Electric scooter for less than £1,000
(21/07/2008)

Everyone who commutes knows that getting to work in a busy city can be expensive, hectic, stressful, slow and not always environmentally friendly. Thankfully Firebox.com has the answer for cash-conscious commuters: a fully road legal, electric scooter for less than £1,000.

The Ego Street Scoota™ is avoiding congestion charges and cutting out queues, but also the best bit is that you don't need to buy petrol or pay road tax. Powered by an onboard battery (recharged via the mains), it boasts a range of up to 40 miles with a top speed of 30mph and it only costs 8 pence to charge ... that works out to around ¼p per mile!

Christian Robinson, MD of Firebox.com said: "We nearly fell off our chairs when we heard about the Ego Street Scoota™ and the timing of its launch during our tenth birthday month is just perfect. Firebox specialises in finding ground-breaking new innovations from around the world and the Ego is no exception. Not only is the running cost of this vehicle incredibly low for the urban commuter but it's also great for the environment compared to driving a car, with no pollution or noise emissions. Why would you spend hours getting to work stuck in traffic when you can hop on an Ego Street Scoota™ and do it in half the time? The price is amazing too, the average electric bike in the market sells for around £3,000, but the Ego will be only £999.95. We really believe this is the most important product we've EVER launched."

The Street Scoota™ is designed and made in China, where electric scooters are already a huge hit (selling around 13 millions every year) and it could be the answer to Britain's inner city congestion issues.

In fact it was during a regular trip to China that Steve Bellis, Commercial Director of UK importers Lynx Group International, had the brainwave to bring the Ego Street Scoota™ to Britain: "We saw some attractive looking scooters in a showroom and asked the manufacturers where the petrol tank was. We were blown away when we were told it was electric - we knew instantly that if we could bring it over to the UK and hit the right price point that this could change city commuting in a big way."

He continued: "It was a pretty serious investment for us to get the product road legal for the UK - 3 years of intense R&D testing and complying with all the rigorous British legal standards, but it now means we have an incredibly sophisticated scooter at a price point that' has previously been unheard of in this industry. And we're delighted that Firebox shares our excitement about the Ego -- we can't wait to see the product online!"

As well as being affordable, the Ego Street Scoota™ also benefits from a number of free parking initiatives across the UK and will soon have access to bus lanes in London, which means any Ego owner would be able to zip in and out of town with unprecedented access.

If you passed your driving test prior to February 2001, you do not need a license to ride the Street Scoota, if however you passed your test after this date or you are yet to take your test, then you will need to take a Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) course.

It takes 8 hours for a full charge and 3 for a quick charge via a standard 13amp socket using the specialist power cable provided.

Life expectancy of the battery all depends on usage how they are looked after but this is covered by the warranty. The Scooter itself will not require a professional service but you will need to do a number of simple maintenance checks yourself. The vehicle will require an MOT after 3 years of service and annually thereafter.

SCOOTER SPECIFICATION:
• 1400 watt motor
• Top speed of 30mph
• Run distance around 30 - 40 miles
• Dimensions - 189cm (l), 73cm (w), 100cm (h)
• Unladen weight: 104kg
• Complete with back box
• Front break / rear drum brake
• Steering lock