These days, more than any time before, there’s mounting urge for electric vehicles like bikes and scooters. That actually has a clear reason: none of us ever enjoys sitting in cars in noise and tension of rush hour or even waiting for underground trains which simply deprive us of open fresh air no matter how efficient they are.
So, it is wise to vote for electric vehicles to go with the flow of modernity and of course cause less damage to the world around us. Yet you might be confused by all the different pros and cons that electric vehicle owners have talked about. Probably you are still undecided whether you should go for an electric scooter or an e-bike.
Obviously, you would choose the one which is more useful. But “useful” is a word you need to define based on your own routine and transportation needs. It differs from person to person. So we are here to make those preferences clear in your mind. Remember, e-bikes and e-scooters, whichever you opt for, your everyday life is going to change for better with lots of fun experiences of moving around. Here’s how electric scooters and bikes are different:
1. Weight
you might be thinking it’s electric with a motor, why would I worry about the weight anyway?! Well, that is true but only while riding. What if you need to carry it up and down stairs or load it onto your car? one way or another you will need to carry your ride in hands. Remember, scooters are more manageable. With this foldable compact vehicle, you can easily break your journey at any point, get it on public transport like buses or trains. Obviously, with e-bikes you don’t have that choice. So considering portability, scooters can definitely get the vote as they weigh around 10 kg lighter than e-bikes. A good example of well-designed popular scooter is DiroDi Flexi which weighs 12.5 kg being so feather-light and transportable compared to any model of e-bikes.
2. Storing & Parking
you might be thinking it’s electric with a motor, why would I worry about the weight anyway?! Well, that is true but only while riding. What if you need to carry it up and down stairs or load it onto your car? one way or another you will need to carry your ride in hands. Remember, scooters are more manageable. With this foldable compact vehicle, you can easily break your journey at any point, get it on public transport like buses or trains. Obviously, with e-bikes you don’t have that choice. So considering portability, scooters can definitely get the vote as they weigh around 10 kg lighter than e-bikes. A good example of well-designed popular scooter is DiroDi Flexi which weighs 12.5 kg being so feather-light and transportable compared to any model of e-bikes.
3. Battery Range & Charging
Let us see the difference through numbers. The average battery range of a scooters is around 20 km while it can go up to over 100 km in an electric bike depending on the model. The difference is huge but there’s something you cannot ignore and that is recharging time which is an advantage in scooters. clearly the battery range is directly connected with charging time. Scooters take shorter to be fully charged. As mentioned, some riders see it as an upside as they won’t have to sit for hours and wait for the ride to be ready to run. So, your call… Which one matters most? longer distance or shorter charging time?
4. Speed
Fun fact is that none of these two electric vehicles can actually make a difference in your average speed. Why? Well, Normally, top speed of e-bikes would be higher than scooters (25 to 30 km/h in bikes and 22 to 25 km/h in scooters) but that wouldn’t matter as long as you’re not racing or getting a ride on an empty road with no obstacles. We all know that speeding in city streets with all the cars and people in them is not possible even if you want to. Whether you are on a bike or a scooter, somehow you will have to slow down to pass between cars, obstacles or even people. Still, if you want to know which one can go faster, the answer is: e-bikes perform better than scooters in most cases.
5. Road variety
Generally, you cannot expect a scooter to pass a difficult track with flying colors! Scooters are made for easy solid streets. Of course, even if you decide to get an electric bike you need to consider that not all of them can perform well on bumpy terrains. Some models do and some don’t. But overall, once it comes to riding on tricky uneven roads, e-bikes outperform scooters.
6. Price & Options
clearly, the simple frame structure, fewer parts and accessories, smaller motor and battery of a scooter have made it much more affordable than a bike. The point here is that it can result in both pros and cons. This is how: paying more for an e-bike, you get a steadier and safer ride as it comes with better ergonomics and less effort for balancing. Also, you get more cargo capacity with essential parts such as racks and carriers and even extra seating. On the other hand, smaller and simpler system of scooter gives you the luxury of lighter weight as well as the joy of minimalism.
Overall, let’s get it summarized all in a bird’s eye-view:
Electric Scooters
- Light-weight & easy to carry or lift
- Storable indoors, in closets and small apartments
- Compact & transportable on buses, trains and etc.
- Easier to load on car
- More affordable
- Allowed to be carried indoors ( malls, stores and etc.)
- Battery recharges faster
- Not functional on difficult roads
- Needs more balancing
- Not functional in long distance riding
- Less battery range
- No load carriage
Electric Bikes
- Relatively faster
- More cargo capacity & Extra seating
- functional on uneven bumpy terrains
- Better ergonomics (sitting position, needs less balancing)
- Heavy-weight
- Not storable in small houses
- Not portable on most personal or public vehicles
- More expensive
