I thought it might be useful to recount my experiences with my Ego Street Scoota for those of you who are thinking about buying one.

I purchased mine in October 2008. Arranging the registration, tax disc and insurance was straightforward. The nuts and bolts supplied for fitting the backbox looked a bit flimsy to me so I used my own, which has worked fine. I didn’t ride my scoota much during the winter months, but last week my car failed it’s MOT so I had to start riding it.

My normal car journey to work is 8 miles on a busy road. I didn’t fancy doing that on the scoota so I use the back roads instead, making the journey 10 miles. I found that my scoota has sufficient charge to do a single journey but that attempting the return journey on one charge is optimistic – the scoota will make it, but the last few miles will be slow! Therefore I have got into the habit of plugging the scoota in after every journey.

The scoota is comfortable to sit on and all of the controls work well, even when wearing gloves. I have to be careful to avoid potholes and I do feel most of the bumps in the road, but this is not a criticism of the Street Scoota as a petrol scooter would be the same.

One of the two great benefits of the scoota is the ability to get past any queueing traffic – despite the scoota being slower than my car was, the journey time is similar. The other significant benefit is the low running costs – I haven’t been to a petrol station for ages!

Probably my biggest criticism of the scoota is the lack of power – it is slow, even compared to a petrol scooter. I find that the realistic cruising speed is 25mph, with 30mph or more only available when riding downhill. Going uphill can be unpleasant, with one part of my journey in particular slowing me down to 10mph.

I have read on the internet about people who have found DIY ways to add more batteries to the Street Scoota, and I am tempted to try upgrading from four lead-acid batteries to five (48v to 60v). I’m not interested in breaking the law, I just want to get what I paid for – a vehicle which is supposed to do 30mph.

I’m going to make a couple of other minor adjustments as well – I shall use some velcro to secure the floor mat because it slips about too much, and I will find some way of lengthening the stalks for the rear view mirrors as I find it difficult to see past my arms!

So, would I recommend the Street Scoota? I’ve seen some reviews on the internet which shower it with praise but I wouldn’t go that far. However, mine has been invaluable while I’m without a car and I’d *much* rather use the scoota than public transport. I think that if you’re the sort of person who is organised (always remembering to put the scoota on charge after every use) and practical (e.g. my experience with fitting the backbox) then you will like the Street Scoota. I’d give it 7 out of 10.

ken.bundy@email4ken.plus.com
07/04/2009
12:00pm