Yogo electric scooter asks: 'Why not take a spare battery?'
By Tim Stevens 
posted April 6th 2010 9:49AM
posted April 6th 2010 9:49AM
posted April 6th 2010 9:49AM
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Can I do yoga on it?
No thanks
Or...they could make the space where this fits part of the original battery and make that last longer.
@Tes
But then how would they charge you for a second battery?
@TrdFerguson Why would you need to if you could recoup the profit from a more expensive battery? Sell 2 batteries for say, 150 bucks (random number, I see 1 cell and think bigger more durable computer cell, but I might just be ignorant). Or sell 1 battery for say, 200 that lasts much longer, a much better thought and point.
I guess we're almost there! This is super. I hate those noisy scooters, but i love the drivers for not taking the car. This combines both... I see this going huge if it gets 50 miles/battery and costs about 1500$... Finally the greener future comes in the neighbourhood.
@musback
As a scooter rider let me tell you, Noisy is good. Same goes for any two wheeled vehicle in the US. Asshole car drivers never look for bikes. When I lived there I had people pull out of driveways right in front of me plenty of times or merge into my lane. Mind you I even had a really loud racing pipe on mine and they still were oblivious to my presence. Also since most unmodified scoots get nearly 100mpg and are now clean burning 4strokes I see no reason to go electric as its really negligible as far as the "Green"-ness goes.
@domyoji exactly. How much toxic material is in those batteries the electric scooters will be using anyway?
@domyoji Good points. I've been looking to get a few scooters for my condo in Cancun.
@domyoji If everyone rides scooters/motorcycles then that wont be a problem
@Brokinarrow Small batteries, small footprint. - Just my guess though.
@domyoji
Loud pipes saves lives is BS.
You choose to take a small vehicle out amongst ones several times it's size, and weight. You need to be on the offensive. Calling drivers "assholes" is kind of ignorant to say the least. What of all the excess noise? Thats OK? Or all the douches running weelies up and down the roads at night, or splitting lanes and placing the responsibility of their lives in the hands of the drivers around them.
Get a clue. Learn to ride, and dont depend on sound to make it safe for you out there. End of argument... bicycles have been quiet and on the road for a long time. We dont hear them crying out for noise.
@domyoji
Loud pipes are BS. I love seeing the guys who think that's true riding around in all black leathers. Who's kidding who?
@domyoji
Loud pipes risk rights.
As an avid motorcycle rider I am embarrassed by loud pipes. I see people cringe as bikes go by rattling windows and generally pissing everyone within a quarter mile.
Although cars can hear loud pipes there's very little to no directionality. They can hear the bike but have no idea where it is and don't base decisions on the noise.
Keep your head up and assume cars don't see you.
@JamesR
Do note I am talking about a race pipe on a scooter. Thing sounded like a weedwacker. I was a very offensive rider (hence why back then I never was in an accident when assholes did not bother looking for me), always kept my gaurd up and drove with my headlight on all the time. Didnt split lanes either (illegal in WA). Back home in Japan people dont really need to watch out as much as there are bikes EVERYWHERE and the law is that the owner of the larger vehicle is automatically at fault in an accident.
@domyoji
"Do note I am talking about a race pipe on a scooter. Thing sounded like a weedwacker."
Hah, ya not going to be rattling many windows with that :).
Thats expensive for a freaking scooter
@kaasinees Have you looked at the price of Vespa these days??? They start at $3,300 and move up to $6,900.
Wouldn't the extra weight of the spare battery negate any potential additional mileage you may gain?
In a word, no.
From a person who currently owns a 4 stroke scooter that already gets about 85 mpg this seems like a step backwards.
.... 0_o
Wow, 44 miles on two batteries, and for only 3K US. For some reason using a bicycle seems like a better idea.
@Sofabutt Sure, riding a bike is a better idea (I do), but if you're lazy, and if you live less than 22 miles from work - let's call it about 10 miles to be on the safe side - this will get you there significantly faster and with a lot less effort.
I don't know whether it really needs two batteries, but having a battery pack that's easily removable so you can take it indoors to charge is a great idea. (And obviously only feasible with a small battery... which may be why they've effectively split this one in two.)
Also, agree with somebody else - £2,000 sounds way too cheap for this to be really made in the UK rather than just rebadged or something. Looks nice though.
I do the exact same technique of carrying an extra battery around for both my cell phone and Macbook. I have a broken (albeit still able to charge) HTC Hermes and Macbook, so those serve as my chargers if need be. I plug in all four of my devices at night before a big trip, then toss the spares in my bag. Now my Macbook has ten hours of battery life (take that iPad) and my phone pretty much has around 10 hours of talk time and 450 hours of standby (take that iPhone).
@uzerzero
Brilliant, I enjoy listening to relaxing music while sipping on coffee - but what has that got to do with the original post regarding an electric scooter?
@lsx
The article was as much about using multiple batteries to extend the life of a device. His comment is reasonably on point IMHO.
Why would I want to waste time on the side of a road swapping a battery? They should just run power leads up to where the second battery is.
I have my doubts whether this scooter is really made in the UK, also spending 2 thousand quid on one is a bit too expensive. These electric scooters are extremely popular in China and I see them in many inland cities. Over there you don't need to have a license to drive one and the speed limit is 40km/h, but I see a lot of them going faster than that. Safety standards are also not enforced, lots of them riding without helmets. According to my cousin, you can get one for as low as USD 450. Perhaps not as stylish as the one featured in the article. A search on Alibaba will show up many manufacturers and a few models look almost exactly the same as the "Yogo".
These people are idiots, everyone knows that ride-on lawn mowers are the future of transportation.
There are alternatives out there. Check out Govecs http://www.govecs.com/
Although I do share the opinion that silent scooters bring with them a huge accident risk. I test drove one of the Govecs through the crowds at the E-World exhibition in Essen, Germany and the people never heard me coming. You're gonna end up honking your way through town!