Are you ready to go electric?
Written by Neil Pagulayan
Switching to two wheels is not uncommon for car owners who are sick and tired of traffic in the metro. Imagine zipping past and through traffic to get from point A to B. There’s a lot to be said about the freedom being on two wheels affords you.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ve probably noticed more of the motorized kick scooters on the streets to avoid health and safety issues with using public transport. While these are practical in the inner city, they’re not really ideal (or allowed) on the open road. Although these fold up, are portable, and have a decent range of up to 30km or more, it’s not ideal for long commutes over uneven terrain, especially around vehicles going over 40kph.
Last year, Sobeler Corp., distributors of the Ecooter brand electric scooters in the Philippines unveiled their high performance models, namely the E1+, E2L+ and E2R. These are powered by high output lithium ion batteries, with price tags ranging from PhP95,000 – PhP195,000.
More recently, they launched their more affordable models we were able to experience first hand, thanks to an invitation from Joy Maranan, their Director of Sales and Marketing.
The new models on offer are the ET-1 and EH-2 which are powered by more affordable lead-acid batteries.
The ET-1 has a 72v 20Ah lead-acid battery that powers a 2Hp electric motor that puts out 18/100Nm of torque with a range of 85km and can reach a top speed of 60kph and takes 8 hours to charge. It’s priced at PhP 55,000 and a replacement battery costs PhP 10,000.
The EH-2 has a 60v 32Ah lead-acid battery that powers a 3.4Hp electric motor that puts out 30/120Nm of torque with a range of 100km and can reach a top speed of 70kph and takes 9 hours to charge. It’s priced at PhP 71,000 and a replacement battery costs PhP 20,000.
These models also come with an Ecooter App that lets you connect to the scooters. Through their Intelligent System, you can heck on real time vehicle information like battery capacity, vehicle status, adjusting mode and driving mode.
Key features of these Ecooters are Cruise Control, Reverse Gear and Smart Mode which lets you choose between two drive modes for city riding or race. These are proper full sized scooters and make for a more comfortable commute than the motorized kick scooters. Performance is comparable to gasoline scooters in the same price/size range. Also, they can make several trips before needing a full charge. Ecooter scooters are sold direct from their showroom located on the Ground floor of CSP Building, 173 EDSA in Mandaluyong City. You can find them on facebook – Ecooter Philippines.