Brompton are widely regarded as making some of the quickest and most compact folding bikes in the world, not to mention some of the toughest, and their electric version made it onto our list of the best electric folders for 2022.
The current electric version – recently rebranded as the C line – comes in 2 and 6 speed versions and both use steel frames. However, as part of an overhaul of their model names, Brompton recently released a new non-electric 4 speed lightweight branded as the P line claiming to weigh only around 21lb / 9.65kg through the use of titanium forks and rear triangle. Adding a lightweight conversion kit like a Cytronex or a Nano means you would have a superbly tough electric folder for small city hops weighing only around 28lbs / 12.7kg. There are even online rumours of a fully titanium version soon to be announced by Brompton which would give potential for an even lighter retrofit e-Brompton…
It would be fair to say the e-scooter trials in the UK have had a mixed history with the Guardian reporting ‘e-scooter trials are to be prolonged until late 2022 as the government weighs up legalisation, with use of public rental vehicles dwarfed by that of an estimated half a million illegal e-scooters in Britain.’
There are concerns over battery safety (with Transport for London banning e-scooters from its trains and buses after a spate of battery fires), potential for injury whilst riding (nine people are known to have died in 2021 in accidents involving e-scooters) and complaints about misuse and vandalism of e-scooter share systems.
However, the Guardian article points that many of the problems could be due to a lack of regulation, suggesting that the current regulated schemes could be proving how safe regulation is as opposed to a lack of it (ie the often cheaper flimsier e-scooters used illegally are often cited as being more dangerous); ‘According to Alan Clarke, director of public policy at Lime, which launched its e-scooters in Milton Keynes in August 2020, followed by Greater Manchester and London this year, Lime e-scooters and the like have “two independent brakes, [are] stability tested, [with] lights you can see 300 metres away”; most people will buy a model with “small wheels, one handbrake, and not fit to be used on roads or cycle lanes.”’
As if to reinforce that point the UK’s Ebiketips reports that ‘Ford’s e-scooter share start-up, Spin, is pulling out of Germany, Portugal and Spain, as well as a number of US markets, citing, “an uncertain operating environment.” CEO Ben Bear said it was hard to see how to attain profitability in open permit markets where multiple firms can operate with no cap on fleet sizes.’ Of course it’s also perhaps no coincidence that Spin is pulling out of territories where it is legal to own and use e-scooters such as the US (in most states at least), Spain and Germany.
As the map from Xiaomi above shows, the UK is in a significant minority when it comes to not allowing e-scooters, at the very least, on public roads (you can see the full interactive map here).
Surely all this is an argument for strictly enforced manufacturing standards on e-scooters and sensible laws on usage that are fairly enforced – not as some are suggesting, an outright ban once e-scooter trials in the UK have ended. After all, as advisory body PACTS note (this is the same body warning the government of the dangers of poorly manufactured e-scooters), ‘Most people who die on the roads are much more likely to be killed in a car, or by a car, than any other mode. By contrast, pedestrians and cyclists are rarely involved in collisions that result in the death of other road users.’ And no one is calling for an outright ban on car use across the country…
The Verge reports ‘Lime’s next-generation electric bikes are finally making their North American debut. Nearly a year after announcing its plans to spend $50 million on a major e-bike expansion, the San Francisco-based micromobility company says it will deploy the first wave of new bikes in Washington, DC, starting this week.’
The bikes apparently feature dual speed automatic gear changing, swappable batteries and what’s claimed to be a more powerful 350W motor.
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