So...you wanna buy an electric scooter eh. You've come to the right place. You're immediately going to see the increase in convenience and the decrease of transportation expenses. Not to mention having tons of fun. 

Follow these simple tips to get the most out of your new investment, and see you on the streets of Beijing!
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1. Buy for comfort
Wether this is going to be your main mode of transportation, or just something fun to use in the weekend, you're going to want to use it more if it's comfortable. 

Check out the various body styles and frames to see which ones suit you the best. If you're a shorter rider, than look for the Honda Ruckus style (left) of electric scooters, or maybe the mini turtle for the female riders. This will provide a lower seat position and a lower center of gravity to help shorter riders balance during stops. 

Next up is seating position. Just like a motorcycle, there are many types of seating positions and handle bar positions. Wide bars, narrow bars, drag bars, etc. Find the position and style that works for you. Usually, the various body styles come with set bars, but they can be changed so they are more comfortable for you. 

Most importantly, get out there and test-fit some of these body styles. Don't worry about power, or battery configurations yet. Just test to see how comfortable it is for you. If it's not comfortable, you're not going to ride it. 

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2. Buy for distance
How far is your commute?
Where do you go in a typical day? 
How many miles do you cover before you get to a recharge point?
Are you allowed to recharge a battery at your office?

Evaluate all the above questions and figure out how much distance you'll need to cover before a recharge. 
If you go a pretty signification distance, look for Lithium Ion or Lithium Polymer battery packs. They're lighter and smaller, but more expensive.
If you need to keep costs down, double up on SLA (sealed lead acid) batteries, such as 48v, 60v or 72v, 30-40ah.
If you will recharge at work, make sure they're removable and light, such as 2x 24v, 20ah battery packs (right), so you can bring them in one in each hand.

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3. Finally, buy for power
This part is the easiest of them all. Just like car racing, power (speed) is proportional to how much money you want to put in. Same thing with e-scooters. 

If you have found an e-scooter style that you like and that fits you comfortably and have calculated that your commute is realistic when it comes to an e-scooter, then power is easy....buy the most power you can afford; you'll thank yourself in 6 months' time. 

Here's a general list of power VS speed
  • 500w      45km/h
  • 800w      48km/h
  • 1000w    52km/h
  • 1200w    55km/h
  • 1500w    58km/h
  • 2000w    65km/h
  • 2500w    75km/h
  • 3000w    80km/h


Keep in mind that these speeds are all at full charge, so you only get about 15 mins at this speed. On average expect speeds about 10% slower than the listed above for realistic daily riding. 

Well, there you have it, a few tips on preparing to buy an electric bike or electric scooter. Please leave a comment if you think this guide has been helpful....and hope to see you on the streets of Beijing. 

 


Comments

01/16/2013 01:11

Hi,

I'm moving to china in 13 days (YAY !!), and once I'm all settled I think I'll start looking for an e-bike. Not really familiar with the city (been thrice there, last time 3 years ago), I was wondering... Are you selling those bikes too ? Or will I be able to find small retailers in almost all the areas ?
Also, something that might have been interesting in this article IMHO is price range. For example what to expect if I have XXXX kuais to spend.

Thanks a lot for the article anyway, it was really helpful :)

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01/16/2013 11:56

Thanks for reading the article.
Unfortunately, we don't sell e-bikes, we just offer great city tours and rentals, but there are good e-bike and e-scooter retailers all over Beijing, so keep your eyes open and check them all out!

Generally, (and this is a big generally speaking) the 500w ebikes will be 2400 - 2800 rmb while the 3000w ones are going to be 7000+ rmb depending on the body style you're looking for. The White Horse and T3 styles will add another few thousand rmb to your total. You can check out the body styles here: http://www.bjebiketours.net/1/post/2013/01/electric-scooters-body-styles.html
All the above prices will be with regular sealed lead acid batteries (SLA).

If you want additional distance, efficiency and weight reduction, then Lithium ion or lithium polymer batteries are the way to go, but expect to add another 2000 - 5000 rmb depending on your power and voltage.

So in conclusion, you could spend as little as 2400 rmb ($400 USD) or as much as 15000 rmb ($2500 USD) with options and choices in between.

My personal comfort zone is around the 60 - 70km/h top speed, which is doable at 1500w - 2000w. I rarely ride at full throttle and it has a good mix of acceleration, top speed and battery life.

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02/26/2013 19:41

I think now a days when petrol price are increases day by day it is a right option top travel, Easy to ride and no extra charge we have to pay for travel.

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03/07/2013 17:58

Thanks very much for this and your post on ebike body types. I came across these from your thread on theBeijinger. In one ebike thread on the Beijinger you mentioned getting a bike custom made…it'd be great to see a post about that in the future.

We're getting ready to buy an ebike in Beijing in the next few weeks. If you have any suggestions for stores that have a reputation for selling legit, quality bikes, it'd be much appreciated.

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bjebikes
03/07/2013 21:24

Thanks for the suggestion Luke. We'll do something on custom e-bikes in the near future.

Exploring around Beijing, i've found a couple of good ebike stores, but it's always a good idea to find something in your area. Just like any other vehicle, it will require some care and maintenance, and it's always good to be semi-close to the person that does that work for you. If you live in the Chongwenmen or Dongcheng Districts, send me an email at siy.nathan@gmail.com and I can recommend a few there.

See you on the streets of Beijing!

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AngriPopa
03/21/2013 12:18

Been running petrol and electric bykes for almost three years in Beijing now. Right now I have a Big Turtle with 1500W that does about 50-55 Km/H. The quality of the materials is desgusting but breaks, electric motor and battery would go on forever so i end up with a crapy looking byke that runs like a dream lol

Antd101
05/18/2013 12:15

I'm feeling like a major idiot right now I impulsively bought a scooter that seems to not possess removable batteries. Does it just seem this way or do such scooters exist? It has a socket to plug in under the seat but is too large for me to maneuver up to my apartment. I'm kind of panicking because I feel like I need to sell it now and I've only had it for 2 days. I'm wondering if perhaps the guy who sold it to me would buy it back for slightly less than I bought it for but I feel like this won't happen.

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Beijing Electric Bike Tours
05/18/2013 12:38

Hey Antd101,
Yes, electric bikes like this do exist. My currently electric bike has this setup. It allows heavier and larger batteries to be installed, but of course, the downside is that it can't be removed.

Your setup can be easily converted though. You will need to modify your underseat compartment by cutting a hole to drop the batteries in. Then you'll have to buy a battery case, which probably go for like 50 rmb or so. The last thing you'll need are a few plugs to connect it all together.

It's definitely not a big deal as most shops can easily convert it for you. Let me know if your shop can't do it and i'll recommend one.

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Antd101
05/18/2013 12:46

Thank you so much for the idea! It seems to already have a hole to drop the batteries into just there is a spanner covering it so I would just have to unbolt that. Idk if the shop I bought it from could do that so could you possibly recommend a shop for me to try and visit? My chinese is not as good as it should be so I'm also a little nervous about trying to ask or being taken advantage of. Will the shop be able to provide me with the battery case as well?

Beijing Electric Bike Tours
05/18/2013 13:08

Yep, many ebikes have a provision for it already. Sometimes it needs to be enlarged, but sometimes it'll fit directly in by just removing the screw and cover.

There is a good shop that I recommend at Guanqu Road and 1 intersection west of Chongwenmen Main Rd. It's just westbound of our tour meeting location, Ciqikou Subway Station.

Most shops may have the battery case in stock, but again, I can't speak on their behalf. Worse case, you'll have to wait a few days to order it in, but I think it's a fairly common part to have at the shops.
You can also pay a few RMB to fast-charge your bike at many shops. It's like 2 or 3 rmb for a 20 minute 5A charge, so that's always an option.

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