[1] - https://nis-store.com/electric-scooters/xiaomi-mijia-electri...
That said, if 90% of inner city driving was people on scooters or super small, lightweight, enclosed vehicles I would totally commute to work on an electric scooter, and probably make it work even in the winter. That said, when there's ice on the road and it's snowing, I'm not going to want to ride a scooter when there's a Suburban behind me trying to brake...
I hope you're right, though.
Why aren't we all moving around on something small but stable like an electric fourwheeler/quad/atv or whatver you want to call it?
I've never received a good answer why the more stable, easier to ride, less likely to topple quad hasn't been adapted to city use or even made street legal, when mopeds and vespas are everywhere.
You can still park many of them in the space of a car and many more people would be capable of driving them. To me the electric quad seems like no brainer city vehicle.
You also have a big increase in cost and complexity. Twice as many wheels which means more bearings, more suspension components, etc. You need a differential and drive shafts and CV joints, which are expensive. A solid axle would be cheaper, but a solid axle on the street makes for some tricky riding dynamics. It is heavier, so the parts need to be stronger. The motor is harder to get at, which makes maintenance harder.
And no matter what, a scooter will always be smaller and so will always have better places to park.
For many people a scooter will be important if they can't skateboard/have no interest in trying. I think the majority of people who are willing to commute on something like that will prefer a board though. I imagine it's more stable at low speeds, it's got better ground clearance, it's faster to pick/fold up/carry, but probably most importantly it does look a whole lot less dorky.
There's some reason to prefer a scooter to an electric bike, but I think the infrastructure around bikes makes the convenience kind of a non-issue. I would also prefer a bike to a scooter for long distance or higher speed, or if I had to go in a bike lane or the street. A moped on the other hand takes way more room to park (no bike racks) and is too heavy to be picked up. I think there are very few reasons to prefer that to a powerful e-bike with a good suspension, disk brakes and strong frame.
Also, my own nomination: electric rollerblades. Still not much of a defining use case, but personally I'd prefer minimizing the form factor as much as possible. Make the wheels lock so you can do stairs without taking them off, make them convenient to remove, and make them small enough to fit in a drawer.
Walking - E-Skateboard - E-Scooter - E-Bike - E-Moped/Gas Scooter - E-Car
Let's ignore skateboards for a minute, which are significantly more difficult to learn than any of the others. With this you have scooter vs. bike vs. car. A moped's main advantage is speed. A bike has exercise and familiarity. A car has cargo capability and can take more than one passenger.
In general, the main tradeoff is weight and size. Anyway, I digress. I think the main reason to prefer a moped to an electric bike is because of turn signals and proper front and back lights. Once that's resolved I'd agree, there's less of a point of a moped/scooter. Unfortunately adding good lights and turn signals is nontrivial while preserving the lightness of a traditional bike. Safety is the most important thing and turn signals are key.
There's a company called Jetson that has an interesting take on it, though.
Electric motors and batteries have very flexible envelopes so you can fit a very powerful powertrain in a bike with no problem- the battery just has to be very skinny. The big wheels and responsive handling mean slow speeds are very controllable compared to a moped, and the handling and bike weight is much lighter.
What I think is really needed is an e-bike that is meant to be an actual road vehicle, IMO specifically that has a lot in common with a motorycle. Something with a much larger battery, streamlined wheels, a headlight and turn signals, and a comfortable seat. That would be just lovely. I still strongly feel that having a scooter form factor is not necessary to have those things, though. For instance the Haibike Xduro Trekking Pro[1] managed 32 mph and claims 30 miles range, but that's with pedaling (the bike provides 275% boost power). It also has front and rear lights, but no turn signals. Pretty good 51 lbs,and the frame looks like it's extra low to facilitate picking it up. Still, I wasn't able to find anything that provides the weight/power/range of an e-bike with the features of a motorcycle.
[1]: Warning, spammy subscribe popups: http://electricbikeblog.com/haibike-xduro-trekking-pro-2015-...
Edit: I probably should have mentioned cost as the e-dirt bikes are not really in the same range as any scooter or e-bike I've come across.
Surely you meant the other way around?
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ZweiRadMuseumNSU_Hildebra...
With motorcycles, and many mopeds for that matter, they seem to be able to put the engine between the legs.
It is far from perfect though, it is inexplicably heavy (nearing 30 lbs.) The "casing" of the handlebars is made of plastic, so it creaks a lot in use. The ride itself is fine, but with small wheels and a tiny suspension you feel every bump. Riding over a brick sidewalk feels like you have your feet in a massager.
What I want is a folding electric scooter, with the option of pulling up a seat. Larger tires, weatherproof, and the ability to be locked up to a bike rack properly.
I'm also looking into electric bikes, I'm probably going to try and convert an old hybrid bike of mine to try it out.
there's a vast gulf between 1-pers/15mph/15mi and 2-pers/30mph/100mi. increasing just one of those variables by a factor of 2 would require a 2x heavier battery, let alone what you're asking for.
$2000 is probably aspirational. What I'm asking will likely cost like $4000. The problem with that price is that you can get a very nice 50cc gas scooter for $4000 that will likely be better in most ways.
(source: waiting for my Cross Current S order to be delivered)
My experience may be a bit biased though, considering I'm both a pretty experienced cyclist and I have to deal with the crazy San Francisco hills.
EDIT: Also, I do a fairly regular 12 mile round trip bike commute. Have only done it a couple times on the scooter for fun and it was terrifying compared to my bike.
Higher rake means the bike pitches in response to the wheel turning, because the contact patch is less in line with the handlebars. Wide tires multiply that even more. That gives stability at high speed but when you try to turn the whole vehicle moves the wrong way, making steering lag. It also makes it harder to stay up.
I'd actually say all forms of transportation are significantly more dangerous in the bay area, haha.
Kick bikes are incredibly unstable compared to bikes at their typical low operating speeds, and positively unusable at anything approaching biking speed.
And that is not even considering humidity. There are some days you can just open your front door and you are immediately sweating.
Not sure about the safety. The fall to the ground isn't what gets you as a vulnerable road user: it's the car.
I certainly don't, although I also readily admit that any option that leaves me exposed to the elements would be a major step down for vast portions of the year. But for many days an e-moped might be a reasonable option.
A scooter is more space efficient, both in your apartment and at the office.
I'll grant you the second point, for sure. You could always do a folding bike, but that's a whole new set of issues.
No.
I have a Glion Electric Scooter -- I can go 15MPH for 15 miles. It costs $800, is super safe and easier to use than a skateboard (I used to have a Yuneec Ego Skateboard). The best thing about is it that I can take it indoors and just put it under my desk at work. It pays for itself easily in NYC.
They need to make scooters. Better yet, a $2000 electric moped with proper turn signals and brake/front lights. The minute someone makes an electric scooter that can hold two, go 30mph for 100 miles a charge with a removable battery I will buy it. The RadRover is pretty close, but no dice (it's too slow and doesn't have proper brake/front lights with turn signals).
I've been thinking about getting a 50cc gas scooter (think Vespa or Genuine Scooter) since it technically meets all of the requirements I mentioned there, but I hate needing gas. Oh well.