I wonder where the pedals go, and how effective they are.
I think battery assisting pedals can be an excelent idea, but issues to consider are:
- any claim that these things are emission-free is spurious unless you have your own renewable energy source. Usually, plugging them in to the household supply to recharge them simply means that the emissions happen elsewhere.
- the thing will have batteries; these can be a problem to dispose of in an environmentally friendly way when they are at the end of their life.
My own absolutely and purely personal reaction to these scooters is that they are more to do with fashion, rather than saving the planet. I think I'd rather have something that was
more bicycle-like, rather than scooter-like. But that's just a matter of taste, and I probably haven't got much of that.
There are other options to consider, too, for adapting a standard bicycle - for example, you can get
a power pack that sits next to the wheel and drives it, or you can replace the front wheel with one that has
a motor built into the hub. This means you can choose any decent bicycle that is perfect for your needs, and then add electric assistance to it.
Also, if Aus. road law is anything like the UK experience, do make sure you know what the law is regarding these. In the UK they fall into a specuial category of road vehicle, which has its own weight, power, speed and age limits (though TBH, I don't know if that covers the power-pack option, too).
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great info!