From 1 January 2025, scooters powered by petrol may no longer be sold in the Netherlands. For that reason, e-scooters are becoming more and more popular. But that’s not the only reason. Electric scooters have many advantages over traditional scooters. And you may think they are expensive, but you can really buy a cheap electric scooter with good quality. But what are the advantages of such an e-scooter compared to one that runs on petrol?
Benefits e-scooter
Although the purchase price of the e-scooter is slightly more expensive than the petrol scooter, you can easily earn back that difference in price. Charging an electric scooter will cost you on average 6 times less than filling up your petrol scooter. That can save you about € 500 per year. That’s worth thinking about though. If you put that money aside, you can buy a new scooter after 3 to 4 years.
And you don’t just save on petrol. A petrol scooter has many moving parts and therefore requires a lot of maintenance to keep driving. An electric scooter requires hardly any maintenance. The brakes and tires need to be checked regularly and the battery needs to be balanced occasionally, but that’s about it.
An e-scooter always starts, rain or shine. If you have experience with a petrol scooter that is difficult or impossible to start in winter, this should be music to your ears! And speaking of music: the electric scooter is silent. This means that if you like to wear ear buds to listen to music on the road, you will actually hear the music because it will not be drowned out by the sound of your moped. If you come home late after a night out, your neighbors will certainly appreciate that you can’t hear the moped. What is also very important is that you are environmentally conscious. The electric scooter does not emit any exhaust fumes. That is also the reason for the above-mentioned government measure that from 1 January 2025 no new petrol-powered scooters may be sold. It also applies to cars that they must all be electric from 2030.
There is also one drawback, but there is a solution for that: an electric scooter can cover about half as many kilometers with a full battery as a petrol-powered scooter with a full tank. The solution? If a range of, for example, 60 or 80 km is not enough for you, you can choose a model that can accommodate extra batteries. There is even a model, the E-Rex from the Nipponia brand, where you can determine the number and type of batteries yourself. With the moped model you can then achieve a range of between 60 and 240 km, with the moped model this is about 25% less. What is also useful with this model is that the batteries are removable and that you can therefore charge them wherever there is an outlet. For example, you can take the battery or batteries to your workplace so that you can return home with a fully charged scooter. Handy, right?
What are the differences between a light moped and a moped?
Both mopeds and mopeds fall under the term scooters.
- However, the light moped is a scooter with which you can only drive at a maximum speed of 25 km per hour. You must be 16 years old to drive it, but you do not need a driver’s license. You also don’t have to wear a helmet. The light moped can be recognized by its blue license plate.
- You can drive a moped at a maximum speed of 45 km per hour. You also have to be 16 years old for this, but you do need a driving licence, the so-called Moped AM driving licence. If you are 18 years or older and in possession of a car B driving license or a motorcycle driving licence, you are also allowed to drive a moped with this driving licence. With a moped you are obliged to wear a helmet. The moped can be recognized by a yellow license plate.
Charging the e-scooter
An electric scooter, unlike an electric car, can be charged at a normal socket. Certain models have removable batteries, which makes charging even more convenient, because then you can charge the battery wherever there is an outlet. If you are on the road for a day, you can go to charging points for cyclists. There are also restaurants and cafes that offer the possibility to charge electric bicycles and scooters. But because the number of electric vehicles, whether bicycle, scooter or car, will increase in the coming years, the number of charging places for this will also increase. Perhaps in the future it will be much easier to charge your scooter in between, than having to look for a filling station on the way.
Tips for battery life
- It is better not to charge your battery too often in between and only do so if you think it is necessary. Regularly charging the battery in between affects the life of the battery, which can be shortened as a result.
- Temperatures that are too high or too low are not good for the battery. Therefore, park the scooter in the shade on a hot summer day. And when it freezes, it is good not to put the e-scooter in the freezing cold for a long time or to remove the battery.
- If you do not use the e-scooter for a while, for example in the winter, you should still charge the battery regularly. When a battery is completely discharged, this can also affect its lifespan.
- Make sure that the tires are always sufficiently inflated. Tires that are too weak have more resistance and therefore demand more from the battery.
You can have a lot of fun with an e-scooter and if you observe the above tips regarding maintenance and battery, you can enjoy it for a long time. the purchase does not have to be expensive, on our website you will find many cheap models of high quality. Do you have questions? Please contact us, we are happy to advise you.
