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[img]http://tinyurl.com/nn3urk[/img]ELECTRICS @ 2009 DEALER EXPO; Vectrix and E-Max, etc......
Topic Started: Thursday, 19. February 2009, 00:50 (172 Views)
Posted Imageobxbiker
:PIWYR2: ELECTRICS :ELECTRIFIED:
@ 2009 DEALER EXPO

At the show, four distinct classes of electric scooter manufacturers/importers:

  • 1) At the high end there was Vectrix and E-Max........

    There's no doubt in my mind that both these manufacturers offer a great product. In my opinion they're both saddling themselves with too much cost because they both chose to design their bikes from the ground up. With this higher base cost they've both opted for cheaper SLA batteries (silicone). Personally I think that's a mistake - but time will tell. They both talk about LiFePO4 coming out soon and talk as if there's no reasonable solution right now to explain why they don't have LiFe today. That's a bit of a self-defeating argument when they're using Silicone based SLAs which are "new tech" when it comes to SLAs. It's not that I think new tech is bad - but why can they bring silicone to market quicker than SLAs? However, as I said, they have the best bikes out on the market right now. We saw the VX-1 (NiMH), VX-1E (SLA) and VX-2 (SLA) and the E-Max 90 (SLA) (the VX-2 is a "re-skinned" E-Max.

    A couple of interesting tidbits from the Vectrix stand: (a) they have 83 US dealers and hope to double that in 2009 - their target is to have around 700 dealers (just like Harley who are the US market leader for motorcycle sales) & (b) the price of batteries is killing them - he quoted some high cost for the price of Nickle per ton, he then went on to point out that a Vectrix has 100lbs of Nickle in its batteries. Ouch.

  • 2) At the mid-level.....

    .... two manufacturer/importers: X-Treme and Vekken. X-Treme have an impressive display of many different electric models - including an XM-5000 (which said it had 100Ah batteries - but the version on the floor had 60Ah . I know many of you will dispute that X-Treme is mid-level but I categorize them this way because their product is on the road and is usable. I didn't spend much time on the Vekken stand - in my not so humble opinion a hybrid motor scooter is a TERRIBLE idea. Sorry.

  • 3) At the low-level ........

    ......at least a half dozen bikes based on the same frame as the XM-5000, XM-3500, E-FunD etc. These bikes were normally displayed by importers who imported just about anything. They also usually had some pretty outrageous claims. I'm sorry but I just don't believe that a 48V, 2000W bike the size of an XM-3500 will go 50 mph. Also, by the very nature of these importers they have no specialized knowledge in EVs. They're just out there to ride the wave. Buyer beware!

  • 4) The last category is the pedal-assisted bikes.....

    .... There was at least one VERY well put together bike that looks a bit like a modern interpretation of a Puch Maxi. Sorry, can't remember the name right now. Also there were a couple of cute foldable bikes. One had a very easy to remove seat and battery meaning that you could lock it up on the street and take the battery inside to charge. However, the other one was even smaller and lighter so you'd take the whole bike in. It was interesting to see these bikes at a motorcycle show.

What was not there:

  • 1) None of the new mid-level or high-level vendors.....

    .... No RMartin, Electric Motorsport, EVCUSA, EVTA etc. This is THE show to be at if you're a manufacturer looking for dealers.

    The absence of these guys could mean a couple of things:


    • (a) their product still isn't ready

    • b) they don't want a dealer network they just want to sell direct

    • (c) they do want a dealer network but are building it another way. Note that for the companies I listed to be a dealer you need to jump through a fair number of hoops at the state level (in Michigan it's at least a $50K per year proposition to be a dealer)


  • 2) No viable electric motor scooters .....

    from any of the quality ICE players. SYM, CFMoto, Q-Link etc. don't seem that interested. SYM did have a prototype on display - but with a 1000W motor it's not going to set the world on fire. I wonder if they've looked at Vectrix's rather troubled initial performance and decided it's either not worth it or too soon to jump in on the game.
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