Cheapest electric scooter for 0.5-1.5 mile commute to/from car charger?

[CZroe]

My brother frequently leaves his Volt on charge at City Hall for the free 34-40 mile range, but it’s about 1.5 miles away from home (half hour walk). If it was raining, late, or he didn’t have time, he’d sometimes coordinate with me and my car or just charge at home on his own dime. Well, those are no longer options since a tornado crushed my car under a tree and displaced him from his home. He kinda needs that free charge more than ever now that he has to shuttle everyone around (our mother too).

The house he was displaced to doesn’t even have a driveway so he can only use public chargers now. Conveniently, it is only 0.6 miles from the same one but that’s still an extra half hour round trip, often multiple times a day. Rebuilding the old place will take several months and he needs to save time since he will never catch up with his work obligations at this rate after the tornado set everything back.

I’m about to start PT for a tornado injury and he has to shuttle me there and to/from work for the foreseeable future. Though I might get one of my motorcycles running again I won’t be able to ride with my injury for a while and I won’t be ready to buy another car for months. In the mean time, the least I can do is get him one of those crappy electric scooters to make that half-mile hop a few times a day.

I don’t care if it’s a crappy toy as long as it won’t fail to hold a charge in a few months or at least has economical replacement/spare batteries. If it can handle similar use at closer to 1.5 mile hops then that’s even better since he can keep using it IF he moves back to the old place (still a big “IF”). I know the serious $300-700 electric scooters can handle 20x more than I’m asking for but I think those are all overkill for the short hop he needs.

So unless someone knows better, I think I’m essentially looking for the best kid’s/toy scooter for this purpose. Something faster than the slowest kid’s scooters that can still fold up and lean into a corner nearly as unobtrusive as a broom. Something well under $200. Should I just grab the first $100 Razer I see? I figured I’d ask in case someone knows one that would be particularly well suited for an adult doing what my brother does. Any more expensive and he might as well just get a kid’s bicycle but those typically won’t fold up and carry easily.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Torn Mind]

Mopeds don't require registration or all that jazz but scooters do in Georgia. Are mopeds too weak for him?

 

[WelshBloke]

Mopeds don't require registration or all that jazz but scooters do in Georgia. Are mopeds too weak for him?

Sounds like he wants something he can stick in the boot of the car.

Paging @cheez

 

[CZroe]

Mopeds don't require registration or all that jazz but scooters do in Georgia. Are mopeds too weak for him?

Thanks, but not that kind of scooter. Think electric Razer, not gas Vespa. You know: Those dinky little folding things that used to have rollerblade wheels back in the ‘90s when kids used to kick around on them (literally until they made electric versions). Like a skinny two-wheeled skateboard with a folding handle and a fender brake where you essentially stomp on the tire to stop.

Neither mopeds nor gas scooters nor motorcycles require registration under 50cc in GA but you can’t go on the highway (all are classified as mopeds at that displacement). The issue with those is that they cost more and you wouldn’t just casually carry that inside at work or toss it in the back seat multiple times a day. It’s heavy, full of gas, and probably doesn’t fold down like a small electric scooter typically does.

Speaking of 50cc scooters in Georgia, I stumbled on this crazy channel a few weeks ago when looking for local tornado footage

https://youtube.com/channel/UCCyzTpFOq3p3xMtOb3SUxmw

It seems like a third of her videos are arguing with police about her 50cc scooter that she keeps hurting herself on. Another third are about her beef with Bridging The Gap (local food charity) that I can’t figure out. The other third are her randomly harassing police officers for their name/badge number, mask use, or requesting/receiving body camera footage from them. The woman is clearly insane.

 

[sdifox]

Go to the river and wait

 

[Spacehead]

You said he needs to "shuttle everyone around (our mother too)."
Is this for just him to get back-&-forth with so he can get to someones car to move people around? He's not going to have passengers on there?

 

[WelshBloke]

You said he needs to "shuttle everyone around (our mother too)."
Is this for just him to get back-&-forth with so he can get to someones car to move people around? He's not going to have passengers on there?

He needs the free charge on his car to shuttle everyone around, therefore he needs to park at the free charging station and use some other transportation (the scooter) to get home.

 

[snoopy7548]

How about a nice pair of rollerblades?

 

[MrSquished]

What about just a cheap used bike, the ones you have to pedal? 1.5 mile on a bike is nothing.

Edit NM: just saw you wanted it to fold up as small as a broom. good folding bikes are not that small, or that cheap, even used.

 

[Kaido]

My brother frequently leaves his Volt on charge at City Hall for the free 34-40 mile range, but it’s about 1.5 miles away from home (half hour walk). If it was raining, late, or he didn’t have time, he’d sometimes coordinate with me and my car or just charge at home on his own dime. Well, those are no longer options since a tornado crushed my car under a tree and displaced him from his home. He kinda needs that free charge more than ever now that he has to shuttle everyone around (our mother too).

The house he was displaced to doesn’t even have a driveway so he can only use public chargers now. Conveniently, it is only 0.6 miles from the same one but that’s still an extra half hour round trip, often multiple times a day. Rebuilding the old place will take several months and he needs to save time since he will never catch up with his work obligations at this rate after the tornado set everything back.

I’m about to start PT for a tornado injury and he has to shuttle me there and to/from work for the foreseeable future. Though I might get one of my motorcycles running again I won’t be able to ride with my injury for a while and I won’t be ready to buy another car for months. In the mean time, the least I can do is get him one of those crappy electric scooters to make that half-mile hop a few times a day.

I don’t care if it’s a crappy toy as long as it won’t fail to hold a charge in a few months or at least has economical replacement/spare batteries. If it can handle similar use at closer to 1.5 mile hops then that’s even better since he can keep using it IF he moves back to the old place (still a big “IF”). I know the serious $300-700 electric scooters can handle 20x more than I’m asking for but I think those are all overkill for the short hop he needs.

So unless someone knows better, I think I’m essentially looking for the best kid’s/toy scooter for this purpose. Something faster than the slowest kid’s scooters that can still fold up and lean into a corner nearly as unobtrusive as a broom. Something well under $200. Should I just grab the first $100 Razer I see? I figured I’d ask in case someone knows one that would be particularly well suited for an adult doing what my brother does. Any more expensive and he might as well just get a kid’s bicycle but those typically won’t fold up and carry easily.

Thanks in advance.

I'd recommend an electric bike in place of a scooter. I have a friend who works as a nurse & is constantly cursing e-scooters because of how easy it is to get seriously injured on them (as in adults literally "break their face" on them). The good news is, you can get a fold-up e-bike for a reasonabel cost these days. Whereas some e-bikes are like $2,000, you can get good fold-up bikes for under $600 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Swagtron-EB-5-PLUS-Pro-Plus/dp/B07THFR6MM/

That ones has an advertised 15-mile range & supposedly can handle 30-degree inclines (maybe watch some Youtube video reviews first); I'd take that in a heartbeat over a scooter, particular in terms of safety for both accidents & for using in the rain, plus it can fold up to throw in the trunk!

Also +1 for tornado injury, make sure you use that on Tinder lol

 

[Spacehead]

He needs the free charge on his car to shuttle everyone around, therefore he needs to park at the free charging station and use some other transportation (the scooter) to get home.

OK. Saw the "a tornado crushed my car under a tree" but confused that with his brothers car.

 

[Muse]

How about a nice pair of rollerblades?

Or a so so set of rollerblades (and a pair of gloves in case of a fall, maybe a bike helmet too ).

Or have a look-see at Amazon, poke around, read the reviews (after checking the https://reviewmeta.com/ data), and sus out the terrain. @CZroe, Good luck on your recovery, saw the 20+ (?) minute video you posted of tornado aftermath riding around in car, mindblowing.

 

[CZroe]

I used my brother’s car to drop him off at the landlord’s restaurant last night and went to my mother’s to help with the diabetic dog. My brother was ready to go home before I even left our mother’s, so he walked 1 mile home. I couldn’t have got there much faster anyway. I finished up then left the car on charge and made the 15 minute walk back in the middle of the night. You aren’t supposed to occupy that parking lot between 8AM and 4PM so he got up in time to walk to the car and beat the 8AM deadline... which is what he does every morning, only this time the forecast called for rain at 8AM. He got all the way there and realized that I still had the key. Doh!

Now we are both soaking wet before work since I had to walk through the rain to bring him the key.

He needs the free charge on his car to shuttle everyone around, therefore he needs to park at the free charging station and use some other transportation (the scooter) to get home.

Exactly... and being able to take the scooter without losing too much room in the hatch should free him up to charge the scooter at his destination or use chargers in other out of the way places

What about just a cheap used bike, the ones you have to pedal? 1.5 mile on a bike is nothing.

Edit NM: just saw you wanted it to fold up as small as a broom. good folding bikes are not that small, or that cheap, even used.

Yeah, and a bike may still work but he would often need to make an extra trip to take it back home or pick it up, cutting into his car’s limited electric range when he needs the hatch space and adding a lot more back and forth hectic stuff to his daily grind.

The distance is nothing which is why I think a cheap kid’s scooter or even a “kick assist” electric kick scooter might be more appropriate. Heck, there is a railroad track and a shifting road that forces you into the street for an awkwardly long part of the walk but there are sidewalks the whole way so even one of those hoverboard/skywalker things would probably do the trick. They’re just less likely to tolerate rain and would probably go slower and they seem to be up to $300 too so I’m looking into scooters first.

I'd recommend an electric bike in place of a scooter. I have a friend who works as a nurse & is constantly cursing e-scooters because of how easy it is to get seriously injured on them (as in adults literally "break their face" on them). The good news is, you can get a fold-up e-bike for a reasonabel cost these days. Whereas some e-bikes are like $2,000, you can get good fold-up bikes for under $600 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Swagtron-EB-5-PLUS-Pro-Plus/dp/B07THFR6MM/

That ones has an advertised 15-mile range & supposedly can handle 30-degree inclines (maybe watch some Youtube video reviews first); I'd take that in a heartbeat over a scooter, particular in terms of safety for both accidents & for using in the rain, plus it can fold up to throw in the trunk!

Also +1 for tornado injury, make sure you use that on Tinder lol

Yeah, it just feels like overkill for a 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) walk. Like, I could charge his scooter in my office at work and no one would bat an eye or he could take it in when he helps at the landlord’s restaurant just under 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) away. An e-bike would probably be a different story, but he could always drop it off at home after getting the car if he had time. That said, NYC bans BOTH e-Bikes and electric scooters except for pedal/kick-assist after a bad e-Bike accident years ago, so it seems both have a bad reputation for safetythough I feel it’s underserved for the e-Bike.
For the moment the sidewalks are still very treacherous with storm debris and remnants of downed power lines, but a slow kid’s scooter for the sidewalk would make quick work of that without being nearly as dangerous as those electric rental scooters flooding certain cities where people use them in the streets to get around.

Or a so so set of rollerblades (and a pair of gloves in case of a fall, maybe a bike helmet too ).

Or have a look-see at Amazon, poke around, read the reviews (after checking the https://reviewmeta.com/ data), and sus out the terrain. @CZroe, Good luck on your recovery, saw the 20+ (?) minute video you posted of tornado aftermath riding around in car, mindblowing.

Thanks. Yeah, just about anything could make quick work of the 0.6 miles... even a non-electric kick scooter, rollerblades, pedal bike, etc but it’s uphill just enough both ways that it an electric or electric assist one would be appreciated.

 

[Fritzo]

Honestly, I'd get a full-out moped or electric bike for that commute. You'll be safer, more comfortable, and it will be a hell of a lot more convenient (plus you won't look like a douche going down the sidewalk )

Have you seen the new Segway scooters? They're like 2K, but they look super cool and you'd be able to sell it with a good portion of your money back when you don't need it anymore:

Segway eMoped C80

.normal-price .price-label { display:none !important; }

store.segway.com

 

[sdifox]

Honestly, I'd get a full-out moped or electric bike for that commute. You'll be safer, more comfortable, and it will be a hell of a lot more convenient (plus you won't look like a douche going down the sidewalk )

Have you seen the new Segway scooters? They're like 2K, but they look super cool and you'd be able to sell it with a good portion of your money back when you don't need it anymore:

Segway eMoped C80

.normal-price .price-label { display:none !important; }

store.segway.com

That doesn't even fit in a minivan, how is it going to fit in his Volt's trunk?

 

[Fritzo]

That doesn't even fit in a minivan, how is it going to fit in his Volt's trunk?

Do I have to do EVERYTHING?

 

[Oyeve]

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/GOTRAX-GXL-Commuting-Electric-Scooter/dp/B085WCXWQ7/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=gotrax+electric+scooter&qid=1620057393&sr=8-9

Use twice a day to go to work in NYC. 1.7 miles each way. Works great and like 32lbs.

 

[mxnerd]

An adult electric scooter probably is the best bet, don't think kid/toy scooters can hold the weight of an adult.

 

[sdifox]

Do I have to do EVERYTHING?

View attachment 43864

Not everyone carry a guitar on their back all the time just so they can pretend to be musicians.

 

[drnickriviera]

IDK, seems to me that the money spent on even a cheap $100 scooter would be better spent on just paying for gas for the Volt until you can charge at home again. Looks like city driving? So Volt would probably get really good mpg?

 

[WelshBloke]

Thanks. Yeah, just about anything could make quick work of the 0.6 miles... even a non-electric kick scooter, rollerblades, pedal bike, etc but it’s uphill just enough both ways that it an electric or electric assist one would be appreciated.

I'm going to join in with everyone else in in answering a different question than you actually asked!

0.6M is literally a ten minute walk. My kids have been doing that to their primary school from the age of 5. Walk it. By the time you've unpacked whatever it is out of the boot you'd be most of the way there.

Edit: It's uphill both ways?

 

[Captante]

Thanks, but not that kind of scooter. Think electric Razer,

Note most of those things have no effective suspension whatsoever beyond the riders knees.

Be sure he has decent health/accident insurance.

 

[CZroe]

Honestly, I'd get a full-out moped or electric bike for that commute. You'll be safer, more comfortable, and it will be a hell of a lot more convenient (plus you won't look like a douche going down the sidewalk )

Have you seen the new Segway scooters? They're like 2K, but they look super cool and you'd be able to sell it with a good portion of your money back when you don't need it anymore:

Segway eMoped C80

.normal-price .price-label { display:none !important; }

store.segway.com

I was looking at SlickDeals the other day and saw their highest-end $799 model had just been sold for $60 on Amazon! April 27 price mistake so I was two days too late

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/GOTRAX-GXL-Commuting-Electric-Scooter/dp/B085WCXWQ7/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=gotrax+electric+scooter&qid=1620057393&sr=8-9

Use twice a day to go to work in NYC. 1.7 miles each way. Works great and like 32lbs.

Thanks. Was looking at this one a few days ago but the commenters weren’t kind about the brand, especially the refurbs:

Gotrax GXL Commuter Scooter (Refurbished) - $$142.50 at Gotrax.com

Older generation GXL adult scooter, manufacturer refurbished. Non returnable, 30 day warranty. Regular price $299.99 Sale price $149.99 Extra 5% off with code Welcome5 https://gotrax.com/prod ...

slickdeals.net

Saw a few horror-stories. D: Probably better when new though.

An adult electric scooter probably is the best bet, don't think kid/toy scooters can hold the weight of an adult.

That just means they become a kick-assist scooter for half the trip (half is downhill).

IDK, seems to me that the money spent on even a cheap $100 scooter would be better spent on just paying for gas for the Volt until you can charge at home again. Looks like city driving? So Volt would probably get really good mpg?

Yeah, but the scooter would continue to be useful since home is even further away and he no longer has the rainy day option he once had (me).

I'm going to join in with everyone else in in answering a different question than you actually asked!

0.6M is literally a ten minute walk. My kids have been doing that to their primary school from the age of 5. Walk it. By the time you've unpacked whatever it is out of the boot you'd be most of the way there.

Edit: It's uphill both ways?

It’s a V-shape.

The walk is short, which is why we chose to do it even before I became a bigger burden... after returning the landlord’s truck and adding my PT to his load. Heck, the old walk was three times as far and we did that all the time too. The issue now is that he needs to do it multiple times a day and the 15 minutes adds up. Those are hours he no longer has to spare if he’s ever going to get caught up on all the other obligations that the tornado set him back on.

It would be useful for other places too, like a workshop that’s a block away from our mother’s place or I could put his car on charge at Target and return to work on my lunch break so the car and scooter will be charged after work. Since I can no longer drop him off at the charger or pick him up when it rains, he’d be using it even if he were back in the old place tomorrow, and that is about a half-hour wall. Even ignoring heat, cold, rain, and crime, doing that twice daily is still two hours a day he doesn’t have.

Yeah, it’s closer to 13 minutes with some forced crossings, especially when you find piles of old power lines in the sidewalk as you do . Did it ~10 minutes today thanks to the rain but was held up by some dude who wanted to talk about “my dog” (some random pit bull that followed me the whole way but wouldn’t let me pet him). Also, there have been two shootings there in the last week and a half including one right across the street. My alibi is solid since I skipped work to deal with this:

https://imgur.com/HUj3eNg

https://imgur.com/vSgOfpK

Try telling me that some other day when we didn’t both get drenched in the rain with wasted trips.

Note most of those things have no effective suspension whatsoever beyond the riders knees.

Be sure he has decent health/accident insurance.

Yeah, uh, neither does walking. Luckily it’s only half a mile. Thanks!

 

[WelshBloke]

Try telling me that some other day when we didn’t both get drenched in the rain with wasted trips.

I'm British, walking in the rain is practically my hobby. But I get your point!
All I'd worry about with a scooter is that they aren't that stable at the best of times, chuck a load of post storm debris around and they would be pretty unsafe.

 

[Oyeve]

Dont buy that refurb! The one I linked is the newer model and I have been using it for a while and never had any issues with it. I probably put 300 miles on it already and it has not let me down. Its also air filled tires so its quite easy on the knees. I'm 54 and find it comfy on the knees.