Bob Eisenman Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 I have four PEVs but only my e-scooter is rideable. I put 18,000 miles on my two EUCs (Ninebot One / Gotway Monster) several years ago. After a shoulder injury, a faceplant impact injury to the side of my face (requiring surgery), and numerous unpadded injuries to my wrists and knees, I opted to try an e-bike. Within a month a nighttime incident between a vehicle and the e-bike left my e-bike crushed and my underpinned foot in need of surgery. My ability to walk long distances requires an orthotic brace for stability and under-foot support. After a few years of walking and strengthening the foot and ankle, I opted to buy a Ninebot Max G30 for making routine errands and exploring warm weather riding ranges. The charger for the Ninebot One EUC was slow and uneventful aside from needing zip tie-insured alignment of the male charger to the female charger port after dozens of charge cycles. Charging the Ninebot One in about 2 hours or topping off at a public outlet (raising eyebrows from fast food managers) was a norm. Years later the battery has since mostly died (does not hold a charge). I took the Ninebot One to Washington DC once by bus from Boston. The Ninebot One provided a ride to the Washington Mall from my hostel in northwest Washington DC. The most memorable incident on the trip was walking to the top of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (EUC in hand). Leaning the EUC against a pillar and walking closer to Abe Lincoln's statue I was immediately approached by a security guard. The guard said 'That's not allowed up here'. I descended the steps and left the Lincoln Memorial. The Gotway Monster was, at the time, new to the market for EUCs, a big battery EUC capable of riding 30+ miles on a charge. It carried me thousands of miles along the coast and into the next state of New Hampshire with the help of a ride on the local commuter rail to that area. I rode it some 15,500 miles. The Monster got mixed impressions (looks) from the conductors/passengers on the Commuter Rail but it was allowed to ride with me. Charging the monster was an hours-long endeavor. The fast stop feature of later motherboards was not installed in this Monster so premature dismounting a moving Monster ended in violent thrashing of the EUC as the motor spooled up and gyroscopically spun and thrashed until the motor cut out from the battery. As the Monster got much older it failed to charge to 100%. 95% max charge was about the norm as 'failed cells' developed. Charging a Monster with failed cells was the same as when new except the max capacity was less. Riding in cold weather significantly reduced riding range and spring temps of 60 F and higher were a welcome sign of spring riding range increases. The battery charger was always very warm while charging. The e-bike (RadPower) was very simple and convenient to charge. The charger never got warm the battery was removable with a key lock for charging. My e-scooter is a Ninebot Max G30. It has a female port for a 120V power chord plug. The charger is contained within the scooter housing. The range of the scooter topped at about 30+ miles in warm summer weather at 10 mph on level roads. The advertised range is 40 miles for optimal rider weight, riding surface, lower power (torque) setting, and environmental operating temperature. I like the e-scooter since it requires me only to stand upright, hold onto the handlebars, and operate the controls. Handlebars to rest both hands on sets the riding experience apart from EUCs where turning torque, balance, and braking come from the lower body at contact points with the EUC. In some ways, my lifestyle revolves around charging the e-scooter. Unable to ride after my e-scooter battery has depleted to 10% or less, I plan my rides to return home on the same charge. I can think of nothing more ridiculous than riding the last few battery percent at 3 mph with zero climbing ability. Typically I put the e-scooter back on the charger just after after each ride. A couple of hours later the e-scooter can make a short grocery run of 4 miles. I do not charge overnight although the charging circuit does self-stop after reaching 100 % charge. Because the e-scooter does not use a visible charger the charging process is as mindless as plugging a vacuum cleaner into a wall socket. Range in winter drops significantly when the temperature is 30 F or so. Cold riding hands are the greatest concern for riding on good surfaces in the winter. Riding a 4-mile round trip to the grocery store today at 27 F using the maximum motor torque setting at variable speeds up to 18 mph dropped the battery from 100% to 80%. The battery topped itself off at 100% a couple of hours (or less) later. I watched a video by Marty Backe on Roger Hajali's 'Super Charger' battery recharger. The video expands on the line of 'Roger chargers' with a demo of the latest charger charging an EUC at 18 amps (many times the rate of stock chargers). A Roger Charger : https://revrides.com/products/roger-charger-v4sc-for-121-169-eucs My mind has become accustomed to mindless charging without a charger on my Ninebot Max G30. My Lifestyle revolves around charging the e-scooter for its next available ride. I find other things to do while the e-scooter charges. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litewave Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Glad to hear you're still riding, Bob. I have a Max G2 Segway with suspension. Its top speed is 20-22 with a 20-mile range; It also has a built-in (slow) charger. It's great for visitors and friends who don't ride EUCs, but I'm not a fan of scooters. Still, I am curious what the successor to the GT-1 and 2 will be, and have considered buying one or the other on sale for $1499 or $2499. I hope you can recover and start riding a unicycle again someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Eisenman Posted February 18 Author Share Posted February 18 @litewave hey...thanks! I'm probably as recovered as one gets. There are some permanent ankle flex restraints. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/KgoDVGYmZWXAHY9F/?mibextid=oFDknk Given my poor track record for serious injury on the EUC the scooter seems the safer choice. Lately an euc knee bang on the other leg puts the brakes on constant scooter riding with lingering numbness and a sore spot under the knee. I said to my doctor that the foot (post surgery) looks like a foot but feels like a potato. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Eisenman Posted February 18 Author Share Posted February 18 (edited) If a community could match it's actions to the song with the lyrics 'I'll tell you what I want...what I really, really want'.... It's a little off the EUC line of thought but here's my take on what the local community most visibly supports as inspirational. My implication is that PEVs are not high on the list for 'real players' and property owners. There is a cemetery near where I buy groceries in the next town to where I live. Before I started riding EUCs I did a lot of roller blading. Exercise is good for overweight type 2 diabetics. I skated a lot and long distances of 15-20 miles. One day I read of a female aviator whose helicopter she piloted was hit by a rocket ending her life. I attended the public parade in the officer's honor which carried her from the shore to the inland cemetery in 2007, rollerblading from the shore to the cemetery. https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/marine-capt-jennifer-j-harris/2552616 I wasn't aware that a second victim of that time frame also died in combat in 2006. A school graduate turned Army 'tanker' died when his tank hit an IED. Google Earth shows the location of a new memorial several feet high and weighing hundreds of pounds before the memorial was put in place. https://earth.app.goo.gl/?apn=com.google.earth&isi=293622097&ius=googleearth&link=https%3a%2f%2fearth.google.com%2fweb%2fsearch%2fVinnin%2bSquare%2bPlaza,%2bParadise%2bRoad,%2bSwampscott,%2bMA%2f%4042.48233608,-70.91388303,18.36026933a,0d,60y,283.28820008h,80.3050285t,0r%2fdata%3dCp0BGnMSbQolMHg4OWUzMTRhYWZmMzQ5NDhkOjB4MTFhODI2YTM2YzFlYjM2Nxkd9_djpD1FQCHC1hEss7lRwCoyVmlubmluIFNxdWFyZSBQbGF6YSwgUGFyYWRpc2UgUm9hZCwgU3dhbXBzY290dCwgTUEYASABIiYKJAll6AofyD1FQBHRIv2auz1FQBl84l0tf7pRwCFCQCX5ibpRwCIaChZpZmRmOUlDTUE5ejI5aWJFMVpVbFpREAI I take the bus to Boston frequently and the route passes this point. Just the other day I looked out the bus window at the point, where there is a stop light, and noticed a huge memorial with the inscription Army, a name and a carved out star. https://images.app.goo.gl/CkS9X1S6tjARTyUq8 I Googled the info while on the bus and only last week read about the circumstances of the battlefield incident in 2006. https://www.massfallenheroes.org/profile/jared-raymond/ In Hamilton there is a tank memorial park for Patton, whose reputation is well known locally. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/43005 I spent several hours watching 'what it's like' to be a part of a 4 man Abrams tank crew and the training process for tanker crews. I find it hard to process what a battlefield commitment in a tank must be like for the crew. The huge memorial makes for two memories in one cemetery for 'fallen heroes', one for an officer and another a tank tech specialist from high school. I found some old archived photos I took in 2011 at an airshow. This shot was part of the A10 flyby. Gasoline canisters on the runway were ignited as simulated target hits. You could feel the heat in the spectator area. https://link.shutterfly.com/3pSVsYtNiHb Edited February 18 by Bob Eisenman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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