last-mile travel and replace a bike or electric bike for lots of tasks. It seems a perfect application of the powered wheel, possibly even a better application than the electric bicycle. (It feels a little sacrilegious to type that.) (And I have to say it - Flykly is putting out a second product while the oh-so-long-awaited Copenhagen Wheel is just starting to roll.) Check out the scooter and the kickstarter to learn more.

I hope you like red!

Superpedestrian (Copenhagen Wheel) sent out an email this week. The email communicates that things are heating up for them - they even feature a video of a person in the real world who has actually finally received one: video here. It looks like they may actually get a product out there. (I am still thankful that I did not ask my family to sacrifice the "deposit" money to pre-order a CW two years ago when the opportunity was first put out there. I would have had to do a lot of apologizing and regretting.)

The most exciting part of the email for me is that it also features a Copenhagen Wheel review from Electric Bike Review. It's a very comprehensive review and answers a lot of questions about the CW. Even the comments are worth a read. (If you like e-bikes and you don't yet know EBR, you are in for a treat. Enjoy!) It really should be an amazing product and good enough to get past the bitterness of vastly delayed delivery.

May your week bring lots of good news and may you find the wheels that reward you and and the planet.

Mesquite Hugger's Favorite Electric Scooters (in the US) (Updated 3-2016)

I've been listening to a band called "Milky Chance" lately. They snuck into my awareness through a few soundtracks and a little satellite radio in JG's car, so I looked them up. The first Milky Chance video I saw hooked me easily - they were riding around on funky German scooters, Schwalbes. And that got me to thinking about my favorite Schwalbe - the e-Schwalbe that was introduced a few years back. It's one of those forbidden fruit things for me. It's a very cool vintage scooter that sits right at the top (with Fido) of desirable, factory-built, electric scooters - but they are not sold on this side of the Atlantic (and would be out of my budget if they did.) Yep, I am an incurable scooterholic.

And that got me thinking of desirable, factory-built, electric scooters that are available in the US. I made a quick list. Then I realized that many on my list are still not quite available. So the list kept changing.

So here's the available list:

 

ZEV - (various models)

Interesting bikes - they look cheap and their designs borrow very heavily from famous Japanese gas-powered scooters, but I have read many positive reviews. They definitely have the highest ranges and speeds I have ever seen listed for production electric scooters. (I have recently read several bad reviews for ZEV and their speed/range claims)

Daymak Beast (Check out the expanded Beast offerings)

This one skirts the old scooter/moped/electric bike line pretty heavily, but it's low priced, rugged, based in Canada, and looks like a blast to ride. To Daymak's credit, they have followed through on their Kickstarter promises beautifully. Bonus points for a solar panel on the battery pack!

 

Govecs

The only one on this list that I have seen in person. The Govecs scooters originate from a German company that obviously has high quality standards. Not cheap, but I think this one may be worth the money if you are in it for the long green haul. (I linked to the Austin electric scooter shop where I saw the Govecs.)

Boxx Scooter

At first glance I wanted one and I have not gotten over it. I would sticker it up like an Apple product and tell people that it came from Steve Jobs' personal collection. ;-) Seriously, though, it has impressive specs and it's readily available. Bonus points for high geek factor!

Coming Soon

 

Genze (NOW AVAILABLE)

Built by a huge transportation company (Mahindra) with lots of resources for design and manufacturing, this bike looks promising, low-priced, and has more hauling capacity than most two-wheelers - the Genze could fill a lot of needs for the right buyer. They have been selling e-bikes here for a little while, but they are still taking reservations for US sales of the Genze scooter.

 

Bolt M-1 (NOW AVAILABLE)

Currently on an Indiegogo campaign, the Bolt M-1 looks very promising, but it's not yet available. It's American designed and built by some dedicated mopedders. Bonus points for the long-legged white hound photo! (my Sasha approves!)

Fido

My dream American electric scooter - built by American scooterists who have been dedicated to the cause for many years now. They are getting close to production in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but they are not quite there yet. Bonus points for company dog motif!

Not Coming at All

e-Schwalbe (Turn on the translator)

A vintage bike with modern running gear, impressive performance, and German engineering. Sigh...They are not sold here and it does not look like there are any plans to do so in the future, snagit!

May you scooter dorks (like me) enjoy knowing what's out there to choose from and may you find something non-polluting to get you around!

That New and Nekkid Electric Scooter from Austin

Become the hippest, coolest, most eco-friendly big kid on the block. Because the road to the future is electric, let's ride it together! 

Christian Okonsky                                       

 

I miss scooting to Jo's Coffee (ATX 8080 Scooter website here)

 

(Okay, they announced pricing, so it's time for a real post.)

CleanTechnica has now posted two articles about this very promising electric scooter out of Austin, Texas. Be sure to watch the Kickstarter video to see the bike in action around Austin. I can't think of a better vehicle for getting around our capitol. For years now I have watched for a non-running Honda scooter like this one for a candidate for conversion. Thanks to Austin Electric Powersports, I can quit looking!

ATX 8080 from Austin Electric Powersports - All-Electric American-Made Motorcycle Going On Sale Later this Month

 

Austin Electric ATX 8080 All-Electric Moto-Scooter - Earlybird Special for $5250

This scooter appeals to me for four reasons:

• the range (50 miles)
• the speed (50 miles per hour)
• the functional style (borrowing heavily from the wildly popular Honda Ruckus)
• and it's from the Lone Star State. (They really hooked me when they took off from Home Slice and took a pic at Jo's Coffee on South Congress - lots of good memories of scooting in South Austin!)

 From the Kickstarter video (Hopefully, the check-engine light, low-oil light, and neutral indicator won't make it to the production version.)

 

May all of us eco-friendly big kids ride together on machines like this.
 

 

[Shameless blogger self-promotion time: If you like this machine, be sure to check out the Fido, the Daymak Beast, the Boxx scooter, and the Bolt M-1.  You can find most of them on our Electric Scooters and Mopeds page. You can find the Beast on our Electric Bikes and Conversion Kits page.]

[More shameless blogger self-promotion: If any of you big-time blogs out there need a guest writer to run down to Austin to do an in-depth article on the ATX 8080, you know where to find me!]

Electric Moped: Somebody built our napkin-sketch dream bike!

I drink coffee with the Scooter Workshop Night guys on most days. Over coffee we have built many dream vehicles. Mind you, we don't actually build much, but we do plan lots of builds on napkins and envelopes and tabletops. One of my favorite dream builds has been the unholy marriage of a two-stroke European moped with an electric motorcycle powertrain. And I have gotten close to the dream. I did build a Velosolex with a hubmotor for a good friend. (Hi, JG!) And I did purchase the running gear out of an early Zero motorcycle. (I am terrible at minimalism.) And that running gear has dustily resided in a box since it came into my possession. (The current plan is to install that motor in one of the ElectroPigeons. But there's a lot of tuition and taxes to pay first. So, I will keep designing on napkins.)

Not this Magnum,

nor this Magnum,

this Magnum!

Back to the moped plan. My favorite mopeds are the top-tank models, the ones that look like undergrown motorcycles rather than overgrown bicycles. One of the coolest and most adaptable is the Puch Magnum. I have kept an eye open for a cheap Magnum for years. But I never actually found one nearby.

Yesterday on Autoblog Green, the Bolt Motorbike showed up. And I recognized it from my coffee napkin sketches. Some intelligent and ambitious mopedders (Mopedders seldom get called either of those words.) must have made the same sketch. Lighter than a motorcycle, sturdier than a bike, and powerful enough to climb San Francisco hills with ease - the Bolt is a very cool bike, and it appear to have a Puch Magnum frame.

Check out that ultra-cool bolt logo!

 

Lots of nifty features and a pretty impressive range - 30-50 mile depending on your power setting of choice. I am surprised to see such a low-voltage battery pack, but it looks like the Bolt crew invested their money in amp-hours rather than volts - a good way to increase range. The price is not far away from what it would take for you to build one if you had the time, the tools, the skills, and the ambition.

 

It is definitlely a cool machine, and at $5000 for a turn-key American-built electric moped, you could do a lot worse. (I am now picturing my Mesquite Hugger journalistic dream - the opportunity to have a head-to-head-to-head comparison: Fido vs. Boxx vs.Bolt. I would be in blogger heaven!

 

May your napkin sketches become reality and make the world a better place!