When do you choose between an ebike and escooter? Here is part 2 of the ebike vs escooter debate adapted from E-Mobility HQ following our first part series here.

If you are still unsure after reading our first article, we have created a list of pros and cons for each product category to help you answer the question of: Ebike OR Escooter?

Escooters

Based on the manual kick scooter, many manufacturers now offer two-wheelers with a small electric drive. Simple but proven technologies are making the Escooter a very viable commuting device.

Escooters are a great choice if you are looking for the following features:

• Affordable price
• Low weight
• Low maintain costs
• Mainly used in urban environment
• Great portability and storage capability (You can easily park it under your desk!)
• Unlicensed hence quicker to adopt
• No need for inspection and registration

Here are a few examples when the Escooter can be a good choice for you:

• You are living 5-10 kilometers from your workplace and use it for daily commuting
• You live in a big city far from your workplace, but you can easily hop on and off the bus/train whenever needed
• A foldable design makes it possible to keep it in your car or boat and take it out whenever you need to use it. You can park your car on the city outskirts and approach the center by escooter.
• The compact design also makes it a perfect choice for sightseeing in a crowded city.

Escooters, in general, are a great way to have a taste of the electric mobility lifestyle without paying too much. Of course, there are Escooters which can cost thousands of dollars but they mostly serve some special purpose which is not required by the everyday riders.

In most countries, including Singapore, Escooter usage is generally unlicensed and unregulated. That means you do not need to get a license to use an escooter, but you may need to register. In most places, escooter specification is also regulated by authorities to a certain speed.

For more information on escooter usage in Singapore, please check LTA’s website here.

EBikes

Just like conventional bikes, the possibilities of electric bicycles are countless. Almost any bicycle can be converted into an ebike. Either you choose to buy a complete bike, or you would like to build your own, there is a wide selection to choose from ranging from compactly foldable bikes to full suspension mountain bikes.

Electric bikes are your choice if the following features are important for you:

• Usually higher price, especially when it comes to specific road and mountain bikes
• Moderate to high weight (ranging from around 14 kilograms to 28 kilograms)
• More complex configurations which mean higher maintenance costs
• Depending on the type, they are suitable almost everywhere. Can be used in cities, long distance roads, uphill and downhill offroad tracks, etc.
• Big size compared to scooters (except bikes with folding design)
• No need for license BUT it needs to be inspected and approved by authorities

Examples when an electric bike can be a good choice for you:

• Every day commuting between your home and workplace. Thanks to the electric drive its even comfortable if you live 20-30 kilometers away.
• Long distance rides on- and offroad. Good quality bikes from trusted manufacturers can usually take 80-120 kilometers with one charge.
• Just like an Escooter, an electric bicycle with folding design can be packed in the car trunk without taking too much space and assembled whenever needed.
• Up and downhill rides in the hills. You can even explore places which would be almost impossible with conventional bikes.

For most ebikes there are no special licenses required, and they can be used like regular bikes and go where bicycles can go.

The downside to owning an ebike in places like Singapore is that you do need to get your ebike inspected and tagged according to the LTA regulations and register yourself as an ebike rider.

This is vastly different from Escooters, where you do not need to have your escooter inspected and tagged but you do need to register yourself as an EScooter rider.