econogo TM co-founder, James South, explains why we created a scooter with removable batteries, and how this innovation finally makes electric scooters a practical alternative

 

When we launched econogo TM , we realised that all the electric scooters we saw on the market were really impractical. They were powered by batteries that were built into the scooter and fixed. That meant you could only recharge them by running a cable from your house to the street, and then waiting several hours for a full charge.

 

We figured that is not much good if you live on the 3rd floor! In fact, that only really works if you have easy access to a garage – which has never been a must for us city folks.

 

We had heard about networks of ‘park-and-charge’ locations appearing, but it didn’t seem likely that they would ever provide enough coverage to match the convenience of parking right outside your house or your office.

 

But what if you could simply lift your battery out of the scooter when you parked outside your house and take it inside to charge – just like your phone or laptop?

 

So we got busy designing and building a scooter that allows you to remove, carry and then re-charge the battery in the comfort of your own home. We made the battery cases to be light enough to carry a short distance and added cushioned handles on them to be more comfortable.