Quote:
Originally Posted by tortoise
Really enjoy your blog contributions . . you have a very interesting life!
Referencing the Zongshen visit . . just curious if CSC is considering importing some actual scooters. In the lower tier category . . the around $700 TaoTao and IceBear 50cc's seem to presently dominate the market. But a Zongshen price point may offer an alternative to Sym-Lance and Kymco. Completing a Scooter Cannonball would give the brand some "street cred".
Electric scooters may be a significant market risk . . based on this posting.
Trans-It 50 cost comparison . . gas $850 shipped . . electric $2945. |
We are considering bringing in scooters. No decisions yet, but the scooter models from Zongshen are intriguing. The Scooter Cannonball sounds like it might be fun, too.
China is way ahead of the US in using electric vehicles, especially scooters. Their driving habits are different, though (typically short distances, mostly all in urban areas), and electric scooters fare well in that riding scenario. In the cities, you'd see perhaps 50 or 100 electric scooters for every gas scooter. The top speeds are in the range of 30 mph and the range is small. They use their electric scooters like cell phones...they plug them in for a recharge every where they go. Not sure how that would play in the US.
China also encourages electric scooter use by not requiring a driver's license for an electric scooter, and allowing electric scooters to go places closer to the city center (where gas scooters are prohibited). That wouldn't fly here.
I rode the Zong electric scooters in Chongqing. They produce big torque from zero speed, and it felt weird to me. Always felt like they were trying to scoot out from under me when starting from a dead stop. I suppose I'd get used to it, though.